FolkArtwork and Friends is a deep dive into some of my favorite folk, outsider, visionary, and self-taught artists, and a conversation with some of my friends in the field about how they got their start, which artists inspire them, their favorite piece of art in their collection and which roadside attractions their children went to kicking and screaming but actually loved.
You may know that I share folk, outsider, visionary, and self-taught artwork every day on Instagram, or that I help contemporary artists sell their artwork online and at exhibits across the country, or that I have two children who probably have visited more roadside attractions than interns who work for RoadsideAmerica.com.
What you may not know is that along the way, I’ve met some incredible people, some of whom I’m lucky enough to call my friends. Artists, collectors, gallery owners, and outsider art enthusiasts who have shared with me some incredible stories, that I want to share with you.
Episodes will come out every first Friday of the month, on your favorite podcast player and with video on YouTube. Like, subscribe, share, and keep coming back for more.
Guests so far have included Kylie Ryu of Ricco/Maresca Gallery, Alex Hunninghake of the Outsider Art Museum & Gallery, historian and scholar Isa Segalovich, artists Montrel Beverly and Esteban Whiteside, Jennifer Gilbert of Jennifer Lauren Gallery, international artists Barry Colpitts and Pam Puck, and Ryan Ward of Ruffed Grouse Gallery.
More to come this summer!
Episode One
Kylie Ryu + JB Murray
In the first episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I am thrilled to be talking to my friend Kylie Ryu, the Associate Director at Ricco/Maresca Gallery in New York City. I talk to Kylie about life before outsider art, how a random suggestion from her mom changed her art career, stumbling upon the world of outsider art, and how competitive cheerleading helped her land a job she knew she was destined for.
Plus, a deep dive into the life and art of JB Murray, a self-taught abstract expressionist painter from Georgia, whose ghostly, colorful works of art helped ward off evil.
Episode Two
Alex Huninghake + Minnie Adkins
In the second episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I am delighted to sit down and talk to my friend Alex Huninghake, the Executive Director of Outsider Art Museum & Gallery in Louisville. I talk to Alex about becoming disillusioned with fine art in Austin, Texas, growing up in Kentucky, and having folk art around his whole life, how his mom helped convince him to start a gallery for outsider artists, and I thank him for giving me such a great hat.
Plus, a deep dive into the life and art of Minnie Adkins, a 91-year-old self-taught wood carver from Kentucky who has become internationally renowned for her hand-carved and painted wooden animals.
Episode Three
Isa Segalovich + Merry Cemetery (Pt. 1)
In the third episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I am thrilled to be joined by author and anti-authoritarian folk art historian Isa Segalovich. My former teacher of “Folk Art + Modernism” and I discuss the lightning rod moments that changed her mind from pre-med to trying to make the world a better place through artwork. We discuss her love for Wisconsin roadside art environments, the Mummers Parade, her journey to Romania and Bulgaria, as well as her love for all things ornament, which led her to write her first book, “Ornament Now,” out in 2026.
Plus a glimpse into the humor and symbolism of the over 800 crosses that adorn the most beautiful cemetery in the world, the Merry Cemetery, located in Săpânța, Romania.
AND…
Montrel Beverly (Pt. 2)
In the third episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, instead of telling you about one of my favorite artists, I am joined by one of my favorite contemporary self-taught artists, Montrel Beverly.
This summer, Montrel was generous enough to create a few pieces of art for the show I curated at SAGE Studio & Gallery, and he continues to push the boundaries of what seems possible with art made from pipe cleaners. We talk about the first pipe-cleaner sculpture he ever made, a pipe-cleaner prank he pulled in high school, and his plans for a pipe-cleaner world record.
Episode Four
Jennifer Gilbert + Shinichi Sawada
In the fourth episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, a longtime friend and champion of self-taught, disabled, and overlooked artists from around the world joins me — Jennifer Gilbert of Jennlifer Lauren Gallery in Manchester. Jennifer shares her background and her work as a curator and advocate for inclusive art, from studying graphic design to discovering outsider art through her work with artists with schizophrenia, as well as curating her recent exhibit “Look Everywhere” with the artists whose work made up the brilliant show. All that, and more, including her outsider art collection series, what galleries and museums can do to be more inclusive, and meeting the one and only Shinichi Sawada.
Plus, a look into the life and work of Japanese ceramicist Shinichi Sawada, who spent almost two decades baking bread in his mornings and creating out-of-this-world clay creatures in the afternoon — all on the side of a mountain, firing his creations in a traditional wood fire oven, and becoming an internationally renowned artist.
Episode Five
Esteban Whiteside + Steve Ashby
In the fifth episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, self-taught artist Esteban Whiteside joins on a beautiful sunny morning to talk about how growing up, he was turned off from artwork because he could never draw realistically. After his dreams of playing professional basketball were dashed (I can relate), it was the free time he had while bartending and working as a security guard in one of his favorite museum collections that convinced him he could make art. After years of hustling and finding his calling, years later, he’s still making some of the most poignant and powerful artwork in the contemporary art world.
Plus, a look into the life and work of self-taught artist Steve Ashby, an artist who was brought to my attention thanks to Esteban, who didn’t start carving wood and making art well into his 60’s.
Episode Six
Barry Colpitts + Maud Lewis
In the sixth episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I am absolutely honored to talk with Nova Scotia’s own Barry Colpitts, folk artist and wood carver, who creates some of the most magnificent works of art in North America. Thanks to Audrey Sanford of Black Sheep Gallery for setting this up, I get to sit down with Barry and hear about his beginnings, including his lack of relationship to art when he was younger, his start in wood carving while working as a prison guard, some of his “racy” mermaid carvings when he was in his twenties, plus he brings his one of a kind Prayer Helmet Whirligig to show off.
Plus, you can’t really talk about folk art from Nova Scotia without talking about one particular artist, so please enjoy a little deep dive into the life and work of the one and only Maud Lewis.
Episode Seven
Pam Puck + CC
In the seventh episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I had a delightful conversation with self-taught artist Pam Puck. I’ve known Pam for a few years now and have always been blown away by their sculptures, but I’ve never really had a chance to get to know them personally. I talk to Pam about getting her start with ceramics in a kids’ pottery class, teaching English in Italy, growing up watching ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, and being, well, as she put it, “a creepy kid”. Plus, I learn about how her talented artist husband’s work inspires them, living in a cave for a period of time, as well as the excitement of showcasing artwork at this year’s Outsider Art Fair.
Then, with the recent bombings taking place in Iran, an excerpt from “Empty Chairs”, an exhibit by Fiuz Gallery and Outsider Inn Gallery featuring one-of-a-kind artworks by Iranian self-taught artist Alireza Asbahi Sisi, also known as CC.
Episode Eight
Ryan Ward + Ralph Fasanella
In the eighth episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I am pleased to catch up with my good friend Ryan Ward of The Ruffed Grouse Gallery. Ever since I was first mistaken for Ryan at the Outsider Art Fair in 2024, we hit it off, and he’s been a great mentor and friend as he helps me navigate this world of outsider art. I talk to Ryan about his relationship with art growing up as a kid in rural Pennsylvania, spending tons of time outside, discovering artwork by Purvis Young and Jimmy Lee Sudduth that catapulted him into the world of self-taught and outsider art, as well as purchasing his first work while in grad school. Plus, we talk about our time at the Outsider Art Fair, the artist Little Walt Dog, discovering a piece of art created by Jerry Saltz, and the future of the outsider art world.
Then, in celebration of May Day, a look at the life of self-taught artist Ralph Fasanella, whose large, detailed works depicted urban working life and critiqued post-World War II America.
Episode Nine
Valérie Rousseau of American Folk Art Museum
In the ninth episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I am honored to be joined by Valérie Rousseau, the Curatorial Chair and Senior Curator of 20th-Century & Contemporary Art at the American Folk Art Museum. Valérie joins me to talk about what led her to a career in curating self-taught artwork, which included growing up with two grandfathers who were both renowned in Canada, one for their work as an ethnobotanist and the other a wood carver.
We talk about how the organization and the classification of art and nature as a kid led to curating, the works of art she remembers as a kid that will always stay with her, and then a discussion about the latest exhibit she co-curated with Suzie Oppenheimer at the American Folk Art Museum, “Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists,” on view now until September 13th. Plus, I didn’t jinx the Knicks!
Learn more about “Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists” at www.folkartmuseum.org and follow the American Folk Art Museum on Instagram at @afamuseum. If you’re in New York City, visit the American Folk Art Museum open Wednesday–Sunday: 11:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. — admission is always free.
AND…
Bill Miller (Pt. 2)
In the second part of the ninth episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I am pleased to be joined by self-taught artist Bill Miller, whose linoleum works of art are on display in the latest exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum, “Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists.”
Bill joins me to talk about his search for a very large studio, due to his very large piles of linoleum, which he uses in his artworks. We talked about his upbringing in Pittsburgh’s Industrial Arts Co-op, making art out of recycled materials, showing his work at the Outsider Art Fair, and the story behind creating two album covers for the late Frank Zappa. Then, we dine out on some of our favorite music to listen to while making art, I brag about being named the teacher with the best music at my school, and why Paul McCartney keeps texting us.
Plus, Bill Miller wants your linoleum! Bill’s artwork is made entirely of linoleum, and he has a giant warehouse to store it. So if you have some you want to donate, he’ll take it off your hands! Go to www.billmillerart.com or www.billmillerwantsyourlinoleum.com and get in touch with Bill so he can take your linoleum off your hands and use it in a piece of art. Or follow Bill on Instagram at @billmillerart.
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