Today we continue our series on student loans with a conversation featuring Cammi Climaco and Jen Mecca. They share their experience with long-term management of loan payments, the effect loans have on family relationships, and student loan forgiveness. Cammi is a NYC based artist and podcast host of The Ceramics Companion. Jen is an artist and educator based in Gastonia, NC. www.cammiclimaco.com www.jenmeccapottery.com

Like many of you I’ve watched horrific scenes of floods across the South Eastern U.S., including devastation in one of our richest pottery regions Western North Carolina. I want to send my well wishes to those affected by the storm and encourage you the listener to support relief efforts for artists. There’s a Go Fund Me site set up for Melissa Weiss, who lost her studio in Asheville, and the organization CERF+ is already organizing relief for those affected. You can find out more and donate at www.cerfplus.org. As the waters recede and more information becomes available, I’ll report more on how you can support the community over the next few months.

Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:

The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com

Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com

Archie Bray Residencies www.archiebray.org

After years of talking with people about their education, I thought it was time to address student loans head on. Today I talk with Betsy Mayotte, who over the past three decades has worked with hundreds of borrowers in her role as president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors. In our interview we talk about the factors driving up the cost of education, how a student progresses through a loan cycle, loan forgiveness options, and healthy habits for financial literacy. We also talk about the upcoming September 30th deadline for the Fresh Start program, a new initiative to help borrowers get out of default. You can find out more about TISLA, and receive free information at freestudentloanadvice.org.

Celia Feldberg decorates her pots with vibrant sgraffito drawings of animals in human situations. With a light-hearted touch she talks about relationship dynamics and highlights the small beauty in every day life. In our interview we talk about refining her drawing style on clay, depicting love in all its forms, and being a resident artist at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. www.celiafeldberg.com

We also discuss the research she conducted for my book The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors. She was my assistant and a valuable sounding board as I was writing the book. It was wonderful to share the success and struggle of the project with such a talented artist.

Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:

Michiana Pottery Tour www.michianapotterytour.com

The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com

Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com

Archie Bray Residencies www.archiebray.org

Christy Culp’s terra cotta pots are decorated with blue berries, carrots, and other motifs that come from her western Pennsylvania farm. In our interview we talk about her decades long career as a high school ceramics teacher, building a dream studio out of a late 1800’s barn that was on the farm, and how her yoga practice supports her ceramic practice.

In our interview we also talk about Christy’s work in my book The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors. The book was officially released this week and is now available where fine books are sold.

Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:

Michiana Pottery Tour www.michianapotterytour.com

The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com

Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com

Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com

Camille Dungy is an award-winning poet, writer, and host of the podcast Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In our interview we talk about Immaterial and their approach to art and story telling. We also talk about her passion for gardening, and her most recent book Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden.

This episode also features an excerpt from the Immaterial episode Stone: Making and Breaking Legacies. To hear the rest of that episode follow and subscribe to Immaterial on your favorite podcast app. Many thanks to Metropolitan Museum of Art for sponsoring this episode of the show.

My upcoming book The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors has its official release on September 10 and is now available for pre-order. Get your copy today on Amazon or where ever fine books are sold.

Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:

Metropolitan Museum of Art www.metmuseum.org

Michiana Pottery Tour www.michianapotterytour.com

The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com

Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com

Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com

Christi Ruffin is an avid collector of ceramics, and by that, I mean she is obsessed. I recently got to visit her home in Charlotte, NC and hold many of the pieces that make up her collection of over 3,000 pots. In our interview we talk about forming relationships with artists, insuring and documenting a ceramic collection, and how the pandemic helped accelerate her collecting habit. To see the collection you can follow Christi on Instagram at pottery.addict.

Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:

The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com

Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com

Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com

Yoshi Fuji spends hours carving intricate patterns drawn from kimono and Japanese wrapping paper on each of his forms. In our interview we talk about his approach to pattern and his relationship with Baltimore Clayworks, where he has been a resident, instructor, and now Director of Exhibitions. Yoshi Fuji Ceramics Baltimore Clayworks

Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:

The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com

Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com

Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com

Rebecca and Scott Proctor formed Nom Ceramics in 2019 after years of working in the same studio. Their functional and sculptural collaborations are glazed with layers of patterns that melt together in their soda kiln firings. In our interview we talk about their path to collaboration, their method for building surfaces, and how they balance parenting with studio work. They have an exhibition of new work up now at Companion Gallery in Humbolt, TN. In addition to their studio work they also run the East Side Pot Shop, a community studio in Austin, TX. nomceramics.com

Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:

The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com

28th Annual Bray Benefit Auction July 19th-26th www.archiebray.org