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PODCAST

House of Folk Art

Join Matt Ledbetter, esteemed auctioneer and folk art connoisseur hailing from Gibsonville, North Carolina, as he unveils the rich tapestry of Southern Folk Art. With personal ties to numerous folk artists through his renowned quarterly auctions, Matt brings you on a journey through the intricate history, the profound motivations, and the intimate encounters that shape the world of folk art.

arts visual arts

All Episodes

64:20

Episode 46 | Unboxing Folk Art Pottery and...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/12/22

Mike Smith joins Matt in the gallery with several pieces of folk art pottery headed for the next auction, opening boxes and walking through each form as it comes out. What starts as a straightforward unboxing quickly turns into a deeper conversation about where these pieces came from, who made them, and how easily important work can be overlooked when context is lost.Throughout the episode, Matt and Mike break down what they look for when evaluating folk art pottery, from glaze and form to

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45:25

Episode 45 | Raising Canes the Folk Art Way

House of Folk Art ·

2025/12/08

Matt has been raised on canes since he was ten years old, and now he is passing the tradition down by raising his own kids on folk art canes too. From snake wrapped handles to fully carved masterpieces, he walks through some of the best walking sticks in the collection and ends by seeing if Kai can spot the most valuable cane in the room.Throughout the episode he breaks down the difference between a simple carved handle and a true tip to top cane, why certain carvings reveal themselves only

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61:04

Episode 44 | Secrets from Alamance County and the...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/11/24

Matt sits down with his dad, the infamous Wade Ledbetter, inside the auction gallery for a story Wade admits might be risky to even share. What starts as a quiet memory from rural Alamance County quickly turns into a mystery about a ten foot clock, a fifty thousand dollar offer from Henry Ford’s museum team, and a farmhouse fire that erased everything. Wade takes Matt back to the days when he delivered milk to the Krauss family and explains why the story of that clock stayed with him for

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51:39

Episode 43 | Liberty Antiques Recap: Pottery,...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/11/10

Matt and Kyle sit down after two full days of picking at the Liberty Antiques Festival in Liberty, North Carolina. Surrounded by their finds, they go through the haul piece by piece, from rare signed North Carolina pottery and 19th-century paintings to a pristine Benny Carter saw.The conversation dives into the stories behind the buys, the lessons learned from years on the road, and the excitement that comes with finding something special in a sea of booths. From showcase surprises to

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64:23

Episode 42 | From the Brewery to the Gallery: Inside...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/10/27

Matt and Sully sit down inside the Griffith Fine Art Museum at Red Oak Brewery to explore where fine art and folk art meet. Surrounded by a collection of American Impressionist paintings from the late 1800s, they talk about the crossover between high-end galleries and the handmade traditions that define Southern craftsmanship. What starts as a laid-back conversation over a Hummingbird Golden Lager quickly turns into a mix of history, humor, and collecting philosophy.Matt shares stories

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69:58

Episode 41 | Inside the Folk Art Underground: Mike...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/10/13

Matt and Mike Smith sit down inside the Griffith Fine Art Museum at Red Oak Brewery to talk about the wild early days of Southern folk art and the collectors who helped define it. What begins as a casual visit quickly turns into a deep dive into Mike’s decades-long journey from salesman to documentarian, capturing the rise of self-taught art across the Southeast.Mike shares how he met artists like Benny Carter, James Harold Jennings, and Howard Finster, and what it was like to ride with

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69:59

Episode 40 | Kentucky Legend Carl McKenzie & The...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/09/29

Matt and Kyle take a deep dive into Kentucky folk artist Carl McKenzie (1905-1998), examining his colorful cut-wood sculptures that inspired a generation of collectors. From the Daniel Boone Trading Post to Larry Hackley's legendary collection, they explore how McKenzie's simple two-by-four constructions with movable arms captured the essence of Kentucky mountain life.The episode takes a personal turn when Matt reveals his secret identity as the "Gibsonville Highway 61 Miniature Chair

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47:48

Episode 39 | Wade Ledbetter: A Picker's Life & Salt...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/09/15

Matt sits down with his father Wade Ledbetter, the legendary picker whose exploits have become House of Folk Art folklore. From walking to school with a .22 rifle to sleeping with shotguns in dangerous hotel rooms, Wade shares raw stories from the golden age of picking when there was no internet, no cell phones, and pickers ruled the auction house circuit.The conversation covers Wade's transition from insurance salesman to full-time picker, the electric atmosphere at John Lambert's Mebane

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68:49

Episode 38 | International Folk Art Showcase & ...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/09/01

Matt and Sully kick off with some international flair as Sully shares his folk art discoveries from Poland and Denmark – including a mysterious pottery piece that might be 200 years old and a painting on board he snagged for five bucks in Copenhagen. The conversation flows from European finds to the economics of American pottery, exploring how glass factories nearly killed traditional potters until they pivoted to decorative and tourist pieces. Matt breaks down the Burlon Craig timeline and

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107:17

Episode 37 | Inside Matt's Home Gallery & The Real...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/08/18

Matt opens his doors to the official House of Folk Art gallery – a sanctioned room in his Gibsonville home where guests drink wine, discuss eyeball jugs, and sleep surrounded by Benny Carter cityscapes. What started as empty walls has become a rotating exhibition that changes every two years, filled with the kind of obtainable art that proves you don't need millionaire money to live with authentic folk art.This episode is pure education for new collectors: Matt breaks down how he built

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77:31

Episode 36 | The Dale Jr of Folk Art: Checkered Flags...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/08/04

Matt opens the show in Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s iconic black-and-red jersey while Sully sports Dale Jr. The playful NASCAR nod lasts only long enough for a quick laugh before they park the racing talk and steer straight into folk-art territory.Their first stop is Eden, North Carolina, where Carrie Graves covered scrap paper with bright marker sketches for decades and her daughter Ellen Martin coaxed lions and angels from borrowed-kiln clay. Next they spotlight Benny Carter, a former metalworker

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63:45

Episode 35 | The Pickers’ Mindset: From $10 Bets to...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/07/21

If you’ve ever wondered how an old jar of quarters, a dusty license plate, or a mystery canvas can bankroll a folk-art empire, this hour is your crash course. Matt Ledbetter and Sully leave the gallery table behind and unpack the method behind the madness of picking...long drives, door knocks, and gut checks that separate a lucky flea-market haul from a life-changing score. They relive two-week marathons with $12,000 in road cash, explain why “brown is down” furniture still sells if you

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71:54

Episode 34 | Inside the Auction House: Matt & Sully’s...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/07/07

In this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt and Sully take on a challenge inside the gallery: pick 5 folk art pieces each and analyze them for viewers. But this isn’t just show and tell. You’ll get insight into how both beginners and experienced collectors weigh a piece’s condition, story, value, and craftsmanship. From outsider legends to emerging names, the episode explores what makes folk art collectible and how to spot something special.Chapters:00:00 – 00:02:02 | Cold Open & Gallery

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60:48

Episode 33 | Back at the Auction House: Baskets, Jugs...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/06/23

In this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt and Kyle are back at the Folk Art Auction House in Gibsonville, sifting through the spring haul from shows across North Carolina and Virginia. With the van finally unloaded and the finds laid out, they talk through what’s going to auction, what might stay in the collection, and what stories came with each piece.From a $70 New Jersey jug now soaring past $1,200, to a vividly painted mystery basket that might just be Native American, the episode

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29:25

Episode 32 | Van‐Side Collector’s Guide to Fishersville

House of Folk Art ·

2025/06/09

In this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt, Kyle, and Sully squeeze into the back of the van just as the Fishersville Antique Expo winds down, surrounded by every treasure they scored that weekend. What starts with Matt flipping through his “Little by Little” reference book quickly becomes an all-out field lesson in Americana and folk art. From a perfectly aged 1860 Piedmont salt-glazed jug and Sully’s first walking stick—handed down by Matt himself—to Kyle’s on-camera $400 pie safe

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49:48

Episode 31 | The Best Basket You’ll Ever See

House of Folk Art ·

2025/05/26

Chapters00:00 – Intro00:14 – Baskets 101: The Feel Test01:01 – Machine Cuts vs. Drawing Knife Splits03:18 – Why Smaller Baskets Matter04:16 – The Basket That Makes You Say Oh05:11 – Dating Old Baskets by Feel and Wear07:50 – How to Know When Not to Pass It Up15:09 – The Best Basket You’ll Ever See18:10 – A Known Maker vs Unknown Maker19:15 – Who Got You Into Baskets?23:05 – Sully Joins to Talk About Wild Marvin Bailey Jugs28:20 – Lanier Meaders and the Rock Teeth Secret36:43 – Billy Ray

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43:58

Episode 30 | The Ones That Got Away: Wade Ledbetter’s...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/05/12

In this episode of House of Folk Art, Wade Ledbetter returns to share more stories from his life as a full-time antique picker. A life spent on back roads, knocking on doors, and hauling everything from sugar chests to human skulls. Told to his son Matt, the host of House of Folk Art, this episode winds through missed deals, strange finds, and wild encounters in small towns across Virginia and North Carolina.Wade’s storytelling hits full stride as he recalls a legendary missed opportunity

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55:27

Episode 29 | Face Jugs and Folk Legends: Inside the...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/04/28

In this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt Ledbetter takes listeners deep inside the Catawba Valley Pottery Festival. One of the South’s most important gatherings for traditional folk pottery. Held each spring in Hickory, NC, the festival brings together potters, collectors, and first-time admirers from across the country. Featured Guests:Steve Abee | Stacy Lambert | Michael GatesLA Ryan | Dr. Allen Huffman🎧 CHAPTERS00:00 – Welcome to the Festival04:30 – Steve Abee on Clay, Community, and

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23:00

Episode 28 | Cher Shaffer Returns: Visionary...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/04/14

In this episode of House of Folk Art, host Matt Ledbetter welcomes back Cher Shaffer, a self-taught folk artist whose work captures heritage, instinct, and raw emotion. Raised in Georgia with Cherokee and Melungeon roots, Cher has spent over 55 years creating visionary paintings, pit-fired pottery, sculptural dolls, and face jugs, each infused with personal and cultural storytelling.This time, Cher shares the deeper meanings behind her most personal pieces, the pushback she faced from the

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36:23

Episode 27 | The Art of Cher Shaffer - A Conversation...

House of Folk Art ·

2025/03/31

In this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt Ledbetter sits down with Cher Shaffer, a self-taught folk artist with a career spanning over 55 years. Raised in Georgia with Cherokee and Melungeon heritage, Cher’s work is deeply rooted in storytelling, tradition, and an unshakable urge to create.From visionary paintings that reveal themselves on the canvas to hand-sculpted dolls, pit-fired pottery, and face jugs, Cher’s art is a blend of heritage, instinct, and raw emotion. Her work has been

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