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.
House of Folk Art
Claim This Podcastby Matt Ledbetter
5.0(6 reviews)
60 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
64
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality81
Social0
YouTube86
Engagement31
Podcast Overview
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.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/29/2024
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64
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality81
Social0
YouTube86
Engagement31
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excellent
Episode Length
1h 17m
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Recent Episodes
July 6, 2026
Episode 60 | Matt Shows Mike Smith the Rare Folk Art Leaving the Gallery
<p>This episode starts with Mike returning to the table, where Matt has pulled together a group of rare folk art, pottery, baskets, quilts, and objects from the gallery before they ship out to new collections. Some of these pieces may not come back around for decades, so Matt wanted to get them on camera while they were still in the room.</p><p>The conversation begins with Mike’s 35 years in the folk art world and his early trips through the Southeast visiting artists. From there, Matt and Mike dig into Billy Ray Hussey, including a red-glazed lion Matt calls one of the best pieces of contemporary Southern pottery he has ever seen, along with an early monumental lion from Hussey’s years around M.L. Owens and Jugtown.</p><p>The table keeps changing as more pieces come out: rare stamped North Carolina copper measures, a Chester Webster salt-glazed jug, a small-bottom dirt dish, Charles Moore pottery, a double-sided Charlie Brown face jug, Benny Carter paintings and miniatures, Appalachian baskets, and an African American quilt found in Guilford County. Along the way, Matt talks about why serious collectors often are not sellers, and why some pieces disappear into private collections for a very long time.</p><p>Mike also brings a few treasures of his own, including hand-built circus wagons and a major James Harold Jennings piece. The episode closes with Matt showing Mike two alligator walking sticks that appear to be by the same unknown maker, opening up the bigger question of how anonymous folk art discoveries can begin with just one matching piece.</p><p>This is part auction preview, part collector conversation, and part folk art history lesson with one of the people who has spent decades chasing the artists, objects, and stories that make the field so alive.</p><p>Chapters<br>00:00 | $17 a Day and Chocolate Milk at the Bar<br>03:51 | Mike Smith Returns to the House of Folk Art<br>04:29 | Mike’s 35 Years in Folk Art<br>06:39 | Meeting Billy Ray Hussey<br>07:50 | The Billy Ray Hussey Lion<br>10:37 | An Early Billy Ray Hussey Lion<br>12:46 | Rare Pieces Before They Leave the Gallery<br>14:00 | North Carolina Copper Measures<br>17:08 | Chester Webster and a Small-Bottom Dirt Dish<br>19:58 | Charles Moore Pottery<br>23:11 | A Double-Sided Charlie Brown Face Jug<br>25:49 | Folk Art, Special Talents, and the Chicken Joke<br>27:12 | Benny Carter and Little New York<br>32:09 | Appalachian Baskets and Miniature Baskets<br>38:40 | A Guilford County African American Quilt<br>42:04 | Mike Brings Circus Wagons<br>49:52 | Remembering the Circus Coming to Town<br>52:08 | James Harold Jennings<br>57:07 | The Two Alligator Walking Sticks<br>01:02:22 | How to Display Walking Sticks<br>01:02:50 | Radcliffe Bailey and Classifying Art<br>01:05:10 | Final Thoughts with Mike Smith</p><p>Do you recognize one of these pieces, makers, or stories? Reach out to the show:</p><p><br>houseoffolkart@gmail.com<br>(919) 410-8002</p><p><br>Leave your name, where you are from, and any information you have. You might hear yourself on a future episode.</p><p>Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.</p>
June 22, 2026
Episode 59 | What Does a Real Folk Art Collector Collect?
<p>Matt and Sully are back at Ledbetter Auction Gallery in Gibsonville with a fresh stack from a 400-piece single-owner folk art collection that just came through the door.</p><p>The collection had already been unboxed and was waiting to be photographed, but Matt had not fully gone through it yet. So instead of picking their own favorites from around the gallery, Matt and Sully grab a random stack of about 40 pieces and start digging in with fresh eyes.</p><p>This episode is a look at what a real folk art collector collects: the known names, the lesser-known artists, the pieces that need more research, and the kind of work that only starts to make sense once you slow down and really look at it.</p><p>The stack starts with a carved Calvin Cooper dog, then moves into work by Po Phil, Levent Isik, Alpha Andrews, Kaye Simmons, Sam Ezell, Bob Newell, Richard Burnside, John Burgess, Myrtice West, Aretha Hardy, Albert Wagner, Purvis Young, Willie White, and more.</p><p>There are auction estimates, artist stories, a few mystery signatures, and plenty of moments where the guys have to admit they do not know everything yet. That is part of the point. This is what it looks like when a collection arrives, the research starts, and the pieces begin to tell you where they came from.</p><p>Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:</p><p>Chapters<br>00:00 | Welcome Back to House of Folk Art with Matt and Sully<br>02:42 | First Up: The Wood Carved Dalmatian<br>04:20 | Matt’s First Pick from the Stack<br>06:00 | Sully Learns About Levent Isik<br>07:40 | Mixed Media in a Frame<br>08:26 | Reminiscent of Bernice Sims<br>09:15 | Matt’s Favorite Piece So Far<br>10:07 | Sam Ezell Shows Up in the Art Pile<br>11:25 | Mail Pouch Chew<br>12:14 | Richard Burnside from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina<br>14:04 | Key West Folk Art<br>16:26 | An Incredible Memory Painting of Quilt Making<br>18:04 | Myrtice West, Self-Taught Visionary Artist<br>20:43 | Gold Framed Folk Art?<br>22:15 | Animals & Angels<br>23:25 | Albert Wagner<br>26:08 | Folk Style, But…<br>26:55 | An Early Sam Ezell<br>27:42 | Purvis Young and Goodbread Alley<br>31:58 | Folk Art Framed in PVC Pipe<br>32:59 | A Series of Folk Paintings<br>34:08 | A.B. the Flag Man, Don’t Forget It<br>40:17 | Folk Art from a Coal Miner<br>42:59 | The Art of Willie White<br>46:20 | Alpha Andrews on Mixed Paper<br>48:19 | James Bland Folk Art Face<br>49:58 | Back to Myrtice West<br>51:47 | Grilling Is Pleasing<br>53:31 | Butch Anthony Face Pan<br>55:25 | Back to A.B. the Flag Man<br>57:52 | One More Time with Levent Isik<br>01:00:57 | A Good Day at the Auction Gallery</p><p>houseoffolkart@gmail.com<br>(919) 410-8002</p><p>Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.</p><p>Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.</p>
June 8, 2026
Episode 58 | Matt and Kyle Get Back to Folk Art
<p>Matt and Kyle are back at the Auction Gallery in Gibsonville after a run of antique shows. Liberty and Fishersville were fun, but this episode gets back to the roots of House of Folk Art: self-taught art, pottery, carvings, and the stories behind the pieces.</p><p>Matt and Kyle pull work from around the gallery and talk through what makes each piece worth slowing down for. The episode starts with Sam Ezell, a North Carolina artist and picker whose work has become a major focus at the auction house, including a large group of pieces coming up in a future sale.</p><p>From there, the conversation moves into Denzil Goodpaster, a bear carving, and Matt’s ongoing argument about the difference between craft and art. The crew also digs into a Charles Simmons wood carved jug, the connection to Raymond Coins, and why some important North Carolina artists are still only known by a small circle of collectors. Matt talks through why a piece may not bring enough at auction, but can still be exactly the kind of thing he wants to keep. There is also pottery from Marvin Bailey and Ellen Martin, including the story of the first Marvin Bailey piece that really pulled Matt into contemporary face jugs. </p><p>The episode closes with a few pieces coming up for auction, including a tramp art box, plus a quick reminder for first-time bidders ahead of the June 11 auction.</p><p>Bid in the June 11 Folk Art & Americana Auction:<br>https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/419094_folk-art-and-americana-auction/</p><p>Chapters<br>00:00 | Back at the Auction House in Gibsonville<br>03:11 | Sam Ezell, Self-Taught Art, and Large Scale<br>12:42 | Denzil Goodpaster’s Bear Carving<br>22:00 | First Look at House of Folk Art Merch<br>24:10 | Charles Simmons and the Wood Carved Jug<br>34:34 | Matt’s First Marvin Bailey Piece<br>47:19 | Ellen Martin’s Lion and North Carolina Pottery<br>56:44 | A Huge Baseball Carving Hits the Table<br>01:00:34 | Auction Preview: Tramp Art Box<br>01:08:00 | A Good Day Back at Ledbetter Auction Gallery</p><p>Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:</p><p>houseoffolkart@gmail.com<br>(919) 410-8002</p><p>Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.</p><p>Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.</p>
60 total episodes available
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