Spotlight: Clay in Conversation Ben Carter

Appears in the December 2023 issue of Ceramics Monthly.

Ceramics Monthly: Now in its 11th year, what are your thoughts on the impact Tales of a Red Clay Rambler has had on the clay community since its start? What have you applied to your own work and practice from your experience producing it? 

Ben Carter: The comment I hear most from listeners is that the podcast helps them feel connected to the larger clay community. I feel the same way. The conversations I have with guests and listeners draw me out of an otherwise solitary work life and into being a community member. Connecting around a shared love of clay has the ability to make people who live across the country, or the world, feel like they are part of a local community. Podcasts amplify that effect in a wonderful way. 

I’ve learned so much from guests on the show that it’s hard to pinpoint its impact on my work. I commonly leave interviews feeling like I should work harder in my own studio. Seeing how others blend their thoughts and techniques into a unified aesthetic keeps me on my toes. Recently this has happened from speaking with artists who use majolica, and I have been testing the technique’s potential in my own studio practice. 

CM: What are your plans, and hopes, for the future of the podcast? 

BC: My current plan is to push the medium of podcasting forward within our community by helping others create their own podcasts. In 2021 with the guidance of Steve Lee and financial support of The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, we launched the Brickyard Network. We continue to fulfill the Bray’s mission to promote, celebrate, and sustain the ceramic arts through our six podcasts. Our collective audience has grown leaps and bounds in our first two years, and we have more shows in development. Additional information can be found at www.brickyardnetwork.org. 

From a historical standpoint my goal is to expand the canon of ceramic art by documenting the diversity of experience and process within our field. The long-form style of conversation allows for a deep look into an artist’s life that used to be reserved for monographs or exhibition catalogs. Over the last few years, the scope of my show has expanded beyond the established hierarchies of academia and galleries to include folks who were educated and are thriving outside that system. It’s not that those institutions aren’t important, but focusing on them tells only half the story of our vibrant community. My hope is that broader representation is helping younger generations see their future selves in our field.