Episode 50 | Rare 1990s Folk Art Footage from Tom Wells

Episode 50 | Rare 1990s Folk Art Footage from Tom Wells

Author: Matt Ledbetter February 16, 2026 Duration: 52:19

Before museums and collectors caught on, Tom Wells was documenting Southern folk artists on VHS in the early 1990s.

In this episode, Matt Ledbetter sits down with the longtime dealer to revisit those tapes and reflect on discovering artists like Z.B. Armstrong and J.T. McCord.

Tom explains how he first met these artists, how relationships developed, how work was sold, and what it looked like to build a market without the internet, price databases, or collector forums. Some of the footage captures artists actively working. The footage captures artists at work and preserves moments from an important era for folk art. 

CHAPTERS
00:00 | Meeting Tom Wells in Thomson, Georgia
01:39 | First encounter with Z.B. Armstrong
08:24 | National exposure and Southern Magazine
12:19 | Jake J.T. McCord on his front porch
18:46 | Finding Ralph Griffin off a dirt road
27:09 | Jimmy Lee Sudduth and painting with mud
37:21 | Leonard Jones and painted tin
42:21 | Discovering Willie Tarver
46:45 | Meeting Richard Roebuck

Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.

houseoffolkart@gmail.com
(919) 410 8002

Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.


Matt Ledbetter lives in a world of vibrant paint, carved wood, and compelling stories. In House of Folk Art, this Gibsonville, North Carolina auctioneer and collector pulls up a chair to share that world, drawing directly from his deep connections within the Southern folk art community. His perspective is unique; because he organizes renowned quarterly auctions, Matt often knows the artists personally and has handled their work firsthand. This isn't a distant academic lecture. Instead, each episode feels like a conversation about the objects and the people who make them, exploring the intricate history behind the creations and the profound, often very personal, motivations that drive the artists. You’ll hear about intimate encounters and the small details that give this art its soul, from the choice of reclaimed materials to the narratives etched into the surface. Tuning into this podcast means getting a backstage pass to a living tradition, where every whirligig, portrait, or memory jug carries a fragment of cultural history. Matt’s guidance helps unravel the rich tapestry of this creative landscape, making the stories behind Southern folk art accessible and deeply engaging for anyone curious about the visual heritage of the region. The House of Folk Art podcast builds, piece by piece, a vivid understanding of why these works resonate so powerfully.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 58

House of Folk Art
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