Why Make? Episode 66: Making Basket Casket with Ellie Richards

In this episode, we are returning to our “Mind of a Maker” mini series with furniture maker and sculptor Ellie Richards This story starts with an idea that was brewing for years before Ellie began making the piece we talk about in this episode, and that idea was a fascination with the fantasy coffin practice that exists in Ghana. Fantasy coffins, as the word implies, are fantastical, large, hollow, sculptural forms built almost entirely with hand tools that can be just about anything from a jet plane to a tomato… basically trying to capture a person's passions as they pass on and they are, quite simply, then buried in it, a practice far different from our western views on death and burial. She was encouraged to pursue her exploration of fantasy coffins by the artist Eric Adjetey Anang, a descendant of the original Ghanaian coffin makers. Eventually Ellie started to consider how to use these skills to create an object of her own design, and in this edition of Mind of a Maker, Ellie walks us through the process from inspiration to the final construction of her piece titled Basket Casket.

In this episode of why make I talk with sculptor, furniture maker and educator Jack Larimore about how his background in landscape architecture. What led him down the path to discovering a love of design and eventually making furniture. Furthermore how a lack of a formal education In the arts really allowed him to explore sculptural ideas with few preconceived notions. Then we get into a deep dive about in his most recent exhibition called Bonding that was held at Rowan University in the spring of 2024.

On this episode of Why Make we have Jim Roberts a percussionist, producer, artist and educator who resides in Chapel Hill NC. Jim plays the drum set, djembe, congas, and has many recordings under his belt. He has just finished a 17 year teaching stint at Elon University where he taught percussion and directed the Elon World Percussion Ensemble. Jims journey in percussion dated to his earliest years playing in band  class to marching band to drum and bugle core to African music traditional fiddle music and so much more. Please join us for a percussive journey with Jim Roberts

In this episode my first impressions of the of the Emma International collaboration, which took placeJuly 31 to August 8 in Big River Saskatchewan. I you need a little more background on Emma take a listen to episode 59 of the podcast “What is Emma” When I returned from Why Makes great adventure to Emma earlier this month and knew that upon returning I needed to sit and collect my thoughts about my experience before they started to drifted away. This short episode is just that a collection of thoughts about having attended my first artist collaboration. I promise you there will be much more to come.

In this episode we introduce the first in our Mind of Maker series inside of the Why Make Podcast. With our guest Steve Fishman. Steve is a printmaker and a painter in many mediums, as well as being skilled with pen and ink and the mighty pencil. He is also a teacher and someone who really knows how to think about the process of making art. So journey back with me a little bit to May of 2023 and I'm thinking about how to put some new elements in the podcast and I come up with the idea of trying to follow the thought process of creating a specific piece of art. And the name that came to me for that was Mind of a Maker, which I stole directly from the Anthony Bourdain PBS series Mind of a Chef. And I'm also thinking of this as being a hybrid project as well, both a podcast and a short film, because of course after making one film I have mastered the medium. So the first thing I need is a guest slash guinea pig to try out the idea, someone who will not mind if I waste their time and flail around. And that would be my good friend Steve Fishman, who I've spent endless hours talking art and art making. And he was more than a willing victim. I also knew that he had recently completed work on an exhibition of moon inspired paintings and that those were part of a much larger ongoing series of paintings. And as Steve and I are both fond of saying, "Bob's your uncle." I had a subject and the topic for my experiment. Sit back and listen as Steve regales you with tales of painting the moon

Episode 61 of Why Make? is the conclusion of our conversation with Carrboro, NC musician Jonathan Byrd, who, along with being an award winning song writer is also a story teller, a poet, a photographer,  a painter, a teacher and now a student in Physics at North Carolina State University. Enjoy Part Two of our wide open discussion on a host of topics from song writing to physics with Jonathan Byrd.

On Episode 60 of Why Make? our guest is Jonathan Byrd a Carrboro, NC musician, who, along with being award winning song writer, is also a story teller extraordinaire, a poet, a photographer, a painter, a teacher and now a student in Physics. Erik has known Jonathan for a long time and has watched his career blossom over the years. After discovering that Jonathan had taken a hiatus from touring to go to school for physics it became evident that it was high time to get him on the podcast to find out more. Enjoy Part One of a wide open discussion on a host of topics, from song writing to physics, with Jonathan Byrd.

As Why Make prepares for it'e journey to the Emma International Collaboration in Northern Canada. We talk with Emma board member Brian Gladwell to find out about the history of this event and to humbly ask for your help for our travel expenses .

As mentioned in the podcast here is a link to excellent book of images and essays from theImagine Peace Now exhibition https://imaginepeacenow.org/supportus/product/i-m-a-g-i-n-e-peace-now-publication/

On Episode 57 of Why Make? we talk with Brad Reed Nelson, a Glenwood Springs, Colorado woodworker, furniture maker and product designer creating magical pieces made from metal and wood. Brad, aka BRN, and his better half Ann, run Board By Design, a functional design company making such brightly colored amazingness as Knuckles, The Good Pot, Elefunction, Blokkey, Bling Pong tables and the steadfast Winsorrondack chair. We talk with Brad about his years in school and learning about life and making with the likes of Wendell Castle, Garry Knox Bennett, Paul Sasso, Sam Maloof and Gail Fredell. Brad also reminds us about the importance and necessity of community, collaboration, listening and communication, fostering relationships and being vulnerable. And how these all pile up to the create the mountain from which every single person is made. So join us as we lean in and get all twisted up in Brad Reed Nelson’s humble sense of humor and wicked sense of design?!