In the fourth episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, a longtime friend and champion of self-taught, disabled, and overlooked artists from around the world joins me -- Jennifer Gilbert of Jennlifer Lauren Gallery in Manchester. Jennifer shares her background and her work as a curator and advocate for inclusive art, from studying graphic design to discovering outsider art through her work with artists with schizophrenia, as well as curating her recent exhibit "Look Everywhere" with the artists whose work made up the brilliant show. All that, and more, including her outsider art collection series, what galleries and museums can do to be more inclusive, and meeting the one and only Shinichi Sawada.

Plus, a look into the life and work of Japanese ceramicist Shinichi Sawada, who spent almost two decades baking bread in his mornings and creating out-of-this-world clay creatures in the afternoon -- all on the side of a mountain, firing his creations in a traditional wood fire oven, and becoming an internationally renowned artist.

Follow Jennifer on Instagram at @j_lgallery and check out her collector series interviews and learn more about her work here: http://jenniferlaurengallery.com/

Follow @folkartwork on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more

Subscribe to the "This Week in Outsider Art" Newsletter on Substack

Visit folkartwork.art to shop self-taught art by emerging contemporary artists

AND if you are in the Des Moines area, come to the Mainframe Studios "First Friday" event on December 5th from 5pm-8pm to see me hanging out with Ashley Mary in her beautiful studio and selling artwork for my friends self-taught artist Reneesha Mccoy and Canadian folk artist Jackie Bradshaw.

• (00:00:00) - Meet Naina Kalu
• (00:03:58) - Jennifer Gilbert on Outsider Art
• (00:05:35) - Shinichi Sawada at the Outsider Art Fair
• (00:06:54) - How to Talk to an Artist With a Disability
• (00:11:16) - Working on a Graphic Design degree
• (00:15:20) - Philip Glass on His Second Home
• (00:16:06) - Curating Look Here: 30 Progressive Art Studios Across America
• (00:24:55) - The Unlocking the Outsider Art Fair
• (00:31:37) - The Art of Being Able to See
• (00:35:41) - Interview
• (00:40:44) - The Secret Life of Art Collectors
• (00:45:08) - A Conversation With Shinichi Sawada
• (00:45:59) - Shinichi Sawada's Discerning Work
• (00:50:56) - Soada's work as an autistic artist
• (00:56:51) - The Japanese ceramicist's
• (01:01:52) - Meet Naina Kalu, the Turner Prize
• (01:04:58) - Shinichi Sawada's Sculptural Creatures
• (01:13:43) - Folk Art and Friends

In the third episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, instead of telling you about one of my favorite artists, I am joined by one of my favorite contemporary self-taught artists Montrel Beverly. This summer, Montrel was generous enough to create a few pieces of art for the show I curated at SAGE Studio & Gallery, and he continues to push the boundaries of what seems possible with art made from pipe cleaners. We talk about the first pipe-cleaner sculpture he ever made, a pipe-cleaner prank he pulled in high school, and his plans for a pipe-cleaner world record.

Plus, you can see his work this January 2026 in Los Angeles at Megan Mulrooney Gallery.

Follow Montrel on Instagram at @mrclowney_

Follow @folkartwork on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more

Subscribe to the "This Week in Outsider Art" Newsletter on Substack

Visit folkartwork.art to shop self-taught art by emerging contemporary artists.

In the third episode of FolkArtwork and Friends, I am thrilled to be joined by author and anti-authoritarian folk art historian Isa Segalovich. My former teacher of "Folk Art + Modernism" and I discuss the lightning rod moments that changed her mind from pre-med to trying to make the world a better place through artwork. We discuss her love for Wisconsin roadside art environments, the Mummers Parade, her journey to Romania and Bulgaria, as well as her love for all things ornament, which led her to write her first book, "Ornament Now," out in 2026.

Plus a glimpse into the humor and symbolism of the over 800 crosses that adorn the most beautiful cemetery in the world, the Merry Cemetery, located in Săpânța, Romania.

Follow Isa on Instagram and TikTok at @interstellar_isabellar

Follow @folkartwork on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more

Subscribe to the "This Week in Outsider Art" Newsletter on Substack

Visit folkartwork.art to shop self-taught art by emerging contemporary artists.