Sharif Bey & Bill Strickland REDUX

Sharif Bey & Bill Strickland REDUX

From Arts Educators Save the World by Erica Halverson

December 22, 2025 · 48 min

About this episode

Bill Strickland and Sharif Bey discuss the beauty of clay, mentorship, and the healing power of art.

One more from the vault! This one is producer Doug's favorite Season 1 episode. Bill Strickland is the founder of Manchester Craftmen’s Guild and Bidwell Corporation. He's also a MacArthur Fellow. Sharif Bey is an artist and professor, whose work is focused on the visual heritage of Africa, Oceana, and contemporary African American Culture. He's also the winner of The United States Artist fellowship. Bey got his start at Strickland’s Craftman’s Guild, and counts Strickland as one of his earlier and most influential mentors. These two master ceramicists join together for a wide-ranging discussion on the beauty of clay, the value of mentorship, and the power of art to “heal cancer of the human spirit.”

People in this episode

Host: Erica Halverson

Guests: Bill Strickland, Sharif Bey

Topics covered

  • mentorship
  • ceramics
  • African American culture
  • art
  • visual heritage

Keywords

  • ceramics
  • mentorship
  • art
  • African American culture
  • visual heritage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Manchester Craftmen’s Guild, Bidwell Corporation, The United States Artist

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