Perceived Value

In the 88th episode of Perceived Value, host Sarah Rachel Brown is in Bogotá, Colombia, in February 2025, recording from the home and studio of visual artist and ceramist María Cano. It’s the last day of Sarah’s visit to Bogotá, and she’s finally following up on an introduction made by previous Perceived Value guest Ana María Jiménez. María is a close friend of Ana’s, and Ana knew they'd have plenty to talk about. After inviting Sarah to her studio in the Chapinero neighborhood for coffee, María agreed to an interview.The two new acquaintances talk about María’s creative practice, Salvaje, and the commercial and artistic sides of making a living through ceramics. They discuss her interest in wild clay and its connection to landscape and place, her work with communities to learn and preserve traditional ceramic techniques, and the winding path that led her to ceramics after studying production design for film and television in London.ABOUT OUR GUEST: Maria Cano is a visual artist and ceramicist who develops her practice through the exploration of materials, researching their relationship with the landscape and the communities organized around it.Through cultural exchange, Maria has been in contact with several traditional communities in Colombia, calling for the documentation and preservation of ancient ceramic techniques. She has also sought opportunities for knowledge exchange both locally and internationally.In recent years, she has dedicated herself to researching, understanding, and building different types of kilns to transform clay into ceramics. Her studio, Salvaje, aims to create a dialogue between traditional techniques and contemporary art and design.arcillasalvaje.comMaría’s recent publication: tinajeras de barro y ríoFollow our guest: @_salvaje_FOLLOW THE HOST: @sarahrachelbrown FOLLOW THE SHOW: @perceivedvalue SUPPORT THE SHOW:Enjoying Perceived Value? Leave a rating or review, share an episode, or support the podcast financially. Every bit of support helps me keep making the show.Pick your way to support here. The music you hear on Perceived Value is by the Seattle group Song Sparrow Research.All You Need to Know is from their album Sympathetic Buzz.Find them on Spotify!As always, thank you for listening.

In the 87th episode of Perceived Value, host Sarah Rachel Brown is just outside Medellín, Colombia, recording from the family home and studio of contemporary jeweler and author Nicolás Estrada. Nicolás and Sarah first connected on social media in 2018, when Nicolás was living in Barcelona, and Sarah was in Philadelphia, PA. Their online friendship led them to meet in person during Munich Jewellery Week that year, and all these years later, they have reconnected in Colombia.When Sarah returned to Medellín to work on theCONNECTOR Exhibition, she took up Nicolás’s offer to host her and record a podcast interview. The two friends discuss Nicolás’s upbringing in Colombia during the height of violence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, being sent to the United States to study business and marketing, and navigating education, language, and identity abroad. Nicolás shares about his familial expectations to follow a path to financial success and how a later move to Barcelona led him to discover contemporary jewelry and choose a creative path.Listen to this intimate conversation between friends about what it means to live within one’s means as an artist, redefine wealth beyond money, and use jewelry to process anger, politics, and personal history. Nicolás offers insight into how he developed multiple bodies of work—commercial, artistic, and experimental—to support himself, and into the origin of his influential jewelry books, where an unpaid opportunity grew into a long-term publishing practice rooted in connection and service to the field.Towards the end of their conversation, Nicolás reflects on returning to Colombia after more than two decades abroad, on grief and inheritance, and on settling into a slower rhythm of life.🎧 This episode is sponsored by SNAG Metalsmith, the publication of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG). Subscribe and save 25% with code VALUE25 atsnagmetalsmith.org.SUPPORT PERCEIVED VALUE: Explore HowSUBSCRIBE: Add Value to your InboxFOLLOW YOUR HOST: @sarahrachelbrownFOLLOW THE PODCAST: @perceivedvalueFOLLOW OUR GUEST: @nicolasestradajeweler

In the 86th episode of Perceived Value, host Sarah Rachel Brown records from Bogotá, Colombia, where she visits Marcela Rozo, artist, designer, and founder of the textile brand Please Rain. With an unconventional background that combines economics, anthropology, and design, Marcela left a stable career in public policy to follow her passion for craft and handmaking.Their conversation explores the long and winding path from economist to maker; how Marcela rebuilt her career around textiles, founded her own rainwear label, and became one of the longest-standing residents at Materia Prima Escuela de Joyería. She reflects on motherhood, entrepreneurship, and the delicate balance between creative fulfillment and financial sustainability.Together, they discuss the intersections of craft, community, and education and how Marcela’s collaborative workshops with Materia Prima continue to blur the boundaries between textiles, ceramics, and jewelry.📍 CONNECTOR: Jewelry as a Language of Connection opens November 15, 2025, at Gallery Loupe in Montclair, New Jersey—just ahead of New York City Jewelry Week.🎧 This episode is sponsored by SNAG Metalsmith, the publication of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG). Subscribe and save 25% with code VALUE25 at snagmetalsmith.org.FOLLOW YOUR HOST: @sarahrachelbrownFOLLOW THE PODCAST: @perceivedvalueFOLLOW OUR GUEST:www.pleaserain.cohttps://www.instagram.com/pleaseraincoats/https://www.instagram.com/rozo.mar/

In the 85th episode of Perceived Value, host Sarah Rachel Brown records from Bogotá, Colombia, where she sits down with jeweler, educator, and designer Simón Mazuera. A graduate of Universidad de los Andes, Escola Massana in Barcelona, and MAD School of Arts in Belgium, Simón is known for his technically precise and process-driven approach to jewelry.Their conversation traces his journey from industrial design to contemporary jewelry, the influence of his mentors in Spain and Belgium, and how he balances teaching, studio practice, and family life. Simón shares his perspective on Colombia’s evolving jewelry landscape, the challenges of making a living as an artist, and the importance of passing on knowledge generously and without ego.This episode is sponsored by SNAG Metalsmith, the publication of the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Save 25 % with code VALUE25 at snagmetalsmith.org📍 CONNECTOR: Jewelry as a Language of Connection opens November 15, 2025, at Gallery Loupe in Montclair, New Jersey—just ahead of New York City Jewelry Week.FOLLOW YOUR HOST: @sarahrachelbrownFOLLOW THE PODCAST: @perceivedvalueFOLLOW OUR GUEST: @simonmazuera.jewellery

In the 84th episode of Perceived Value, host Sarah Rachel Brown records from Bogotá, Colombia, where she visits Materia Prima Escuela de Joyería, a jewelry school founded in 2015 by Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez and Tatiana Apráez. What began as two friends sharing tools and rent has grown into a vibrant creative hub for jewelers, ceramicists, and artists across Latin America.In this conversation, Linda and Tatiana reflect on the origins of their school, the challenges of sustaining an independent art space, and the lessons learned through a decade of growth—surviving the pandemic, moving into Tatiana’s historic home, and building a community rooted in generosity and collaboration.Looking ahead, they share their hopes for Materia Prima’s next chapter: artist residencies, international exchanges, and new ways to celebrate Colombia’s rich jewelry traditions.📍 CONNECTOR: Jewelry as a Language of Connection opens November 15, 2025, at Gallery Loupe in Montclair, New Jersey—just ahead of New York City Jewelry Week.🎧 This episode is sponsored by SNAG Metalsmith, the publication of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG). Subscribe and save 25% with code VALUE25 at snagmetalsmith.org.FOLLOW YOUR HOST @sarahrachelbrownFOLLOW THE PODCAST @perceivedvalue