Embroidery Felon

Ray Materson was in prison for an armed robbery he committed with a toy gun to support his cocaine habit. He spent the first year of his seven and a half-year prison sentence being mad at the world and angry with himself for what he had done. And then he found a kind of redemption...in a pair of socks. Includes interviews with the artist Ray Materson, and Sanford Smith, the producer of the Outsider Art Show in New York. PLEASE NOTE: I've posted two versions of this piece, one version that runs 3:42, and a longer version that runs 5:28. The short version originally aired on Studio 360 in March, 2003. It has also appeared on the Third Coast Festival website. The long version has not aired. https://beta.prx.org/stories/3268/details

Embroidery on a Tightrope
Article by http://brutforce.com/embroidering-on-a-tightrope/
Kaitlyn Wittig Menguc

Ray Materson has had, by many metrics, a successful career in the art world. Materson has received national and international press coverage, his embroidery work has been purchased by notable collectors and has been on display in prominent museums, he has had steady gallery representation, and he has received numerous commissions.