Stephen Rolfe Powell
Encyclopedia
Stephen Rolfe Powell was born in 1951 in Birmingham, Alabama
. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Painting and Ceramics at Centre College
, Powell went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics at Louisiana State University
. It was while at LSU
, between 1980 and 1983, that Powell had his first experience in glass blowing. Glass has been a full time obsession for him since then, whether he is teaching it or producing his own work.
Powell exhibits his work nationally and internationally. He has participated in workshops, demonstrations and lectures all over the US, as well as in Russia
, Ukraine
, Australia
, and New Zealand
. He has demonstrated at several Glass Art Society conferences, and at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The highlight of his travels was an exhibition of his work at "Venezia Aperto Vetro" in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy, where he was one of only eight American artists invited.
Powell's greatest impact has been in the Art Department at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky
. Powell was hired by Centre College in 1983 to teach ceramics and sculpture. By 1985, thanks in part to Corning Glass in Harrodsburg, Philips Lighting in Danville, and Corhart in Louisville, he had built a glass studio and founded Centre's glass program, which has attracted prospective students from around the country. In 1997, again thanks to Corning Glass, Philips Lighting, Corhart, and General Electric in Somerset, KY, Powell designed and completed a new, state-of-the-art glass studio, which Centre opened as part of their new Visual Arts Center in January 1998. The new art facility has also been host to such visiting artists as Marvin Lipofsky
, Lino Tagliapietra
, Richard Jolley, Richard Royal, Dante Marioni
, Jim Mongrain, Nancy Callan, Katherine Gray and Jose Chardiet.
Many graduates of the program have gone on to graduate school and have become successful glass artists; Che Rhodes, after running the glass program at Southern Illinois University
for five years, now heads the new glass department at the University of Louisville
. Patrick Martin runs Emporia State's glass program in Kansas. Brook White, along with Paul Hugues and Paul Nelson run Flame Run Glass Studio in Louisville, KY. D. H. McNabb is working professionally in glass in Seattle and is currently a member of Lino Tagliapietra's glass team.
Powell has been honored with Kentucky's "Teacher of the Year" award in both 1999 and 2000. In 2004 he was presented with the Acorn Award by the Kentucky Council on Post-secondary Education. Also in 2004, Powell and Centre College hosted Lino Tagliapietra to grant him the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Powell has also co-produced "Lino Tagliapietra: Glass Maestro."
Articles & Reviews
American Craft Cover June/July 2001
American Style Cover August 1999
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Painting and Ceramics at Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
, Powell went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
. It was while at LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, between 1980 and 1983, that Powell had his first experience in glass blowing. Glass has been a full time obsession for him since then, whether he is teaching it or producing his own work.
Powell exhibits his work nationally and internationally. He has participated in workshops, demonstrations and lectures all over the US, as well as in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He has demonstrated at several Glass Art Society conferences, and at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The highlight of his travels was an exhibition of his work at "Venezia Aperto Vetro" in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy, where he was one of only eight American artists invited.
Powell's greatest impact has been in the Art Department at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
. Powell was hired by Centre College in 1983 to teach ceramics and sculpture. By 1985, thanks in part to Corning Glass in Harrodsburg, Philips Lighting in Danville, and Corhart in Louisville, he had built a glass studio and founded Centre's glass program, which has attracted prospective students from around the country. In 1997, again thanks to Corning Glass, Philips Lighting, Corhart, and General Electric in Somerset, KY, Powell designed and completed a new, state-of-the-art glass studio, which Centre opened as part of their new Visual Arts Center in January 1998. The new art facility has also been host to such visiting artists as Marvin Lipofsky
Marvin Lipofsky
Marvin Lipofsky is an American glass artist. He was one of the six students that Studio Glass founder Harvey Littleton instructed under an independent study program for the University of Wisconsin-Madison in fall 1962 and spring 1963...
, Lino Tagliapietra
Lino Tagliapietra
Lino Tagliapietra is an Italian glass artist.-Training:Tagliapietra was born on the island of Murano in 1934. Murano, an island whose history of glass dates back to 1291, provided Tagliapietra an ideal educational environment to develop his techniques and glass artistry. At the age of 12 he was...
, Richard Jolley, Richard Royal, Dante Marioni
Dante Marioni
Dante Marioni is an American glass artist-Biography:Dante Marioni grew up among many artistic influences. His father, Paul Marioni, was involved in the American studio glass movement and, as a result, Dante was constantly exposed to the glassblowing artists of the San Francisco Bay Area...
, Jim Mongrain, Nancy Callan, Katherine Gray and Jose Chardiet.
Many graduates of the program have gone on to graduate school and have become successful glass artists; Che Rhodes, after running the glass program at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
for five years, now heads the new glass department at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
. Patrick Martin runs Emporia State's glass program in Kansas. Brook White, along with Paul Hugues and Paul Nelson run Flame Run Glass Studio in Louisville, KY. D. H. McNabb is working professionally in glass in Seattle and is currently a member of Lino Tagliapietra's glass team.
Powell has been honored with Kentucky's "Teacher of the Year" award in both 1999 and 2000. In 2004 he was presented with the Acorn Award by the Kentucky Council on Post-secondary Education. Also in 2004, Powell and Centre College hosted Lino Tagliapietra to grant him the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Powell has also co-produced "Lino Tagliapietra: Glass Maestro."
Articles & Reviews
American Craft Cover June/July 2001
American Style Cover August 1999