Stephen Rolfe Powell

Stephen "Steve" Rolfe Powell (November 26, 1951 – March 16, 2019) was an American glass artist based at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where he taught for more than 30 years. He often created elaborately colored three-foot glass vessels incorporating murrine. Powell pursued a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics at Louisiana State University in 1980–1983. Powell was also vice-president of the Glass Art Society.

In 1991, he severed nine tendons, an artery, and a nerve in his hand after putting his hand through a windowpane while shooing a pigeon from his studio. Though this threatened to end his career, he underwent surgery and extensive physical therapy and was back at work in three months. In 2002, his work was exhibited at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Death and legacy In lieu of presents at their wedding, Powell and his wife Shelley asked for donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Centre College dedicated the Stephen R. Powell Memorial Garden and Outdoor Classroom in October 2022. The centerpiece, a large glass sculpture, was built by former students and collaborators. In 2023, the Art Center of the Bluegrass announced an expansion project to start a glass museum and gallery in his honor.