» Tom Thurman The Bluegrass and Beyond

Film about Danville artist debuts Wednesday

December 1, 2008

Stephen Rolfe Powell, the Centre College professor and internationally famous glass artist, has been profiled in several films and a segment of CBS’s Sunday Morning. But a new half-hour documentary is different: It was made by a former student who is now a successful filmmaker.

Fire and Motion debuts Wednesday (Dec. 3) at 7:30 p.m. at Centre’s Vahlkamp Theater in Crounse Hall. The presentation, which will include a question-and-answer session, is free and open to the public. Kentucky Educational Television will show the film as part of its Kentucky Muse program in December and January. Click here for the schedule.

If you’re not familiar with Powell’s large, colorful blown-glass sculptures, you may remember him from my Nov. 16 column about his friendship with Italian glass master Lino Tagliapietra, who visited Centre last month to work with Powell’s students.

Powell was in his first year of teaching at Centre in 1983 when Tom Thurman was his student. Since then, Thurman, a native of Christiansburg, has been producing and directing award-winning independent documentaries that focus on American art and culture.

His recent work includes a film about the late Louisville-born gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride, which last year won the Jury Prize for Outstanding Achievement at the Savannah Film Festival.

KET’s Kentucky Muse program showcases creativity and artistic expression in Kentucky. Thurman is a producer for the series.