In 1985, Stephen Rolfe Powell founded the internationally-known glass program at Danville’s Centre College. A memorial installation has been planned since his death in 2019.  Powell was a 1974 Centre graduate who returned to his Danville liberal arts alma mater to teach in 1983, and then built a working studio program that helped to establish Kentucky as an international force in the world of glass art. He went on to design a state-of-the-art glass studio which Centre opened as part of the Jones Visual Arts Center in 1998.

A project led by Powell’s former student, Brook Forrest White Jr., the Stephen Rolfe Powell Memorial Sculpture Garden will be dedicated at Centre College’s Homecoming Celebration on October 15, 2022. The Sculpture Garden features a 25-foot-tall steel and glass sculpture that spectators can walk through, as well as a garden, a walking path, three custom-made artistic benches, and a small amphitheater that will serve as an outdoor classroom. The reminder of Powell’s legacy is intended to be a landmark where fans and visitors can gather. 

Powell’s life and work is also celebrated with a retrospective exhibit titled The Power of Color, running  through October 29 at the Art Center of the Bluegrass in Danville. The exhibit features 26 pieces from Powell’s personal collection and was curated by Brook White.