Richard Jolley is an internationally acclaimed glass sculptor known for his inventive and accomplished figurative works. Born in 1952 in Wichita, Kansas, Jolley moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee in his youth where he discovered his passion for glass art.

Early Life and Education

In 1970, Jolley began studying glass under Michael Taylor at Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee. He followed Taylor to George Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) in Nashville where he completed his B.F.A. Jolley further refined his technique at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina under the tutelage of Richard Ritter.

Artistic Career

Since establishing his glass studio in Knoxville in 1975, Jolley has become one of the most prominent contemporary glass sculptors. His organic, figurative works explore the human experience, nature, and science. Jolley’s mastery of various glassmaking techniques allows him to create stunning, free-flowing sculptures that disguise the laborious process behind them.

Exhibitions

Jolley has participated in over 70 solo museum and gallery exhibitions across the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, Israel, and China. His works have been showcased in major museum surveys of contemporary glass, including:

• Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan
• International Exhibition of Glass, Kanazawa, Japan
• Indianapolis Museum of Art
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Carnegie Museum of Art
  
  

Notable solo exhibitions include:

• First cohesive exhibition of mature glass sculpture works, organized by the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina (1997)
• First major retrospective, organized by the Knoxville Museum of Art (2002), traveled to 14 museums over 5 years
• “Richard Jolley and Tommie Rush: A Life in Glass” at the Mobile Museum of Art (2011)
  
  

Public Collections

Jolley’s works are included in over 35 prominent public collections worldwide, such as:

• Carnegie Museum of Art
• Corning Museum of Glass
• Knoxville Museum of Art
• Los Angeles County Museum of Modern Art
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Frederick Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles
  
  

Awards and Commissions

Richard Jolley has received numerous accolades for his contributions to glass art:

• Youngest visual artist to receive the Tennessee Governor’s Distinguished Artist Award (2007)
• Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass “Individual for Outstanding Accomplishment in the Field” (2010)
  
  

Notable commissions include:

• “Absolut Statehood: Tennessee” national ad campaign for Absolut Vodka (1993)
• Custom martini glass for Bombay Sapphire Gin international ad campaign
• “Everything and the Cosmos” (2007), installed at 7 World Trade Center, New York City
• “Cycle of Life: Within the Power of Dreams and the Wonder of Infinity” (2009-2014), a monumental installation at the Knoxville Museum of Art
  
  

Cycle of Life

Jolley’s masterwork, “Cycle of Life,” is one of the largest figurative glass assemblages in the world. Composed of thousands of blown glass and steel elements, this installation at the Knoxville Museum of Art symbolically depicts six phases of life: Primordial, Emergence, Desire, Tree of Life, Contemplation, and Sky. The awe-inspiring piece is a testament to Jolley’s exceptional artistic vision and technical prowess.

Through his innovative and thought-provoking sculptures, Richard Jolley continues to push the boundaries of contemporary glass art. His works are celebrated for their ability to capture the essence of the human experience while showcasing the incredible versatility of glass as an artistic medium.