Short film about glass artist and professor Stephen Powell to debut at Centre

RELEASED: November 27, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—Film producer, director and Centre College alum Tom Thurman '84 will debut his short film about world-renowned glass artist and Centre Stodghill Professor of Art Stephen Powell '74 on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Vahlkamp Theater. The screening is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. The 30-minute segment is from an episode of the Kentucky Educational Television (KET) program "Kentucky Muse." The episode is titled "Fire and Motion" and documents Powell's creation of dramatic and colorful works of blown glass.

A question-and-answer session will be held afterward with Thurman, Powell, and Mark Lucas '75, Jobson Professor of English.

"There have been several films about me and my work, including a short segment on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt in 1988 and another KET film in 1993, but never anything this in depth," Powell says.

Powell says that it's strange to see and hear himself on film.

"But I think what makes this film somewhat uncomfortable for me is hearing friends, colleagues and students talking about me. There's Milton Reigelman (J. Rice Cowan Professor of English), who taught me at Centre and later hired me at Centre despite knowing what kind of student I'd been," he says. "Then there's Che Rhodes '95, one of my favorite former students, who now heads up the new University of Louisville Glass Program. Also interviewed on the film is Ying Wu '09 from Chingdu, China, who's one of my best current glass students. Most of the narration in the film is by Mark 'Looney' (his nickname during our Centre tennis days) Lucas, my best friend for many years. As I watched the film for the first time, I often wondered who they were talking about."

Thurman says he made this film about Powell for a number of reasons.

"His process lends itself to visual documentation: there's a lot of action, motion, sound and kinetic activity," Thurman says. "And there's a payoff for the viewer, as the finished product more or less comes to life in front of one's eyes. It's also important to note that he's inspired so many others through his work as a professor, and the balancing act between teacher and artist isn't an easy one to strike."

Thurman's decision to create an in-depth look at Powell's art is also a personal one: Thurman was one of Powell's students during his first year on Centre's faculty.

"Against his good judgment, he gave me a passing grade for every course, and this is a way to thank him a quarter of a century after the fact," Thurman says.

Powell's short film will first air on KET1 on Dec. 21 at 4 a.m. and on Dec. 24 at 2 a.m. Its primetime premiere will be held on KET1 on Jan. 22 at 10 p.m. It will also air on KETKY throughout December.

About the filmmaker
Born in Christiansburg, Ky., in 1962, Thurman has been producing and directing independent documentaries for 15 years. His films explore 20th-century American art and culture, focusing on music, literature and especially film history.

His first independent documentary, on actor Warren Oates, was described in The Film Journal as "one of the finest documentaries ever made about an actor" and received the Best Documentary Prize at the 1992 New Orleans Film Festival.       

"Movies of Color: Black Southern Cinema," a documentary about independent African-American cinema, has been described as "essential viewing" and a "roadmap for the African-American community" by critic Armond White and received a regional Emmy Award in 2001.

His documentary on renegade filmmaker Sam Peckinpah ("Sam Peckinpah's West") was honored as outstanding documentary of 2004 by the Western Heritage Museum and was subsequently released on DVD by Warner Bros.

Last year, his documentary on Gonzo journalist and Kentuckian Hunter S. Thompson received the Jury Prize for Outstanding Achievement from the Savannah Film Festival.

Thurman's documentaries have screened in theatres, on television and in film festivals throughout the United States and in England, France, Italy, Ireland, India, New Zealand and Australia. In 2003, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Centre.

About the KET series
The KET-produced series "Kentucky Muse" celebrates the world of creativity found within the Bluegrass state. It offers thoughtful and provocative documentaries on artists, issues, events and places that reflect Kentuckians' diverse and exciting means of expression while offering a fresh perspective on contemporary artistic life.

In addition to newly produced documentaries about music, visual art, drama, dance and literature, the "Kentucky Muse" schedule includes encore presentations of outstanding arts documentaries from the KET archives. Thurman is a producer for the series.

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