On Exhibit December 5 – January 2026

Richard Jolley: 50 Years in the Making commemorates the distinguished, five-decade career of one of America’s leading contemporary glass artists. Born in 1952 in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Jolley began his formal study of glass in 1970 under Michael Taylor at Tusculum College, later completing his BFA at George Peabody College—now part of Vanderbilt University. Additional training with Richard Ritter at the Penland School of Crafts further shaped his technical and artistic foundation.

Since establishing his studio practice in Knoxville in 1975, Jolley has developed a substantial and influential body of work characterized by refined craftsmanship, a focus on natural and human forms, and a persistent pursuit of clarity, immediacy, and expressive freedom in glass. Over the past fifty years, his work has been recognized nationally and internationally through more than 65 solo exhibitions in the United States, Europe, and Japan. His sculptures are held in over 33 public collections, including the Carnegie Museum of Art, Corning Museum of Glass, Knoxville Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

This exhibition offers a comprehensive survey of Jolley’s artistic evolution and honors his significant contributions to the field during a landmark half-century of sustained creative achievement.