“Alabaster Seed,” 2020, glass. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Jonathan Bolivar
Teaching Artist Cohort
,
2026
Jonathan Bolivar has been blowing glass since 2013. In 2023, he moved back to Tulsa, where he teaches and works at Tulsa Glassblowing School. Jonathan began his glassmaking journey through a class at Tulsa Community College, eventually developing more technical knowledge while working with Cedric Mitchell. During their first year together, they spent up to 16 additional hours each week outside of their full-time work schedules practicing different shapes and techniques.
After Mitchell moved, Jonathan left Tulsa to work in a private studio in Kansas City, Missouri. There, he produced work with greater complexity and technical challenges, allowing him to build his skills through repetition. When he wasn’t working at Monarch Glass Studio, he spent his spare days at Rock Cottage Glassworks outside the city limits. Immersed in glass production, Jonathan began pushing the technical abilities in his own work.
Jonathan received scholarships to attend his first summer classes at Penland School of Craft, Pittsburgh Glass Center, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. The following summer, he was accepted as a technical apprentice at Pittsburgh Glass Center. He continued working with Pittsburgh’s vibrant glass community until 2021, when he moved to Tacoma, Washington, to join the Hilltop Artists program as a Daytime Teaching Artist.
He now serves his community as Tulsa Glassblowing School’s Outreach Coordinator, working to strengthen connections between the glassblowing school and Tulsa’s youth.
Selected works
“New Balance Tops,” 2025, glass. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Working with a local high school student at Tulsa Glassblowing School. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“Mustard Seed Duo,” 2025, glass. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Working with a young adult at Pittsburgh Glass Center. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“Caves,” glass with interior cane patterns. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“The Colors Inside,” blown glass rondels, cut and cold-worked glass. Photo courtesy of the artist.
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