About Bolivar

Jonathan Bolivar has been blowing glass for thirteen years. He currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, teaching glass arts and serving as Outreach Coordinator at the Tulsa Glassblowing School. He began through Tulsa Community College in conjunction with Tulsa Glass Blowing School. Jonathan's initial knowledge of shaping a glass bubble came from his first years working under Cedric Major Mitchell. During their time together, they would spend  each week combining up to sixteen additional hours of practice with full-time glass work and outreach, practicing different shapes and techniques. Jonathan eventually left home to work in a private studio in Kansas City. This studio produced more complex work and allowed Jonathan to hone in on skills through repetition. The days Jonathan wasn't working at Monarch Glass Studio, he spent his time working for Rock Cottage Glassworks outside of the city limits. Being totally immersed in glass production, he began to push the technical ability in his own work. Jonathan would eventually apply for his first summer intensives, making his way to Penland School of Craft, Pittsburgh Glass Center, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. During this time, he was fortunate to learn from artists Megan Stelljes, Tom Rowney, and Devin Burgess. The following summer, he would be accepted as a technical apprentice at Pittsburgh Glass Center, learning to maintain a large facility, which houses studios with every sort of glass discipline. During this time he worked with many artists such as Tom Moore and Jason McDonald. This time included an intensive course with Nate Cotterman, Susan Spiranovic and Adam Holtzinger. Following his years in Pittsburgh, Jonathan moved to Tacoma, Washington to work with the Hilltop Artists as a teaching artist until 2023. 

Jonathan has a passion for outreach and passing on lessons to the next generation through glass. This passion fuels his approach to making a mark within the glassblowing community. Being back in Tulsa, Jonathan aims to expand his local glass community, working with youth from around the city and veterans from TGS’s Vetri program. His hope is to give back the knowledge he was gifted through his time in Tulsa, and from his time spent learning from different artists around the country.