Preston Singletary, The Air World

PRESTON SIN GLETARY THE AIR WORLD

T R AV E R GA L L E RY

SEATTLE

A P R I L 5 - 2 8 , 2 018

PRESTON SIN GLETARY THE AIR WORLD

T R AV E R GA L L E RY

SEATTLE

A P R I L 5 - 2 8 , 2 018

PRESTON SINGLETARY THE AIR WORLD APRIL 5 - 28, 2018 TRAVER GALLERY

The Air World This show is an exploration of the natural element, air. The second in a series of exhibitions exploring our physical and spiritual relationship to our environment, this show focuses on the mythologies of the domain of the birds and our precious gift of air, one of the important elements of life that seemingly we take for granted. Through ceremony Native people are taught that air is a gift and a medicine. When going through the sweat-lodge experience we get fresh air at a crucial moment after the prayers and songs are sung. We take the oxygen as a relief and drink water as medicine. Always in a humble way.

Back when the world was in darkness Raven took the daylight from the old man at the head of the Nass river who was hoarding it in his clan house. Once Raven broke daylight on the world, the people were startled. Some of them ran into the forest and became the animals of that domain, some jumped into the water and became the sea life and some jumped into the sky and became the birds. This is why there is a natural affinity for the animals from the different realms.

Preston Singletary, Cochane, Kaka-win-Chelath Eagle moiety Kagwaantan clan Killerwhale

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Artworks, by page number: 7. SCAMP RAVEN, 2017 Blown and carved glass 19 3/4 × 10 × 10 in

17. EAGLE’S LANDING, 2018 Blown and carved glass 24 × 13 × 10 in

8. BLACK RAVEN, 2018 Blown and carved glass 19 1/4 × 7 3/4 × 9 in

18/19. LIVE IN THE CLOUDS, 2015 Carved glass panels 18 × 16 × 2 in

9. RAVEN FEATHER, 2017 Hot sculpted and carved glass 26 × 5 × 1 in

20. RED WOLVES, 2017 Blown and carved glass 24 1/2 × 16 × 7 1/2 in

10/11. BOTTLE GROUP, 2018 Blown and carved glass max height: 26 in

21. RAVEN’S TRACKS, 2017 Blown and carved glass 17 1/2 × 11 3/4 × 11 3/4 in

12. RAVEN & THE BOX OF DAYLIGHT, 2017 Cast lead crystal 37 1/2 × 8 1/2 × 6 1/4 in

22. RAVEN ANCESTOR, 2018 Blown and carved glass 28 × 12 × 6 1/2 in

14. STANDING CORMORANT, 2018 Blown and carved glass 21 3/4 × 11 × 10 in

24. SWAN IN THE MOONLIGHT, 2017 Blown and carved glass 21 1/2 × 8 × 3 1/2 in

15. SUPERNATURAL RAVEN, 2018 Blown and carved glass 18 × 10 1/2 × 10 in

25. EAGLE HAT, 2018 Blown and carved glass 5 3/4 × 15 × 15 in

16. MOUNTAIN BASKET, 2018 Blown and carved glass 13 1/2 × 13 1/4 × 13 1/4 in

Photography: Russell Johnson

Preston Singletary The art of Preston Singletary has become synonymous with the relationship between European glass blowing traditions and Northwest Native art. His artworks feature themes of transformation, animal spirits and shamanism through elegant blown glass forms and mystical sand carved Tlingit designs.

Singletary learned the art of glass blowing by working with artists in the Seattle area including Benjamin Moore and Dante Marioni.

As a student and assistant, he initially focused on mastering the techniques of the European tradition. His work took him to Kosta Boda (Sweden) where he studied Scandinavian design and met his future wife. Throughout his 30+ years of glass blowing experience, he has also had opportunities to learn the secrets of the Venetian glass masters by working with Italian legends Lino Tagliapietra, Cecco Ongaro, and Pino Signoretto. In 2010, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Puget Sound.

Now recognized internationally, Singletary’s artworks are included in museum collections such as The British Museum (London, UK), The Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), The Seattle Art Museum (Seattle WA), the Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY), the Mint Museum of Art and Design (Charlotte, NC), the Heard Museum (Phoenix, AZ), and the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC).

Singletary maintains an active schedule by teaching, lecturing and exhibiting internationally. In 2009, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, launched a major mid-career survey of his work, entitled “Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows”. In 2018 he will launch a new traveling exhibition with the Museum of Glass, titled “Raven and the Box of Daylight”, which will push the boundaries of glass as a medium for storytelling.

PRESTON SINGLETARY THE AIR WORLD APRIL 5 - 28, 2018 TRAVER GALLERY