Preston Singletary - Listen for the Raven

L I S T E N F O R T H E R AV E N P R E S TO N S I N G L E TA RY AT T R AV E R GA L L E RY

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This new body of work is a reflection of the past year in the studio, a year of forging new ideas and concepts, and a year of synthesizing much of the cultural and artistic learning I have done. The title, Listen for the Raven, is a direct reference to the important role that Raven plays in my culture as storyteller, but to me it symbolizes something greater than that: it symbolizes how we learn the secrets of our world.

This exhibition is about the importance of being open to the teaching of others, the importance of receiving their gifts and carrying them forward with responsibility.

I have found tremendous purpose in my work through my connection with other Native artists. Many of the works included in this seminal exhibition are the outcome of direct and important connections to individuals and communities. The piece Supernatural White Wolves references the name that was given to me by Joe David, Kakawin-Chealth. In this story, the wolf bestows upon a man the power and knowledge to become a leader. In Raven Rattle, the connected tongues symbolize the communication to man of the secrets of the natural world, while Sleeping Man portrays a more subtle teaching process: a meditating man opens himself to a flood of knowledge and inspiration. Richness of Imagination depicts what may come after that flood of inspiration; specifically it depicts the moment when I touch the pencil to the glass and a design begins to evolve.

Among my favorite pieces in the show are those that I made together with Joe David — Lightning Snakes, Amber Heat, and Tla-O-Qui-AHT. These pieces came about through our close friendship and are the result of his teaching me in spiritual ways and opening my eyes to traditional forms and style in designing. He reminds me that once you become a keeper of cultural knowledge it becomes your responsibility.

There are many stories of Raven and how he brought order to the world, how he gave us light when the world was in darkness. I see this as a metaphor for the gifts teachers of all kinds bestow upon us. Listen for the Raven. —

P r e s t o n Sin g l e tar y , M arch 2 013

Cover: Into the Woods (detail), see page 25 Page one: Red Spirit (detail), 14.25 x 6 x 5.5 inches

L I S T E N F O R T H E R AV E N

PRESTON SINGLETARY

April 4–25, 2013 110 Union street #200 seattle, Washington 98101 206 587-6501 travergallery.com

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Return from the Other World 21 x 10.5 x 3.5 inches 6

Chief of the Sky People 13 x 12 x 7 inches 7

Raven Rattle

27 x 14 x 8 inches 8

Richness of Imagination 23.25 x 11 x 6.5 inches 10

The Storyteller

21.75 x 19 x 3.5 inches 11

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Spawning Salmon

11 x 24.75 x 4.75 inches 13

The Sky Above

28.5 x 10 x 6 inches 14

Sleeping Man

23.25 x 8.5 x 4.5 inches 15

Before the People Came 15.25 x 12 x 7 inches 16

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Sky Chief Rattle

16 x 7 x 7.5 inches 19

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Ghost Wolf

14.5 x 15 x 5 inches 21

Shapeshifting

24.25 x 12 x 5 inches 22

Gathering Powers

30.5 x 8.5 x 6 inches 23

Chasing Eagles

5 x 8.5 x 8 inches 24

Into the Woods 18.25 x 17.5 x 4 inches 25

Oceanic Memory

22.25 x 11 x 9 inches

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House Beneath the Water 16.5 x 8 x 7 inches 28

Spirit of a Goose

21 x 12.5 x 4.5 inches 29

Lightning Snakes (collaboration with Joe David) 16 x 27 x 7.5 inches

Amber Heat (collaboration with Joe David) 24 x 16 x 6 inches 32

Tla-O-Qui-AHT (collaboration with Joe David) 17 x 21 x 7 inches 33

Translucent Copper

19 x 11 x 3.5 inches 34

Smoke Hole Spirits

15.5 x 11.5 x 11.5 inches 37

Supernatural White Wolves 19.5 x 14 x 13 inches (right) Eagle Dagger 38.75 x 9 x 5.5 inches 38

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There is a Maori proverb which says “my acomplishments are not that of my own, but those of many.” I thank my entire family from here to Sweden for their support of me and my work and each day I know that I am truly blessed to be able to make art for a living. To my main team, Joe Benvenuto, Brittany Shanta, Terri Rau, Maurice Caldwell, Trumaine Mason, Johanna Maloney, Ginger Bellerud-Corthell, and Dena Rigby, who support me in every way they can to make the work happen. As the Maoris believe, I am a continuum of a culture of ancestors that came before me and whose work I must try my best to represent in a new way. If I were to accomplish anything in my life’s work it would be to inspire the next generation to do it in a newer way. — P RES TON SIN GLETARY

The art of Preston singletary has become synonymous with the relationship between european glassblowing traditions and Northwest Native art. His artworks

singletary learned the art of glassblowing 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, Åsa sandlund. Throughout his thirty years of glassblowing experience, he has also had opportunities to learn the secrets of the Venetian glass masters by working with the 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 such museum collections as The British Museum, London; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts; seattle Art Museum, seattle, Washington; Corning Museum of glass, Corning, New york; the Mint Museum of Art and Design, Charlotte, North Carolina; the Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona; and the Handelsbanken, stockholm, sweden. singletary maintains an active schedule by teaching and lecturing internationally. In 2009, the Museum of glass in Tacoma, Washington, launched a major mid-career survey of his work, entitled Preston singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows. This exhibition featured Clan House, his largest commission to date, and traveled to venues across North America.

Traver gallery

110 Union street #200 seattle, Washington 98101 206 587.6501

info@travergallery.com

Photography: Russell Johnson

blown-glass forms and mystical, sand-carved Tlingit designs.

Design: Anne Traver

feature themes of transformation, animal spirits, and shamanism through elegant,