Preston Singletary at Museum of Glass
by Alec Clayton
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“Wealth Eagle Rattle” blown glass, hot-sculpture and hand-carved glass, cedar bark, by Preston Singletary, photo courtesy Russell Johnson
In
addition to stunning artwork, the exhibition includes multi-media immersive storytelling
in which the Tlingit story unfolds during the visitor’s experience.
Like the best of Northwest Indian artists, Singletary’s work blends
the traditional art of his tribal ancestors with the innovative methods and
aesthetic principles born of contemporary art movements, in his case the
Pacific Northwest glass art movement. He studied glass art with Seattle area
artists Benjamin Moore and Dante Marioni, and he studied in Europe, where he
learned the methods of Lino Tagliapietra and other European masters. His
artworks feature themes of transformation, animal Spirits and shamanism with
blown glass and sand-carved Tlingit designs.
Raven
and the Box of Daylight is the
Tlingit story of Raven and his transformation of the world—bringing light to
people via the stars, moon, and sun. This story holds great significance for
the Tlingit people. The exhibition features a dynamic combination of artwork,
storytelling, and encounter, where the Tlingit story unfolds during the
visitor’s experience.
Tlingit objects were traditionally used to show wealth and tell stories
by representing elements of the natural world, as well as the histories of
individual families. By drawing upon this tradition, Singletary’s art creates a
unique theatrical atmosphere in which the pieces follow and enhance the
exhibition narrative. Art objects and exhibition text are supported by audio
and video elements, including recordings by storytellers, music, recordings of
Pacific Northwest coastal sounds, and a backdrop of shadows and projected
images
Singletary’s
blown-glass animal figures such as “White Raven,” are classical in their
simplicity and elegance and include carved designs in the Tlingit tradition. His
baskets and other containers combine simple textural contrasts and geometric
designs. The human and animal figures on the title piece, “Raven and the Box of
Daylight,” cast lead crystal and glass, are like totem figures only shorter and
more compact. These works of art and the stories they illustrate should provide
for a wonderfully enlightening visit to Museum of Glass.
Raven
and the Box of Daylight, Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.,
through September 2, 2019, $5-$15, free to members, free Third Thursday, Museum
of Glass, 1801 Dock St. Tacoma, (866) 468-7386 http://museumofglass.org.
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