pRESTON sINGLETARY: rAVEN AND THE bOX OF dAYLIGHT

available for touring THROUGH THE mUSEUM OF gLASS

The art of internationally regarded Preston Singletary fuses time-honored glassblowing traditions with Pacific Northwest Native art. Specifically, Singletary honors his ancestral Tlingit culture, a tribe that spans from Alaska to Oregon. His art features transformation, animal spirits, basketry designs, and Tlingit formlines. In Tlingit culture, objects that incorporate elements from the natural world tell foundational stories as well as histories of individual native families. Singletary mines this rich past into a seamless fusion of contemporary art, glass, and evolving Tlingit tradition. Raven and the Box of Daylight features those qualities of Singletary's exceptional artmaking that have earned him a sterling international reputation.

Countless generations of Native American children have heard the story of Raven, a bird spirit whose fantastical journey transforms darkness into light. Tlingit oral history has preserved the rich narratives that are foundational for the Northwest culture, and Raven features as the creator of the world and giver of the stars, moon, and sun. In the exhibition, this story unfolds as storytellers pair with original music and Northwest soundscapes. Projected imagery and theatrical lighting complete the gallery experience.

To create the exhibition, Singletary collaborated with many. Tlingit culture spans a vast territory, and dozens of Raven stories are told throughout the Pacific Northwest, each featuring subtle distinctions. Singletary relied on the scholarship of Walter Porter (Tlingit American, 1944–2013), and he worked with guest curator Dr. Miranda Belarde-Lewis (Tlingit-Zuni American) to shape the compelling, accurate narrative for the exhibition. He also collaborated with multi-media artist Juniper Shuey of the artistic partnership zoe | juniper for the imaginative installation. zoe | juniper worked with Matt Starritt to create a 14 channel sound environment that shifts and changes as you walk through the space.