Preston Singletary

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Artist's Statement

When I began working with glass in 1982, I had no idea that I'd be so connected to the material in the way that I am. It was only when I began to experiment with using designs from my Tlingit cultural heritage that my work began to take on a new purpose and direction.

Over time, my skill with the material of glass and traditional form line design has strengthened and evolved, allowing me to explore more fully my own relationship to both my culture and chosen medium. This evolution, and subsequent commercial success, has positioned me as an influence on contemporary indigenous art

Through teaching and collaborating in glass with other Native American, Maori, Hawaiian, and Australian Aboriginal artists, I've come to see that glass brings another dimension to indigenous art. The artistic perspective of indigenous people reflects a unique and vital visual language which has connections to the ancient codes and symbols of the land, and this interaction has informed and inspired my own work.

My work with glass transforms the notion that Native artists are only best when traditional materials are used. It has helped advocate on the behalf of all indigenous people—affirming that we are still here—that that we are declaring who we are through our art in connection to
our culture.

My work continues to evolve and connect my personal cultural perspective to current modern art movements, and I have received much attention for striving to keep the work fresh and relevant. I have been honored that my success has inspired other artists from underrepresented indigenous cultures to use glass and other non-traditional materials in their work, and hope that I can continue to encourage more innovation in this area as my career progresses.

Biography

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 launched 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.

Gallery Representation

Blue Rain Gallery

544 South Guadalupe Street
Santa Fe, NM. 87501

505.954.9902

Schantz Galleries

3 Elm Street
Stockbridge, MA 02333

413.298.3044

Traver Gallery

110 Union Street
Seattle, WA 98101

206.587.6501

Smaller works and limited editions may be found at these galleries and museum stores:

  • Bellevue Arts Museum Store, Bellevue, WA
  • Boreal Traditions Gallery, Anchorage, AK
  • Burke Museum Store, Seattle, WA
  • Corning Museum of Glass Store, Corning, NY
  • Douglas Reynolds Gallery, Vancouver, BC
  • Hawk Galleries, Columbus, OH
  • Holsten Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
  • Museum of Glass Store, Tacoma, WA
  • Museum of Northwest Art Store, La Conner, WA
  • Rainmaker Gallery, Bristol, UK
  • Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Ontario Canada
  • Sealaska Heritage Store, Juneau, AK
  • Seattle Art Museum Store, Seattle, WA
  • Steinbrueck Gallery, Seattle, WA
  • Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA
  • Tacoma Art Museum Store, Tacoma, WA
  • The Heard Museum Shop, Scottsdale, AZ
  • Vetri Gallery, Seattle, WA

Museum and Public Collections

  • Anchorage Museum, Anchorage, AK
  • The Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
  • The British Museum, London, UK
  • The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY
  • The Burke Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
  • Château-Musée de Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
  • City of Seattle, Portable Works Collection, Seattle, WA
  • Corning Museum of Glass, Corning NY (Rakow Commission)
  • Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
  • Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
  • Detroit Institute of the Arts, Detroit, MI
  • Ethnografiska Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
  • Fred Jones, Jr, Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
  • Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA
  • Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA
  • Heard Museum of Art, Phoenix, AZ
  • Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
  • James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, St. Petersburg, FL
  • Microsoft Art Collection
  • Mint Museum of Art & Design, Charlotte, NC
  • Museum of Art + Design, New York, NY
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
  • Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA
  • Museum of History & Industry, Seattle, WA
  • The Museum of Natural History, Anchorage, AK
  • National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
  • National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
  • National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY
  • Newark Museum, Newark, NJ
  • Palmer Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, PA
  • Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
  • Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY
  • Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
  • Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
  • St. Paul’s Cathedral, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN
  • Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia, WA
  • Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS

Selected Exhibitions

Museum Exhibitions

2018-2023

"Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight"

Traveling Exhibition Tour Dates:
Museum of Glass: October 3, 2018 – September 2, 2019
Wichita Art Museum, Kansas: February 2020– January 2021
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC: January 28th 2021 - January 29th, 2022 and the Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia: March 3rd, 2023 - June 30th, 2023.

2021

The Museum of Indian Art and Culture, Santa Fe, NM - "Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass"

2016

Château-Musée de Boulogne-sur-Mer, France - Group Exhibition - "D'une culture a l'autre" (From One Culture to Another)

2015-2016

Museum of Northwest Art, WA – "Not Vanishing: Contemporary Expressions in Indigenous Art".

2009-2012

Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA – "Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows".

Traveled to: National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY; Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ; Anchorage Museum at Rasmussen Center, Anchorage, AK

2010

John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI - "Animal Instincts"

2009

McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON – "Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast".

2005

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA – "Fusing Traditions"

Museum of Art + Design, New York, NY – "Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation"

2004

National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC - "Our Universe."

2003

Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA - Solo Exhibition, "Threshold".

Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ – "Fusing Traditions”.

Arnot Art Museum, New York - "Representing Representation VI".

2001

Fuller Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts - "Lino Tagliapietra et Amici".

Sheldon Museum, Haines, AK - "Traditions in Glass".

Gallery Exhibitions

2022

Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Ontario Canada - New Works

Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA - New Works

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM - Pops Up in Virginia

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA - Between Here and the Spirit World

2021

Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA - Luminosity

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM - New Works

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA - Lifting Up From the River

2020

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA - Artifacts from a Future Dream

Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA - NW Native Glass Art

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM - New Works

Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Ontario Canada - Humanity at the Crossroad

2019

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM - New Works

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA - Illuminated Forest

2018

Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA – Raven’s Treasures

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA – The Air World

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM - Mystic Knowledge

2017

Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, Canada – Pacific Currents

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA – Premonitions of Water

Schantz Gallery, Stockbridge, MA – Mystic Figures

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM – Journey Through Air to the Sky World

2016

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA – Journey Across the Fire (and Into the World)

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM – New Works

2014

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA – He Who Spins Illusions

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM – New Works

2013

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA – Listen for the Raven

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM – New Works

2012

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA – Solo Exhibition, Confluence

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM – Primitive | Elegant II (with Dante Marioni)

2011

Traver Gallery, Tacoma, WA – Solo Exhibition, Contents of a Dream

Schantz Gallery, Stockbridge, MA – Solo Exhibition, Collector’s Weekend Showcase

Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, BC – Ka Ka Win Chealth: Transformations in Glass (with Joe David)

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM – Primitive | Elegant (with Dante Marioni)

2009

Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA – Solo Exhibition, Beyond Primitivism

Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe NM – Solo Exhibition

2007

Traver Gallery, Tacoma, WA - The Uncle Who Went into the Forest

Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, BC – Fire & Water: Pacific Visions in Glass and Jade (with Lewis Tamihana Gardiner)

2006

Heller Gallery, New York, NY - Solo Exhibition, Raven Steals the Light

2004

Instituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere de Arti, Venice, Italy – Vetri. Nel Mondo. Oggi.

2001

Chappell Gallery, New York – Solo Exhibition, Glass Potlatch

1999

Gallery San Nicolo, Venice, Italy – Solo Exhibition, Current Work

Chappell Gallery, Boston, MA – Solo Exhibition, New Work

1998

Butters Gallery, Portland, OR - Solo Exhibition

1991-1997

The Glass Gallery, Bethesda, MD - Solo Exhibition

The West End Gallery, Bethesda, MD - Solo Exhibit

Press Coverage

2022

Artist Preston Singletary Sheds New Light on the Tlingit Raven Tale, Smithsonian Magazine, Sarah Smith, March 4th, 2022

College of Fellows for 2022, American Craft Council, Rachel Messerich, February 15th, 2022

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass, Museum of New Mexico Press, Letitia Chambers, 2021

Seattle Artist Preston Singletary Gets Solo Show at Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, The Seattle Times, Gayle Clemans, February 3rd, 2022

2021

Transformations: Groundbreaking Glassmaker Preston Singletary Brings North Pacific Coast Cultures to Life, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Magazine, Anne Bolen, Winter Issue 2021

The State of the Arts at Climate Pledge Arena, Crosscut, Brangien Davis, October 21st, 2021

At 50 Pilchuck Glass School is Still Hot: The Catalyst for Seattle’s Luminous Art Form Remains Malleable, Seattle Met Magazine, Stefan Milne, June 15th, 2021

2020

Wichita Museum Exhibits Native American Creation Tale Before It Heads to the Smithsonian, The Wichita Eagle, Amy Geiszler - Jones, January 27th, 2020

2019

Anatomy of a Sculpture: The Weaver's Welcome and the Symbols and Motifs That Inspired it, The Stranger, Jasmyne Keimig, December 4th, 2019

There are Many Versions of the Tlingit ‘Raven’ Story, but its Truth and Hopeful Message are Universal, Pacific NW Magazine - The Seattle Times, Miranda Belarde - Lewis, July 21st, 2019

Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight, University of Washington Press and Museum of Glass, Miranda Belarde - Lewis, John Drury, 2019

The Pacific Northwest Was Already Internationally Recognized for Glass Art. Then Came Preston Singletary, KUOW, Marcie Sillman, January 2019

2018

In the Studio: Ambassador of Glass, Western Art & Architecture Magazine, Charles Finn, August/September 2018

Preston Singletary Exhibition Opens at the Museum of Glass, South Sound Magazine, Zoe Branch, October 2018

Art Beat NW, 1150 AM KKNW, Patricia Pauley, October 2018

Place 14 of 52: Seattle, City of Glass, 52 Places Traveler, The New York Times, Jada Yuan, May 2018

2017

Talking Out Your Glass, Podcast, Glass Art Magazine, Available on iTunes or Stitcher, Shawn Waggoner, February 2017

2016

Where’s the Glass? Two Northwest Artists Turn Sand into Gold, The Seattle Times, Michael Upchurch, April 2016

2015

Preston Singletary, Visual Art Source, Matthew Kangas, October 2015

2009

Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows., University of Washington Press and Museum of Glass; Seattle and London, Melissa Post, 2009

2007

Native American Sculptor Heroes, Sculpture Review, pp. 22-25 Spring 2007

Glass Act - Visions of the West Cowboys and Indians, pp. 92-93 January 2007

2006

Manawa - Pacific Heartbeat, A Celebration of Contemporary Maori and Northwest Coast Art, University of Washington Press, pp. 98, 109, 133, 167. 2006

2005

Sculpture, Glass and American Museums, University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. 178-179. 2005

Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 2 Contemporary Native North American Art from the West, Northwest and Pacific, Museum of Arts and Design, pp. 110,159, 198-199. 2005

2004

Vision Quest, Glass Magazine, Matthew Kangas, June 2004

Glass Acts, Art & Antiques, pp. 43-49. May 2004

New Glass Review, Corning Museum of Glass, pp. 77-79. 2004

2003

A Seattle Collection, Native Peoples, pp. 64-66., Barry Herem, July/August

Preston Singletary, Southwest Art Magazine, pg. 32-34., Dottie Indyke, June 2003

Crossing the Threshold, Queen Anne Magnolia News, p.14., Nancy Worssam, June 11th, 2003

The Perfect Couple: Native American Artifacts and Glass Art, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, p. 18., Judy Wagonfeld, June 6th, 2003

SAM Merges Native Art from Past with Modern Styles, The Daily of the University of Washington, p. 7. May 29th, 2003

Breaking Into Glass, The Arizona Republic, E1., John Carlos Villani, May 11th, 2003

Fusing Traditions: Transformations in Glass by Native American Artists, American Indian Art Magazine p. 56., Carolyn Kastner & Rosalyn Tunis, Spring 2003

International Glass Art, Schiffler Publishing, pp. 304-305, Richard Wilfred Yelle, 2003

Vision Quest, Art Access January, 2003

Preston Singletary, Tlingit, Fjärde Världen, pp. 5-11., Carl Johan Gurt, January 2003

2002

Tradition and Experiment Fuse, Anchorage Daily News, D6. June 13th, 2002

The Jet City, Gant Fall and Winter Catalogue, Lars Falk, 2001

In the Galleries, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, D1., Regina Hackett, March 7th, 2002

In the Galleries, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Regina Hacket, March 7th, 2002

2001

Cross Cultural Fusion, Native Peoples Magazine, Gary Wyatt, November, 2001

Clan House: Preston Singletary at William Traver, Glashaus 4th Ed, pp. 6-7., Geoff Wichert, 2001

2000

Modern Masters, HGTV Artist Profile aired January 25, 2001

1999

Native Art you won’t see in the Casinos, New York Times, Charlie LeDuff, September 19th, 1999

Artist Profile, Southwest Art, Bonnie Ganglehoff, August 1999

Mythic Beings Gary Wyatt, 1999

Native and European Traditions Meet, Native Peoples Magazine Spring, 1999

1998

Tackling Tradition with Style and Wit, The Wall Street Journal, Gail King, September 4th, 1998

Four in Glass, New Art Examiner, Mars, Glen Brown, 1998

1997

Feature Article, Indian Artist Magazine, Ramona Gault, Winter, 1997

A Place to Reflect, The Seattle Times, Robin Updike, 1997

Four in Glass, Fova Galleries, Matthew Kangas, 1997

A New Generation, Glass Magazine #63, review, Geoffrey Wichart, 1997

St James Guide to Native North American Artists 1997

1996

Sköna Hem, Interior Magazine, Sweden, Lage Stone, July 1996

1990

The Glassblowers of the Pacific NW, Glasswork Magazine, Japan, Nr 11, Dick Weiss, 1990

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