Preston Singletary
Raven Is As Raven Does
At the heart of this exhibition is Singletary’s collaboration with international best-selling author Garth Stein. Together, their contemporary retelling of Raven stories offers new perspectives on age-old myths, envisioning Raven navigating a world in flux, challenging authority, bending reality, and confronting the absurdities and perils of modern life. From outwitting an Old Woman who controls the tides to witnessing Killer Whales in protest of humans polluting the oceans, these stories embody Raven’s wit, mischief, and relentless drive to solve the world’s problems.
Singletary’s sculptural interpretations capture these themes with bold colors, unexpected forms, and his signature approach to glass. Each piece reflects the trickster’s transformative power—shifting between humor and wisdom, order and chaos, past and future. Merging form line design with non-traditional techniques, Singletary continues to push the boundaries of storytelling in glass, embodying Raven’s ever-evolving spirit.
CLICK HERE to read the full text of Raven Is As Raven Does
CLICK HERE to watch Preston read the story of Salmon Bonnet
CLICK HERE to watch Preston read the story of Majestic Thunderbird
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About
Preston Singletary - view profile
Preston Singletary has become synonymous with the relationship between European glass blowing traditions and Northwest Native art. His artwork features 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, Preston Singletary 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 pushes the boundaries of glass as a medium for storytelling. Preston Singletary continues to assert himself as a keeper and teller of stories and as a contemporary master of his craft.