PRESTON SINGLETARY
Artist's Statement
When I first began working with glass in 1982, I had no idea how deeply I would connect with the material. It wasn’t until I started incorporating Tlingit designs and stories—drawing from my lineage in the Eagle moiety, Kaagwaantaan Box House, Killer Whale clan—that my work took on a deeper sense of purpose. This artistic transformation allowed me to merge ancestral storytelling with a modern medium, giving voice to both my culture and my artistic vision.
I come from a long line of strong Tlingit women. My great-grandmother, Susie Johnson Bartlett Gubatayo, was born in Sitka, Alaska, in 1880 and later moved to Seattle, where she built a foundation for our family. My grandmother, Lillian Abada, raised my mother, Jean Abada, and my aunties, Andrina Abada and Theresa Sherman, almost entirely on her own. Their influence shaped my identity and instilled in me a profound connection to my heritage—one that continues to guide my work today.
Over time, my mastery of glassblowing and Tlingit formline design has evolved, deepening my understanding of both my ancestral roots and my chosen craft. This journey has not only shaped my personal artistic expression but has also positioned me as a significant contributor to contemporary Indigenous art.
Through teaching and collaborating with Native American, Māori, Hawaiian, and Australian Aboriginal artists, I have come to appreciate how glass expands the possibilities of Indigenous art. Indigenous artistic perspectives are deeply tied to ancestral codes, land, and cultural symbolism, and working in glass adds another dimension to these traditions. This exchange of ideas continues to inform and inspire my work.
My work challenges the notion that Native artists must only use traditional materials. By embracing glass as a storytelling medium, I seek to affirm our presence and identity, reinforcing that Indigenous cultures are dynamic, evolving, and rooted in resilience. Through my art, I strive to amplify Indigenous voices, ensuring that we are seen, heard, and recognized on our own terms.
As my work continues to evolve, I remain committed to exploring the connections between Tlingit culture and contemporary art movements. I have been honored to witness how my journey has inspired other Indigenous artists to experiment with glass and other non-traditional materials. Moving forward, I hope to continue fostering innovation, pushing the boundaries of Indigenous art, and creating work that resonates across generations.
For his recent exhibition at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, the museum wrote that Singletary’s “unique interpretations of Tlingit myths and legends are visible in a plethora of stunningly beautiful objects and figurative sculptures, manifested through a complex combination of techniques, including glassblowing, sandcarving, and inlaying. The synthesis Singletary creates through his work melds three worlds—modern art, glass, and Tlingit tradition—into a unique whole.”
Preston Singletary is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including the Rakow Commission from the Corning Museum of Glass (NY), the Mayor’s Award for Diversified Arts in Indian Art NW (Portland, OR) and an honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA). He is also represented in major museum collections such as: the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), the Seattle Art Museum (WA), the Mint Museum of Art and Design (Charlotte, NC) and the Handelsbanken (Stockholm, Sweden). He lives and works in Seattle and can be found teaching at Pilchuck, among other institutions, and lecturing on glass around the world.
MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS
2018-2023 Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA – Solo traveling exhibition – “Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight,” traveling to The Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA. (2018), The Wichita Art Museum (2020), The National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. (2022) and the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA. (2023) and Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma (2024).
2021-2022 Museum of Indian Art and Culture, Santa Fe, NM - Group exhibition - Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass.
2016 Château-Musée de Boulogne-sur-Mer, France - Group Exhibition - "D'une culture a l'autre"
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
Museum of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco, CA – Group exhibition – Fusing Traditions: Transformations in Glass by Native American Artists. Traveled to: Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ; The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Rockwell Museum of Western Art, Corning, NY; Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA; Anchorage Museum at Rasmussen Center, Anchorage, AK; Alaska State Museum, Juneau, AK; Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Mashantucket, CT
MUSEUM AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Image: Polina Osherov
AWARDS
2022 Arts Innovator Award, Artist Trust
2022 College of Fellows Award, American Craft Council
2021 Master of the Medium - James Renwick Alliance for Craft
2019 Artist Laureate – The Rainier Club, Seattle, WA
2018 Governor’s Arts Award – Individual, Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia, WA
2016 National Artist Fellowship Award, Native Arts & Culture Foundation, Vancouver, WA
2013 Mayor’s Art Award for “Raising the Bar,” Seattle, WA
2010 Honorary doctorate, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
2009 National Native Artist Exchange Award, NE Foundation for the Arts
2004 1st Place Contemporary Art, Sealaska Heritage Foundation, Celebration 2004
2003 Rakow Commission, Corning Museum of Glass, NY
2002 Purchase Award, Seattle Arts Commission, Seattle, WA
2000 Mayor's Award and 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, Diversified Arts, Best of Division, Indian Art NW, Portland, OR
1999 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place, Diversified Arts, Best of Division, Indian Art NW, Portland, OR; Study Grant, Washington Mutual Foundation, The Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, OR
1998 First Place, Diversified Arts, Best of Division, NW, Portland OR
1996 The Jon and Mary Shirley Scholarship, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, WA
1995 Study Grant, Washington Mutual Foundation, Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA
1988, 90 The Glass House Goblet Competition Purchase Award
1985 Work Study Grant, The Institute of Alaska Native ArtsP
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
2019-present Sealaska Heritage Institute, Juneau, AK - Cultural Arts Committee
2009-present IslandWood Environmental School, Bainbridge Island, WA – Board of Directors
2008 Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM - Community Advisory Committee
2007-present Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA - Community Advisory Committee
2006-present Artstream Cultural Resources, Pagosa Springs, CO - Community Advisory Committee
2005-2011 Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA - Board of Trustees and Community Advisory Committee
2000-present Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, WA - Board of Trustees and Community Advisory Committee