NORFOLK, VA.- The Chrysler Museum of Art opened the traveling exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight in Norfolk on March 3rd, which will continue to July 2, 2023. Featuring new work by the internationally acclaimed Native American artist Preston Singletary (Tlingit American, b. 1963), this solo exhibition creates an immersive narrative by means of a multi-sensory environment where artworks and gallery texts are supported and enhanced by atmospheric audio-visual elements.

Raven releasing or “stealing” daylight is one of the most well-known stories of the Tlingit (KLING-kit), a tribe native to southeastern Alaska. Although many people may know the general story of Raven, there are numerous variations that are unique to specific villages and individual storytellers. Countless generations of Native American children have heard Raven’s adventures through an oral tradition, which has played an essential role in the survival of Tlingit culture by preserving its rich histories and narratives. The central character in the story is Raven, a supernatural being (trickster, ancestor, and hero) who is the giver of the stars, moon, and sun. In the exhibition, Raven leads museum visitors on a fantastical journey through the transformation of the world from darkness into light. Singletary’s version of the story unfolds as visitors move through the exhibition’s four environments (along the Nass River, transformation, clan house, and world drenched in daylight), while listening to recordings of storytellers paired with layers of original music and coastal Pacific Northwest soundscapes.

The art of Preston Singletary fuses time-honored glassblowing traditions with Pacific Northwest Native art. Singletary specifically honors his ancestral Tlingit culture, featuring transformation, animal spirits, and formline design. 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.

“Glass is uniquely suited for telling a story about the origins of light in the world, given the material’s luminous and brilliant qualities,” says Carolyn Swan Needell, Ph.D., the Carolyn and Richard Barry curator of glass at the Chrysler Museum. “In Raven and the Box of Daylight, the glass and the story enliven one another to make an exceptionally compelling experience. We are honored to host this exhibition at the Chrysler Museum of Art.”

Preston Singletary (Tlingit American, born 1963) uses his mastery of European glass techniques to create exquisite works of art inspired by Northwest Native imagery. Singletary learned glassblowing in the Seattle area working with Dante Marioni, Benjamin Moore, and others. The Pilchuck Glass School in the woods outside Seattle, founded by artist Dale Chihuly, was an important touchstone for honing Singletary’s technique and artistry. Singletary also trained at Kosta Boda in Sweden, and with Venetian glass masters including Lino Tagliapetra and Pino Signoretti.

He later incorporated his Native heritage into his work to honor the stories shared with him by his great-grandparents, who are both Tlingit. Singletary’s art celebrates his Indigenous culture using Tlingit design principles. In Tlingit culture, objects that incorporate elements from the natural world are used to tell seminal stories and histories of individual families. Singletary adapts new materials into a seamless fusion of modern art, glass, and evolving Tlingit tradition.

Now recognized internationally, Singletary’s artworks are featured in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, The British Museum in London, National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Museum of Art + Design in New York, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Seattle Art Museum, among many others.