Preston Singletary combines imagery, forms and storytelling from his Tlingit heritage and culture with modern studio glass — fusing Indigenous traditions with contemporary art. Preston Singletary: Raven Visits SFO features examples of the artist’s recent work, some of it on view for the first time.
Working with a team of artists at his studio in Seattle, Singletary finds innovative ways to push the boundaries of modern Native art and glass sculpture.
First, objects are created in the hot shop by glassblowing, hot sculpting and casting. Singletary then draws onto an adhesive masking that is carefully cut with a precision knife and peeled away — revealing layers of color and design that are sandblasted in relief.
His curvilinear, and pictorial designs reinterpret traditional Tlingit formlines found in weaving and woodcarving.
Singletary’s current work focuses on Raven, a mythological figure central to Native cultures of the Pacific Northwest.
Known as a trickster for the various forms he can take, Raven was responsible for creating the world and for illuminating the universe by releasing the sun, moon and stars into the sky.
Preston Singletary: Raven Visits SFO is located pre-security in the Mayor Edwin M. Lee International Departures Hall of the San Francisco International Airport at the SFO Museum.
This exhibition is on view to all airport visitors through October 2026.
Susan Cohn is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and the State Bar of California. She may be reached at susan@smdailyjournal.com.
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