Arts
Indigenous Lifeways series: "Inspiration of a Native Glass Blower" Featuring Native Glass Blower, Preston Singletary Final Episode In this episode of Indigenous Lifeways, Internationally recognized Glass Blowing artist Preston Singletary talks about his background and career in this discussion presented by the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University. Mr. Singletary discusses his relationship with western glass blowing traditions and Northwest native design. He takes us on a deeper discovery of other influences such as the study that he refers to as "Genetic Memory" and other ideas around navigating and analyzing your dreams. He speaks about the correlation to Native Vision quests. He presents various examples of his work and presents the background on many of his objects of which many are from his own traditional native influences. Preston Singletary Website:http://prestonsingletary.com Support Our Podcasts! Visit http://www.patreon.com/artways Tomaquag Museum Website: http://www.tomaquagmuseum.org Follow Us! Twitter Facebook Is there a subject you would like us to cover or present? E-mail Mike Johnson at mjohnson@tomaquagmuseum.org Artist Preston Singletary Full Bio: 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 and lecturing 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. This exhibition featured Clan House, his largest commission to date, and traveled to venues across North America.