Exhibition Takes Visitors on a Journey of Contemporary Art and Tlingit Culture

Preston Singletary (American Tlingit, b. 1963), Gagaan Awutáawu Yéil (Raven Steals the Sun), made at Museum of Glass in 2008, Blown, hot-sculpted, and sand-carved glass, Courtesy of the artist, Photo by Russell Johnson, courtesy of Museum of Glass

NORFOLK, Va. (Jan. 9, 2023) The Chrysler Museum of Art will present the traveling exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight in Norfolk from March 3 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.”

Raven and the Box of Daylight is organized by the Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington. The exhibition is guest curated by Dr. Miranda Belarde-Lewis (Zuni/Tlingit). The multisensory visitor experience is designed by zoe | juniper.

Programming

All programs and events are free unless otherwise noted.
For more information and to register, visit chrysler.org/events.

Member Exhibition Preview
Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 6 p.m.
Free for Museum members, registration required

In Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight, time-honored glassblowing traditions fuse with Pacific Northwest Indigenous art to honor the artist’s ancestral Tlingit heritage. Tlingit culture and oral tradition has a rich history of pairing objects with foundational stories and histories of tribal families. By drawing upon this method of visual storytelling, Singletary’s art creates a unique theatrical atmosphere in which each object follows and enhances an unfolding narrative.

Preston Singletary, 2023 Visiting Artist Series
Glassmaking Demonstrations
Friday–Sunday, March 3-5, 2023 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2:30–5 p.m.

Live at the Perry Glass Studio, watch Seattle-based artist Preston Singletary and two members of his team work with the studio staff to demonstrate the artist’s process and artistic vision.

Lecture with the Artist and Exhibition Curator
Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Free for Museum members, $5 for non-members

Join artist Preston Singletary and curator Miranda Belarde-Lewis for an in-depth look into Singletary’s journey as a glass artist, the inspiration behind his work, and the development of the landmark exhibition Raven and the Box of Daylight. In-person at the Perry Glass Studio or livestream via Zoom.

Teacher Workshop: Origin Stories
Wednesday, March 8, from 5–7:30 p.m.
Free with registration

Journey through the immersive, multisensory exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight. Learn about contemporary Indigenous artist Preston Singletary and ways to include captivating storytelling in the classroom. Create a character and develop their origin story using a range of materials. Professional Development certificate available upon session completion.

Chrysler Book Club
Jean Outland Chrysler Library Reading Room
Free with registration

Sunday, April 9, 2023 at 3 p.m.
Told in eloquent layers that blend Native stories and metaphor with social and spiritual journeys, Blonde Indian: An Alaska Native Memoir traces the Ernestine Hayes’s life from her difficult childhood growing up in the Tlingit community, through her adulthood, during which she lived for some time in Seattle and San Francisco, and eventually to her return home. Neither fully Native American nor Euro-American, Hayes encounters a unique sense of alienation from both her Native community and the dominant culture. We witness her struggles alongside other Tlingit men and women—many of whom never left their Native community but wrestle with their own challenges, including unemployment, prejudice, alcoholism, and poverty.

Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 3 p.m.
Preston Singletary’s exhibition explores a specific retelling of Raven and the Box of Daylight, and in reading Mary Giraudo Beck’s Heroes & Heroines: Tlingit-Haida Legend we will gain further insight into the folklore and tradition of two Native cultures from the Pacific Northwest. Over uncounted generations, the Tlingits and Haidas of Southeast Alaska developed a spoken literature as robust and distinctive as their unique graphic art style, and passed it from the old to the young to ensure the continuity of their culture. Even today when the people gather, now under lamplight rather than the flickering glow from the central fire pit, the ancient myths and legends are told and retold, and they still reinforce the unity of the lineage, and clan and the culture.

Homeschool Studio: Glowing Work of Art
Homeschool Studio is a monthly art making class for ages 6–13. Each month will feature a different theme and artistic process. Young artists will spend time looking at works of art in the galleries, then explore a similar process or theme in the Education Workshop.

Adults are welcome to enjoy the Museum while their young artist creates. All young artists must be signed in and out by their guardian. Pick-up and drop-off will happen in Huber Court. Art making is messy; please dress accordingly. 

Thursday, April 20, 2023 from 1–3:30 p.m.
$5 for young artist (Museum member), $8 for young artist (non-member)

Inspired by the multimedia exhibition, Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight, use light as an element of your work of art. Using battery-powered LEDs, experiment with ways to create positive and negative space for light to shine through or fill.

Family Day: The Stories of Us
Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Raven and the Box of Daylight is one of the countless examples of stories told by cultures and people around the world. Join us as we explore storytelling through movement, creating, and sharing.

Tickle My Ears
10:30 a.m.
Tickle My Ears is a literacy and art program for our littlest visitors. Designed to delight and inspire children ages 2-5, each session focuses on a different story, theme, and activity. Meet us in Huber Court to start our 30-40 minute art adventure.

Thursday, April 6, 2023
Once the world was dark, lit only by campfires. Raven’s ingenuity brings light to the world and in the process undergoes a transformation of his own. We will read How Raven Stole the Sun by Maria Williams and enjoy Preston Singletary’s Raven and the Box of Daylight. After the story, we will create our own pendant necklace like the one Raven wears.

Thursday, May 4, 2023
There is so much we can learn from the natural world. Follow along on an adventure between a young girl and her grandmother as they explore their environment. After reading Berry Song by Michaela Goade, we will explore Preston Singletary’s Raven and the Box of Daylight then create a masterpiece with stamps sourced from nature.

Art Matters
Friday, May 12, 2023 at 10:30 a.m.
Meet in Huber Court

Individuals with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and their care partners are invited to a conversational tour led by Chrysler docents. Each month we will explore a new exhibition or theme. Share your experiences and observations and learn from other participants as well.

This month’s program will feature the exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight. Preston Singletary’s work fuses time-honored glassblowing traditions with Pacific Northwest Indigenous art to honor his ancestral Tlingit heritage, a tribe in southern Alaska.  Tlingit culture and oral tradition has a rich history of pairing objects with foundational stories and histories of tribal families. By drawing upon this method of visual storytelling, Singletary’s art creates a unique theatrical atmosphere in which each object follows and enhances an unfolding narrative.

Art Matters is a free program presented in partnership with the Southeastern Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. To register, please call 800-272-3900.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

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.

ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

 The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums, with a nationally recognized collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America. The core of the Chrysler’s collection comes from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., an avid art collector who donated thousands of objects from his private collection to the Museum. The Museum has growing collections in many areas and mounts an ambitious schedule of visiting exhibitions and educational programs each season. The Chrysler has also been recognized nationally for its unique commitment to hospitality with its innovative gallery host program.

The Perry Glass Studio is a state-of-the-art facility on the Museum’s campus. The studio offers programming for aspiring and master artists alike in a variety of processes including glassblowing, fusing, flameworking, coldworking and neon.

In addition, the Chrysler Museum of Art administers the Moses Myers House, a historic house in downtown Norfolk, as well as the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. For more information on the Chrysler Museum of Art, visit chrysler.org.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF GLASS, TACOMA

Located in Tacoma, Washington, Museum of Glass is a premier contemporary art museum dedicated to glass and glassmaking in the West Coast’s largest and most active museum glass studio. Opened in 2002, the Museum has established a reputation for hosting impactful and engaging artist residencies, organizing nationally traveling exhibitions, and creating unique programs for visitors while building a growing permanent collection chronicling the development of modern and contemporary glass. Museum of Glass provides an environment for artists and the public to ignite creativity, fuel discovery, and enrich their lives through glass and glassmaking.

### 

For more information, interview assistance, or a high-resolution image suitable for publication, please contact Jordan Fontenot at The Meridian Group at (757) 340-7425 or jordanf@themeridiangroup.com.