Dated 2000, this work marks an early and ambitious engagement by Preston Singletary with one of the foundational stories of the Tlingit people of Southeastern Alaska. The epic of Raven stealing and releasing the daylight is widely known across Tlingit communities, yet each telling carries the distinct cadence of its village and storyteller. At its core, the narrative follows Raven, a shapeshifter and trickster, who transforms himself to infiltrate the home of a powerful man who hoards the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Through cunning persuasion, Raven gains access to the celestial treasures, releasing Starlight, then Moonlight, and, at last, the Sun. As he escapes through the smoke hole with the Sun in his beak, his feathers are blackened by soot but the world is forever changed.

This is not merely a story about light entering the world. It is a meditation on transformation, on the consequences of desire and ingenuity, and on the responsibilities we carry when we alter the course of things. Glass, with its capacity to capture, bend, and release light, becomes a powerful vessel for the retelling of this particular story.

At fifteen, Preston Singletary met Dante Marioni, son of the celebrated glass artist Paul Marioni, a chance encounter that led to his first job at Seattle’s Glass Eye Studio. There, Singletary honed his skills in functional glasswork, laying the technical foundation for a career that would eventually transcend utility. In 1984, his artistic path shifted at Pilchuck Glass School, a crucible of experimentation and exchange, where he encountered artists like Anthony Jojola and David Svenson.

Over the following decades, Singletary trained with masters such as Benjamin Moore and emerged as a central figure in the Pacific Northwest glass movement. His work, grounded in technical mastery, was further enriched by meaningful exchanges with Indigenous artists working in the Seattle area, including Joe David, Ed Archie NoiseCat, Marvin Oliver, and Shdal’éiw Walter Porter. Their influence encouraged a deeper exploration of his Tlingit heritage and affirmed the power of cultural knowledge and engagement as an artistic foundation.

ND