Lecture: Preston Singletary joined by mentor and Native American storyteller Walter Porter at the Mu

Preston Singletary from an image on his artist's page at Blue Rain Gallery.

Walter Porter, a traditional storyteller and expert on Tlingit mythology, has been a mentor to Preston Singletary as the artist has explored his own Tlingit heritage.

Timed to coincide with his ongoing exhibition “Echos, Fire, and Shadow,“ Preston Singletary, a highly skilled glassblower who applies European techniques to creating vessels and sculptures in glass inspired by traditional Native American tribal art iconography, will join forces with Tlingit mythologist Walter Porter to present a lecture at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, this Sunday afternoon, May 2nd. The two will discuss the blending of literal and figurative interpretation of traditional Tlingit symbols and iconography into three dimensional sculpture. Porter contributed an essay to the museum’s exhibition catalog for Singletary’s show.

Singletary creates pieces that are inspired by Northwest Native American icons, which include imagery of supernatural beings, transformation themes, animal spirits, shamanism and basketry. He brings together the West and the East in his use of the untraditional form of glassblowing to depict traditional symbols and icons.

Preston Singletary with child in traditional Tlingit garb in a photo on his own Website.

Once can’t help but ask whether Singletary might go farther than simply bringing an unconventional material of glass and an understated color palette to the traditional conventions of tribal imagery.

In his artist’s statement on his website, Singletary writes: “I see my work as an extension of tradition and a declaration that Native cultures are alive and developing new technologies and new ways of communicating the ancient codes and symbols of this land.”

Wouldn’t it be exciting to see some of the same central themes dealt with in tribal art, which in the case of the Tlingit often involves issues of appetite and control, into a more contemporary rendering? At times, Singletary’s deep respect for tradition as part of his personal journey of discovery of his own Tlingit heritage, seems like it confines his expressive powers and ability to update rather than simply refine centuries-old visual language. Perhaps this will be discussed at the lecture Sunday afternoon.

—Apeksha Vanjari