Five Minutes with Preston Singletary

Preston Singletary will be working in the Museum of Glass Hot Shop from May 11 to 15. Museum of Glass caught up with the Visiting Artist before his residency to talk a little about glass, family, and music.

I started working in glass when…

I got a job at Glass Eye Studio in 1982. I started as a “night watchman” filling the furnaces up and sweeping the floor. I started on the production floor four months later and made Christmas balls and paperweights.

The most rewarding aspect of my career is…

When I figured out how to connect my glass making to my Tlingit Alaskan Native heritage. It opened up many new perspectives and connected me to my roots.

When I’m not in the studio…

I’m busy being a father and raising my two youngest kids. I also moonlight as a musician. I have been recording two different projects which connect to Tlingit culture in a contemporary way, the same way my glass does.

The last place I traveled to was…

Alaska to work on a piece I had installed last spring.

The best part about living in the Pacific Northwest is…

The community of artists and musicians. It’s a beautiful place that I’ve never found a reason to leave!

Plan a visit to Museum of Glass to see Visiting Artist Preston Singletary working or watch his residency online.