“Lifting Up From the River”

 

Preston Singletary honors his father Shaa-Héen-Kaa, who died in November at the age of 80, in “Lifting Up from the River” (at the Traver Gallery until the end of April).

 

Death has been affecting all of us this year. We are experiencing so much loss in our lives, whether from COVID or other causes. In my own family we have lost 4 close relatives. One of my oldest and dearest friends is heading for his sunset, as his daughter so beautifully expressed it.

 

So viewing this exhibition has special meaning for me. I wish I could think of such deeply thoughtful and spiritual expressions to honor those whom I have lost.

 

Morning River is an homage to his father’s love of starting early in the morning to go fishing. There are various works referring to fishing in the exhibition. There are also glass room dividers created in collaboration with Dick Weiss that suggest flowing water.

 

 

But for me the heart of the exhibition was the expression of transition from life to death. His father is called to this transition by spirits that raise him up in Levitation

 

 

The installation includes several stages  of transition

Preston: “As we float down the river, Shaa-Héen-Kaa’s health shifts and becomes vulnerable with age. “Ashes From The Fire”,[Ash Moon] “Lightness Of Being”, and “Shaman Wakes” are all part of this transition.

 

 

“Shaman Wakes” symbolizes the shaman calling on his spirit helpers, the Land Otters, to help Shaa-Héen-Kaa with understanding this transformation that he will undertake, of transitioning to the other side.

 

 

“Lightness Of Being” attempts to animate the idea of contemplating life and preparing for the transition of passing into the next realm. The mobile symbolizes the universe and the arc holding the wire and branches represents a fishing rod.”

 

 

 

Here is another image of transition “floating backward up the river” It suggests his father is “experiencing visions” as he floats.

What a beautiful way of expressing the passing of someone we love.

 

 

“Levitation” refers to my sister Rachel who had a dream shortly before our father’s death. In the dream a tall slender man came to the front door of our father’s apartment looking for him
and went to retrieve him from his bedroom. Our father emerged from his bedroom fully dressed to go fishing and silently followed the man out the door. In this piece two spirit figures are ascending into the heavens to go fishing together.”

 

It is appropriate that the ghost like spirit figures in the vertical white shape that resembles a sail on a boat, is not really visible here.

 

All of these works are made from blown and sand carved glass. We think of glass as transparent, but in Preston’s works it is a magical material that transforms, creates mirror images, ghost images, and opacity all at the same time. It is the perfect material to convey transition from life to death.

And  “Safe Journey” lighted from within with the universe

Preston again “this box is a metaphor for the treasures that our father gave us in the form of inspiration, knowledge and intelligence. These boxes are sometimes referred to as treasure boxes or boxes of knowledge. They can be used to store precious objects or Att Owoo, our cultural heirlooms. In some cases they can be used as burial
containers. In this case, I decided to animate the box with light from within representing the universe.”

 

This is only a selection of the works in the show, there is a wonderful otter, many fish, and totems in glass that also suggest transformations, myths,  and magical events.

One of the more familiar is “Raven and the Box of Daylight” here presented in a brilliant orange glass totem. Last year Preston held a complete exhibition around this story at the Museum of Glass. 

In the same room are several other totems and many baskets, grouped around the blue box that glows with treasures and secrets. These feel like totems and containers that are guarding the treasure at the center.

 

I took this last photo at the far end of the gallery from the entrance.  The  glass totems are seen in reverse, but appear to be three dimensional. It is a special quality of the glass that as the artist worked the image on one side in low relief, the negative image appeared on the other as though from inside the sculpture. I like this idea of both the illusion of presence, and the mutability of reality. Is that not what life and death are all about?