By Chris S. Nishiwaki
Northwest Asian Weekly

Native artist Preston Singletary signs and reads from his new book ‘Fusion Notes’ at SAM Gallery on April 13, 2024. Photo by Chloe Collyer.
Seattle artist Preston Singletary has been blending cultures and styles since birth.
Singletary was born in San Francisco to a multicultural family. He traces his Alaskan Tlingit ancestry to his great-grandmother, Susie Johnson Bartlett Gubatayo, who lived to age 100. His grandmother on his mother’s side married a Filipino man, who would later return to the Philippines.
“You know, as much as I mention that I am Tlingit as I am, I’m also Filipino,” Singletary told the Northwest Asian Weekly, during an interview at his Seattle studio. Singletary was gearing up for the performance of the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB)’s “The Sleeping Beauty,” which premiered on Jan. 31 at McCaw Hall.
Singletary is a contemporary alchemist of sorts. His physical artwork melds Italian glass art with traditional Pacific Northwest Indigenous cedar totem pieces to create stunning sculptures. As a musical artist, Singletary performs music inspired by his Alaskan Tlingit roots with hits of contemporary funk and jazz improvisations with his band, Khu.éex’, originally formed with funk pioneer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bernie Worrell.
His multimedia, multicultural setwork is for the PNB’s reimagining of the classic tale, “The Sleeping Beauty.” The ambitious project carries a north-of-$4-million-dollar price tag.
At the behest of PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal, Singletary designed the sets for the updated version in traditional Northwest Coast Native aesthetic. Paul Tazewell, Tony Award winner for costume design for his work on the popular and critically acclaimed Broadway show “Hamilton,” produced the costumes for the show, with some assistance from Singletary.
“That sort of came up as a result of Peter Boal approaching me and just outright [asking] if I’d be interested in designing the set, doing set design for the ballet,” Singletary said, explaining how he came to design the ballet’s sets. “And I jumped at the chance.”
Singletary will also be releasing three new albums of his music this spring, including two to complement the premier of his documentary, “Khu.éex’: The Magic of Noise.” The film has been submitted for consideration to the Seattle International Film Festival. If selected, the film—which has been 14 years in the making—will be featured during the festival, which this year runs from May 15–25.
Though music is Singletary’s first love, he has become better known for his physical art, including sculptures, glass art, and paintings.
Singletary was introduced to glass blowing in 1982. While a student at Lincoln High School in Wallingford, Singletary befriended Dante Marioni, the son of artist Paul Marioni, who is considered among the founders of the studio glass art movement. Singletary went on to drop out of Lincoln High School to pursue a music career during the day and a watchman at the Pike Place Market’s hot shop Glass Eye Studio by night, at Dante’s recommendation. He soon joined the studio’s production team, producing glass art alongside the Marionis.
“I wasn’t masterful with [blown glass] from the beginning, but, you know, it was just the repetition,” he said. “Over time, just making simple things, I was able to become really consistent.”
At the core of all of his work is his multiracial upbringing, the muse of his art.
“There’s a lot of commonalities there between my Tlingit culture and Filipino culture, because it’s all about family, it’s all about eating food, and all that stuff,” Singletary said. “Music is a big part of both cultures, too.”
For his contributions to the arts, to the region, and to multiple cultures, Singletary was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame in the current Northwest Class.
“I was really excited to receive the nomination,” Singletary said. “It’s a nice dual recognition, honoring both my Filipino heritage and my Native heritage, which is really special.”
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