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Raven Ladle
Raven Ladle

Raven Ladle

Artist Preston Singletary Tlingit, born 1963
Date2014
MediumBlown and sand-carved glass
Dimensionsheight, width, and depth: 16 × 6 3/4 × 20 in. (40.6 × 17.1 × 50.8cm)
(positioned with the bottom of the bowl placed flat on the table)
ClassificationsGlass
Credit LineGift of anonymous donors in honor of Valerie Hillings
Object number2024.4.1
On View
Not on view
Label TextSingletary’s glass sculptures such as Raven Ladle take on the forms of Northwest Native icons. Supernatural beings, animal spirits, transformation themes, and shamanism are among his many inspirations.

“The artistic perspective of Indigenous people reflects a unique and vital visual language which has connections to the ancient codes and symbols of the land, and this interaction has informed and inspired my own work,” the artist has said. “My work with glass transforms the notion that Native artists are only best when traditional materials are used. It has helped advocate on the behalf of all Indigenous people—affirming that we are still here—that we are declaring who we are through our art in connection to our culture.”
[L. Dougherty, 2024]
ProvenanceCreated by the artist, 2014; with Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA; sold to Mina Levin and Ronald Schwarz, Raleigh, NC, 2014; given to NCMA, 2024.Published ReferencesNancy Strickland Fields, Rose Simpson and Stephen Fadden, To Take Shape and Meaning: Form and Design in Contemporary American Indian Art (exhibition catalogue) (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2024), illus. (color) 144, 145 (detail), cited 176.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "To Take Shape and Meaning: Form and Design in Contemporary American Indian Art." March 2-July 28, 2024. Object Rights Statement

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