Beginning May 6, Blue Rain Gallery will present a three-day pop-up show presenting the work of Preston Singletary. The show will celebrate the recent opening of the glass artist’s traveling museum exhibition, Raven and the Box of Daylight, now open at the National Museum of the American Indian in nearby Washington, D.C.
Off to the Spirit World, blown and sand-carved glass, 22¾ x 20 x 6"
The exhibition “tells the Tlingit origin story of Raven and his transformation of the world—bringing light to people via the stars, moon and sun,” Singletary writes. “Raven leads visitors on a fantastical journey through the transformation of darkness into light.
Preston Singletary in his studio. Photo credit Russell Johnson, 2013.
Passing Between Realms, blown and sand-carved glass, 19¾ x 9 x 10"
The story unfolds as visitors move through the exhibition’s four environments, while listening to recordings of storytellers paired with layers of original music and coastal Pacific Northwest soundscapes. The exhibition has been praised for its theatrical atmosphere and arresting narrative. Raven and the Box of Daylight previously opened at the Museum of Glass, the organizing institution, and the Wichita Art Museum. It will run at the National Museum of the American Indian until January 2023 and then conclude at the Chrysler Museum of Art.
Supernatural Killer Whale, blown and sand-carved glass
Blue Rain’s support of the show “is a testament to the gallery’s support and commitment to Singletary,” the gallery notes. “However, the gallery is no stranger to such travelling events and undertakings. In the early days of Blue Rain Gallery, owner Leroy Garcia identified a handful of cities throughout the U.S. to target for travelling exhibitions. Cities such as Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Chicago, San Francisco and Palm Springs became destinations for the gallery to rent convention centers or hotel ballrooms with the purpose of producing ‘road shows’ for the gallery. Garcia and his team would pack several Penske trucks and trailers full of artwork, pedestals for display and fabricated walls that Garcia often built ahead of time himself with the purpose of creating dynamic presentations to ‘wow the crowd.’”
Two Ravens, cast lead crystal, 36 x 10"
The pop-up show is also a way of celebrating glass art, which Blue Rain has supported for more than 25 years. Today, the gallery in Santa Fe is known as a destination for art glass, including works by Native American glassblowers and glass artists.
The pop-up show runs through May 8 at the Rosemont Room at the Alexandrian Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia.
Alexandrian Hotel
May 6-8, 2022
480 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
(505) 954-9902, www.blueraingallery.com
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