Programming for adults and kids available throughout the exhibition
OKLAHOMA CITY (November 3, 2023) – A robust programming schedule will accompany the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s (OKCMOA) upcoming special exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight. The exhibition, organized by the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington and Preston Singletary, will be presented by The Chickasaw Nation and on view from Saturday, November 11, through Sunday, April 28, 2024, in the third-floor galleries of the Museum.
“Our full lineup of opening week events, tours, classes, and the next in our Book Club series aims to increase our community’s connection to this extraordinary immersive exhibition,” said Bryon Chambers, head of education.
Singletary’s work fuses time-honored glassblowing traditions with Pacific Northwest Indigenous art to honor his ancestral Tlingit heritage, a tribe in southern Alaska. Tlingit (KLING-kit) culture and oral tradition have a rich history of pairing objects with foundational stories and histories of tribal families. By drawing upon this method of visual storytelling, Singletary’s art creates a theatrical atmosphere in which each object follows and enhances the narrative.
Don’t miss the chance to be among the very first to experience this extraordinary exhibition as a Museum member or attend one of the events thoughtfully organized by the Museum team. Below is a schedule of OKCMOA’s Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight-related programming.
SUSTAINERS’ PREVIEW
Wednesday, November 8 | 5-8 p.m.
Exclusive to Sustainer-level members and sponsors
Sustainer members and exhibition sponsors are invited to join Preston Singletary (Tlingit) in an intimate conversation about his artistic work, cultural influences, and the exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight. Through dozens of glass sculptures, projections, and sound, the exhibition presents a Tlingit origin story of Raven, passed down from generation to generation through storytelling traditions, and how the light was brought to the world by releasing the stars, moon, and sun.
Friday, November 10 | 10 a.m-8 p.m.
Members’ Preview Day
OKCMOA members are welcome to preview the new exhibition between 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday, November 10. Click here to reserve members-only daytime preview tickets before the exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, November 11.
Gather with OKCMOA members to celebrate the opening of Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight later that evening with entertainment, drinks, light bites, and a conversation with artist Preston Singletary (Tlingit) and curator Miranda Belarde-Lewis, PhD (Zuni/Tlingit) about the exhibition.
5 p.m. | Celebration Begins
Gather with members in the Museum Lobby for festivities and light bites by Kam’s Kookery
6 p.m. | Conversation with Artist and Curator
Seating for the lecture in the Noble Theater is first-come, first-served
8 p.m. | All Galleries Close
Free for OKCMOA members and $37.95+tax for non-members.
To learn more about Museum membership levels, visit okcmoa.com/membership and join today!
INTRODUCTION TO GLASSBLOWING (ADULTS)
November 11 | 9 am-12 pm
November 25 | 9 am-12 pm
December 23 | 9 am-12 pm
January 20 | 9 am-12 pm
$145 members/$165 non-members per workshop
Instructor: Andrew Boatman
Location: Blue Sage Studios, 1218 N. Western Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73106
These workshops introduce students to the fundamentals of working with hot glass, focusing on safety, basic forms and manipulation, and movement around the hot shop. Additionally, all students will get access to a staff-led public exhibition tour at OKCMOA that will focus on the history and impact of studio glass. Registration is limited to 3 students per workshop. Please email nsimms@okcmoa.com to add your name to the waiting list in the event the workshop sells out.
The workshops will take place at Blue Sage Studios, located at 1218 N. Western Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73106. Please arrive 10-15 minutes early.
DROP-IN ART: CREATE A STORYTELLING JOURNAL
November 18 | 11 am-4 pm
Artists often create works of art as a method of visual storytelling. Discover how artist Preston Singletary explores storytelling throughout the multi-sensory exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight and join us in the studio as we use a variety of materials and assembling processes to make our own storytelling journals.
PUBLIC EXHIBITION TOURS: STUDIO GLASS
$25 members/$35 non-members
These staff-guided tours will provide conversation-based insights and close-looking experiences throughout Chihuly Then and Now: The Collection at Twenty, Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight, and more!
OKCMOA BOOK CLUB
January 11 | 5:30-7pm
The OKCMOA Book Club encourages Museum visitors to engage with major special exhibitions by reading and discussing a specially selected book with OKCMOA educator Tori Waldron.
The next meeting of the OKCMOA Book Club will feature a guided discussion of Fusion Notes by Preston Singletary in Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight. Each meeting of the book club begins with refreshments, including snacks and a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Then book club members will partake in a guided discussion of the book and displayed art in the galleries of the museum.
About the Book:
“Fusion Notes, a visual memoir, is a loosely thematic dive into Preston Singletary’s life and artistic practices. The title of this book speaks to Singletary’s multi-faceted spirit, Tlingit background, and enduring love for music and the medium of glass.”
OKCMOA will continue to create programming during the length of the exhibition. To remain up to date, please visit okcmoa.com/events, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, or connect on the Museum’s social channels @OKCMOA.
