Raven Returns: A Presentation and Tour by Preston Singletary

In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, please join Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary for an afternoon filled with insight into his incredible artwork and collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Garth Stein, who is also of Tlingit ancestry. The program will begin with a presentation by Singletary in the Aviation Museum and Library and then proceed across the International Terminal Main Hall for an artist-led tour of the exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven Visits SFO.

“After Raven released the daylight and brought order to the world (in the old stories) he returns after a long absence. He sees how the world has changed. He starts to discuss these changes with different animals, Land Otters, Killer Whales, Bears and humans, asking pertinent questions about Climate change, Residential school history, missing and murdered Indigenous women as he tries to influence and affect change in the world as it is today.” —Preston Singletary

About the Exhibition
Preston Singletary (b. 1963) combines imagery, forms, and storytelling from his Tlingit heritage and culture with modern studio glass—fusing Indigenous traditions with contemporary art. By reinterpreting Tlingit design and mythology, Singletary’s work is both inspiring and cautionary, reminding us of humankind’s place in the world and the consequences of modernization on our cultures and the environment. Singletary also validates the significance of Indigenous art: “my work challenges the notion that Native artists must only use traditional materials. By embracing glass as a storytelling medium, I seek to affirm our presence and identity, reinforcing that Indigenous cultures are dynamic, evolving, and rooted in resilience.” Preston Singletary: Raven Visits SFO features examples of his recent work, some of it on view for the first time. The project is from a series of new exhibitions that incorporate narrative text by Garth Stein (b. 1964).

VIEW THE EXHIBITION
The exhibition and presentation are located pre-security in the Mayor Edwin M. Lee International Departures Hall, Level 3, San Francisco International Airport International Terminal. The exhibition is on view to all Airport visitors from June 21, 2025 – January 30, 2028. There is no charge to view the special program on November 9, 2026, or the ongoing exhibition.

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Raven’s World 2025

Preston Singletary (b. 1963)

blown and sand-carved glass

Courtesy of the artist

L2025.0601.009