Preston Singletary of Seattle spent years studying and participating at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. “Through teaching and collaborating in glass with other Native American, Maori, Hawaiian, and Australian Aboriginal artists, I've come to see that glass brings another dimension to indigenous art,” he said. “The artistic perspective of indigenous people reflects a unique vital visual language that has connections to the ancient codes and symbols of the land, and this interaction has informed and inspired my own work.”

He has had exhibits throughout the country including the Traver Gallery, Seattle; Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Ontario. 

“Preston Singletary has consistently explored new avenues of inquiry in the context of traditional native Northwest Coast art and the medium of glass,” said ACC Awards Committee Member Tina Oldknow. “He does not just copy the designs of ancient objects and then execute them in glass. Rather, he has used ancient traditions to inform his art at the most basic level, and through this investigation of the ancient and living Tlingit culture that is part of his personal history, he has transformed himself.”