The artist Preston Singletary was inspired by YéilX’eenh (RavenScreen) , which hangs on the opposite wall. With this in mind, use the questions below to guide your looking by comparing and contrasting the two works of art.

Questions

How are these artworks similar? How are they different?

How are the materials the artists use different?

What could these continuities and departures tell us?

Some context for the artworks

YéilX’eenh (Raven Screen) is an interior house screen like those that can be found in the clan houses of the Tlingit tribal community. These screens separate the chief’s quarters from the rest of the clan house. The small hole in the middle of the screen acts as a portal that is used by the chief to make dramatic entrances when entertaining guests or at potlatches. The imagery on the screen depicts a family crest—in this case, it depicts Raven.

Hear Preston Singletary talk about the imagery in his work and how he uses the medium of glass to reconnect and reinterpret traditional Tlingit art and culture.

How to look at Coast Salish design elements

Both artists used formline design, a stylistic approach that serves as the foundation for designs by artists from central British Columbia to southeast Alaska. Objects like animals or people are depicted with one continuous outline, called a form line, and then filled with different shapes that represent anatomical details like eyes, wings and fins, thus creating positive and negative space within the delineated object.

Formline designs are typically made up of four basic shapes. See how many you can identify in both the contemporary artwork and the traditional artwork.

Activity

In addition to being a visual artist, Preston Singletary is a musician and member of Khu.éex’, an Indigenous band. The band focuses on bringing awareness to social issues affecting Indigenous communities and keeping tribal culture and endangered ancient languages alive through music, storytelling, and art.

Watch this video of Singletary describing how his glass art flows like music.

Listen to a Khu.éex’ song. As you listen, think about the story being told through the song and how this might be visually represented in Keet Shagoon.

A little about the technique we’re using

Compare and contrast questions like the ones above, are useful for comparing artworks that are similar, have shared artistic traditions, or artworks that are very different. These questions help viewers find the subtle differences or surprising similarities.