Singletary's installation, however, was directly inspired by the architectural setting of William Traver's interior gallery. An accomplished musican, Singletary has a keen sense of environment and ambience. In light of this, he feels that the references to the cultural context of the individual pieces help deliver some often invisible aspects of their meanings. The Potlach is a site where cultural traditions as well as serious cultural politics are celebrated and often renegotiated. The Totems of a given person, family or clan are displayed, bestowed and even exchanged at a Potlach.
Totems are images with authority.
Singletary's images pertain to the Totem of his family, his clan, and his tribe's cosmology. Whereas many artists have presented totemic imagery of the Northwest as mysterious, Singletary delivers the clarity and intelligence of a spiritually venerable craft.