Alex Katz: Theater and Dance examines one of the most celebrated collaborations in postmodern dance—a six-decade partnership between painter Alex Katz and choreographer Paul Taylor. In the spirit of this creative synergy, we’re thrilled to present a dynamic dialogue highlighting some of Seattle’s most innovative artistic partnerships at the intersection of art and dance.

Renowned glass artist Preston Singletary and Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal will discuss their recent collaboration to reimagine the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty in a Pacific Northwest setting. They will be joined by Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey of zoe I juniper, a Seattle-based choreographer and visual artist duo acclaimed for blurring the boundaries between performance, dance, and contemporary art.

Moderated by Public Programs Manager Anna Buxton, this inspiring conversation will delve into the symbiotic relationship between art and movement, uncovering how artists specializing in these distinctive forms of expression complement—or challenge—each other in the creative process.

About the Panelists

Preston Singletary’s glass sculptures deal with themes of Tlingit mythology and traditional designs, while also using music to shape his contemporary perspective of Native culture. Singletary started blowing glass at the Glass Eye Studio in Seattle, WA in 1982, where he grew up and continues to work and live. He developed his skills as a production glass maker and attended the Pilchuck Glass School. 

Now recognized internationally, Singletary’s works are included in the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), the Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, WA), the Ethnographic Museum (Stockholm, Sweden), and the National Museum of The American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC), among others. 

Peter Boal began studying ballet at the School of American Ballet at the age of nine and became a member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet in 1983, where he was later promoted to a principal dancer. He was featured in many performances, including George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon), Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering and Opus 19/The Dreamer, and Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels.

After a 22-year career with the company, he retired to become the Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and a full-time faculty member at the School of American Ballet. In 2003, he founded Peter Boal and Company, a critically acclaimed chamber ensemble. 

Zoe Scofield, a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow, is a dance and visual artist based in Seattle. She began ballet at a young age in Gainesville, GA, cultivating a deep love and interest in structure, discipline and performances’ ability to create a transformative experience. Zoe attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Boston, MA and performed with Prometheus Dance in Boston and Atlas Moves in Toronto, Canada. She later earned an MFA in dance from the University of the Arts. She was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Fellowship and President's Award from University of the Arts, and The Stranger Genius Award, among others.

Juniper Shuey is a visual artist originally from California and based in Seattle since 1997. He began his studies in set and lighting design at Emerson College in Boston before transferring to the University of Washington to focus on ceramics. There, he explored the intersection of clay and performance, ultimately incorporating video projection into his work as a sculptural element. 

Juniper received the Curators Choice Award at Tacoma Art Museum’s Northwest Biennial in 2004 and has exhibited both nationally and internationally in venues across Italy, Hungary, New Zealand, and the United States. His art has been featured in publications such as SOIL Artist, Lava, and Fashion is ART. 

In 2004, Scofield and Shuey co-founded the dance and visual art company zoe I juniper. Their collaborative work has been commissioned and presented by numerous national and international art centers, including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, On the Boards, the Met Museum, and the Frye Art Museum.