A gallery at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner

Museum of Northwest Art

Photo: Ruby Koa via Google Maps

The Museum of Northwest Art, better known as MoNA, sits on First Street in downtown La Conner and is devoted to one idea: the art of the Pacific Northwest. Its mission is to collect, preserve, interpret and exhibit art created in this region, support the artists who make it, and bring art into the lives of all people.

The museum was created in part to honor the Northwest School, the regional movement that flourished in the middle of the twentieth century around painters such as Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Guy Anderson and Kenneth Callahan. Today it shows that heritage alongside the work of living Northwest artists, which makes it a natural stop on any Skagit Valley day trip.

What You’ll See

MoNA is a changing exhibition museum more than a fixed gallery. Two floors of galleries host a rotation of shows by Northwest artists, past and present, so what is on the walls depends on when you visit. Behind those shows is a permanent collection the museum describes as small but fine.

  • The permanent collection. As of 2009 the museum counted about 2,500 works, including paintings, sculpture, glass and works on paper.
  • Northwest School roots. The collection is rich in work by the movement’s “Big Four,” Tobey, Graves, Anderson and Callahan, and the museum has exhibited artists such as George Tsutakawa, Clayton James, Philip McCracken, Mary Randlett, Paul Havas, and glass artists Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora Mace.
  • A rediscovered mural. The collection includes William Cumming’s 1941 Farm Shop mural, painted for Burlington High School and showing Skagit Valley farm life: felling timber, baling hay, milking cows and picking berries. It spent decades forgotten in a barn before it was recognized in 2014 and restored. It is not always on view, so ask if you hope to see it.

The Story Behind It

MoNA opened on October 3, 1981, as the Valley Museum of Northwest Art, the vision of La Conner photographer Art Hupy. For its first 14 years it lived on the second floor of the historic Gaches Mansion in La Conner.

In 1995 the museum acquired a 12,000 square foot commercial building downtown, had it redesigned by the Henry Klein Partnership, and opened its new home in October 1995, 14 years to the day after the original museum got its start.

Tips for Your Visit

  • Park in the free garage beneath the museum, entered from Second Street. Accessible parking is across the street on First Street.
  • The museum is wheelchair accessible, with a ramp, automatic doors and an elevator to the second floor galleries. Wheelchairs are available on request, and there is seating throughout the galleries.
  • Signage is in English, Spanish and Lushootseed. Only service animals are allowed inside.
  • Exhibitions change through the year and the museum posts temporary gallery closures on its website, so check what is on before you go.
  • Planning a school or youth group visit? Those tours must be scheduled at least two months in advance.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 121 S 1st St, La Conner, WA 98257
Phone: 360.466.4446
Website: monamuseum.org
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps