Given the unconventional nature and scale of the problems we face today—warming continents, fluctuating economies, enormous cities—there is much to be gained from collaborations that bridge the best talents in both art and science. Artists and scientists are the ones who help bring problems and solutions front and center and inspire us to care and consider answers that resonate with our values. Art and science are both representations of the pinnacle of human evolution and are imperative for human survival. Science can prove truths to us, while only art can make us feel them.

Heald’s pièce de résistance

Charles Laurens (Larry) Heald (1940-2019) painted In the Rockies, acrylic on canvas, over a period of two years, 1984-1986. In the Rockies is organized according to the four cardinal directions and spans an improbable 360-degree, or full panoramic, view: left to right, we are presented with a sequence of lakes dressed in skirts of vivid green (west), craggy peaks engulfed by a snow storm and deep dark valleys cut through barren mountain sides (north), a window over plains with lakes lining up as they recede in the distance (east) and as we reach the other end of the painting what appears to be a mountain pass dotted by myriad outcropping red rocks (south). In addition, as we move along the image, the landscape seamlessly registers distance either as close-up views, or as vistas from afar, or finally as a picture captured at quite close range. I should have shared upfront that this is not your typical landscape painting. Heald painted In the Rockies as an opera in four movements: the 16 panels were composed four at a time, using the fourth of the previous set as the starting point for the next set of four. Stretched over 16 canvases, 72" x 42" each, In the Rockies is 56 feet long.

Susan Parke served as MoNA's Executive Director from 1990 to 2007, beginning her tenure while the Museum was still in La Conner's Gaches Mansion. Susan was instrumental in both the acquisition and subsequent move to the current location on First Street. During her time at MoNA, she provided outstanding leadership and was instrumental in expanding the Museum's collection, programming, and community outreach initiatives. Her legacy will continue to inspire and shape the Northwest arts community for years to come.

The word “art” is derived from an ancient Indo-European word that means “to fit together” suggesting that art is about fitting words, images, objects, processes, and thoughts together. Arranging the order of things and the effect of optics and physiology in art have contributed to a better understanding of how we see and learn. The nature and quality of art education is changing. The next Outside In Gallery exhibition “Aprendiendo el lenguaje del arte: Exhibición de arte de los estudiantes de MoNA Link / Learning the Language of Art: MoNA Link Student Art Exhibition” (February 18th through May 14) will be a celebration of the learning and accomplishments of the K-12 students and teachers that participated in the MoNA Link program in 2022-23.

The Museum of Northwest Art is honored to share this powerful short film about its exhibition: Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls: Honoring Our Stolen Sisters, on view at MoNA in the Outside In Gallery through February 5, 2023. The film vividly captures images of the artwork in the exhibition while recording the voices of native poets and interviews with the co-curators Patricia Christine Aqiimuk Paul, Esq. and Candice Wilson ~ Quatz’tenaut. The Museum of Northwest Art is grateful to the generous sponsors who made the exhibition and film possible and Burn the Box team for filming and producing it!

The Outside In Gallery is a dedicated space to include and represent the voices in our community. This space is comparatively small, and yet Migrant Youth / Chicana Perspectives: Living in Multiple Spaces reaches the goal to expand it, both in-depth and breadth, as it turns it into an emotional journey of self-discovery, representation, and empowerment.

Learn more about this exhibition with our Executive Director, Stefano Catalani, and join him as he interviews photographer Marilyn Montúfar, who connected, mentored, and photographed the youth represented in this exhibition.

By Nicolette Harrington, MoNA Link Coordinator

The interdependence of words and images is the most powerful force of intellectual and emotional development we have. When you join words and images, a deeper meaning is possible. The arts can provide ways to build perception, confidence, and strength when the visual helps students acquire language skills.

Learn more about our current exhibition A Precarious Edge, as Stefano Catalani, MoNA's Executive Director, interviews the artists behind the work.