MoNA holds big celebration for sapphire anniversary
By Luisa Loi
La Conner Community News
The Museum of Northwest Art is celebrating 45 years of supporting and sharing Pacific Northwest art with the community.
For this occasion, the museum turned its yearly Artist Party into the Prelude Party, inviting the public to attend for the first time and enjoy cake, refreshments and art while mingling with many of the artists who contributed a total of 250 pieces of various art media to support MoNA’s fundraising efforts that keep the museum free to visitors.
The Prelude Party was held last Friday, kicking off the silent auction that ends at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 31. Anyone wishing to take home a PNW masterpiece or simply admire the collection can visit the catalog in person at the museum or at e.givesmart.com/events/Okf/i/ , where they can also place their bids at any time of the day.
According to Katie Patterson-Hulett, MoNA’s director of development and communication, the museum received over 600 submissions from artists across the PNW region. Among the 250 artists who made the cut, 15 names are from La Conner, according to Veronica Velazquez-Aviles, membership and development coordinator.
Partygoers also voted for their favorite artist, with the most outstanding creator, Kathleen Faulkner, winning the $1,000 Visionary Award. MoNA also awarded a $500 award to Patty Haller, an artist chosen by Christian Waguespack, director of Curatorial Affairs and curator of Northwest Art at MoNA.
Those who didn’t get a chance to party Friday can still join the second part of the celebration, MoNA XLV: Sapphire Dream, on Saturday, May 30.
The Sapphire Dream party — which was named after the gemstone for 45-year anniversaries — starts at MoNA, with the doors opening at 4 p.m.. Guests can admire over 200 artworks while enjoying oysters, appetizers, drinks and live music. At 5:15, the party will move to Maple Hall to place their bids in a live auction before a three-course dinner is served at 6. Those who can’t attend in person can bid on the live auction items by filling out a form at monamuseum.org/proxy-bidding
From 4 to 5 p.m. on May 30, Sapphire guests can also purchase Golden Tickets for a chance to take home any live auction item they want that is valued $7,000 and under before the live auction begins. Guests must be present in order to win.
Last month, MoNA’s cultural impact was recognized with a $75,000 grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art, which will allow the museum to hire two guest curators and set up an advisory committee to identify any gaps in Indigenous representation in the collections, Patterson-Hulett said.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
