Events for March 2017

Paul Havas: A Life of Painting honors the forty-year career of an artist known for his large-scale landscapes and cityscapes. Born, raised, and educated on the East Coast, Paul Havas (1940-2012) came to the Northwest for graduate school at the University of Washington and ultimately became one of the major painters of the region. A studio in the Collins Building in Seattle in the 1970s introduced Havas to a community of artists and inspiration that stayed with him throughout his prolific career. For a decade, he had a studio and home on Fir Island in Skagit Valley, and his paintings reflected the wide expanses of farmland, river, and sky distinct to that area. After he moved back to Seattle in 1983, Havas created a series of paintings set in the city: night scenes of buildings and empty streets; daytime panoramas that incorporated the angles and geometry of the city plan; and tall, narrow paintings capturing glimpses of urban vistas. Nature was always an inspiration, and Havas made many trips into the mountains to fish, hike, and climb. Additionally, Havas and fellow artist Clayton James made numerous extended trips, searching out painting sites along the back roads of eastern Washington, Oregon, and the Pacific Coast. Beneath it all, Havas had a deep knowledge of European and American art, and his travels outside of the Northwest and early teaching positions informed his painting as much as his immediate surroundings. His final series of paintings, set in the coastal area near Willapa Bay, distill the essence of land and water and architecture, a culmination of decades-long devotion to painting, to capturing light, and to conveying a sense of place.
 
In conjunction with MoNA's exhibition, the book titled Paul Havas has been published by Lucia|Marquand and is being distributed by University of Washington Press. With an introduction by longtime former Seattle gallery owner Francine Seders and a comprehensive essay by art critic Matthew Kangas, the book informs our exhibition, with groupings of paintings by theme: farmland, city, geology, wetlands, islands, and coast. Early works, sketches, and notebooks augment the paintings on view, and provide a closer, deeper look at a painter whose work transcended the landscapes he portrayed.

In the second floor galleries this winter, Indigenous Influences is an exhibition curated by Regan Shrumm, through the Dana and Toni Ann Rust Curatorial Fellowship at MoNA. The exhibition looks at works from MoNA’s permanent collection that are influenced by Pacific Northwest Indigenous communities.
 
Known as the ‘Mystics,’ Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, and Guy Anderson sought to create art that consciously responded to the world around them, including referencing the local regional landscape and cultures. These artists began to collect Native American art, visit local Indigenous ceremonies, and befriend anthropologists, all of which made a major impact on the artists’ styles, colors, and spiritual outlooks. However, the influence of style came at a cost to the local Indigenous nations. The exhibition examines the problematics and complexities of the artworks adopting Indigenous styles.

This winter in the Benaroya Glass Gallery, we feature selections of glass from the permanent collection with an emphasis on continuum – of the medium of glass, of the continuity of forms, and of tradition through to innovation. The exhibit, titled Continuum: Glass from the Permanent Collection, will feature a variety of techniques for working with the medium of glass, including lampworking and stained glass. Artists exhibited include Dale Chihuly, Doris Chase, James Minson, Rick Decker, and Lisa Zerkowitz. Visitors will be able to observe themes that have persisted in glass as well as the transformation of the medium through innovation and new techniques. 

Voices del Valle has been a unique exhibit for the museum. We continue with a special exhibit in the  North Wing Gallery as these stories become part of our permanent exhibit.

NOW EXTENDED THROUGH OCTOBER 8th!!! 
Featured exhibit on loan from the Washington State Secretary of State's office. The exhibit is a collection of stories that take you around the globe to crucial battles on foreign soil, to German concentration camps and the American home front.
​Also connect on a local level with The Skagit Home Front!

Event Details are coming soon!    

Part of Christianson's 11th Annual Winter Festival!

Explore the fascinating and intriguing fields of engineering, math, science and technology during a full day of GEMS Academy. Students will explore hands-on STEM activities in Western's Science Resource Center and other lab spaces across campus with Western professors, students and professionals in the STEM fields.

This "Humanities Washington" speakers bureau presentation sponsored by the La Conner Library Foundation. Experience the images, radio and film that emerged from this dramatic time in US history. Audio historian John Jensen shares rarely known stories and anecdotes from Hollywood's war effort.

Coinciding with the Museum's World War II exhibit and the La Conner Daffodil Festival.
​Clear your dance card and join us for dinner, live music and dancing! Featuring entertainment by Dina Blade and Singin' in  the Rain.
​Costumes Encouraged (and there will be prizes...)

Join us for the second presentation by David Lukov on the Trends of Christianity in America. Last year David presented the first in a series of three parts, and it was extremely educational. David is an engaging speaker and this will be a popular event.

View the spring line, shop late and enjoy cupcakes and tea!    

As part of the 3rd Annual La Conner Daffodil Festival
More details coming soon...

Join us for the 4th annual talent show! Local talent will strut their stuff for bragging rights, and a nice cash prize! Be prepared to see magicians, singers, musical performances. And afterwards, join us for the Ice Cream Social. Free event, but a $5 donation towards the Inn's 2017 Walk for Alzheimer's would be appreciated!

The Masterpiece Concert, Saturday, March 18th at 7:30pm features the outstanding young violinist, Sarah Hall who returns to the Skagit Symphony for the performance of Bruch’s lyrical Violin Concerto No. 1, Mozart’s dramatic La Clemensa di Tito Overture, and Beethoven’s youthful, enegetic Symphony No. 1. The evening will resonate with inspired music. Tickets available through McIntyre Hall Box Office (360) 416-7727.

Please note date change from March 18th!

Join Skagit Land Trust for their annual auction & dinner on Saturday, March 25th from 5pm-9pm at the WA Walton Event Center at the Swinomish Lodge in Anacortes. Festivities include live music, champagne welcome, appetizers, Northwest inspired buffet dinner, and a dessert auction. All proceeds from the evening benefit local land conservation and stewardship efforts. The evening will include a special 25th Anniversary presentation. Come see what Skagit Land Trust has accomplished in the past 25 years, and learn about the Trust’s plans for the future.