The Museum of Northwest Art on first Street is brimming with newly opened exhibits and they are free.

“Silva Cascadia: Under the Spell of the Forest” features noteworthy Northwest women artists whose works center around the fecund dialogue with trees and forests, rippling out in themes that encompass science and environmentalism, history, art practice, and spiritualism.

The art includes two- and three-dimensional works by Northwest women artists inspired by forests and trees.

The artists: Maria Cristalli, Linda Davidson, Kathleen Faulkner, Patty Haller, Laura Hamje, Hart James, Claire Johnson, Donna Leavitt, Karen Lené Rudd, Juliet Shen, Kimberly Trowbridge, and Suze Woolf. Kathleen Garrett is the guest curator.

“My Roots: Honoring the Cultural Identity of Skagit Valley’s Under-Resourced Children” at the Outside In Gallery, offers pieces from Children of the Valley students. Each year, COV children explore their identity and culture through various forms of art. The project “My Roots” offer the opportunity for each child to explore, connect with, and honor their unique background.

Children start their project by exploring who they are through writing a poem titled “I Am,” which encourages each child to self-reflect on their identity. Taking inspiration from their poem, each child then paints a self-portrait or a scene on canvas depicting their background.

“At the Seam: The Museum of Northwest Art’s Permanent Collection,” is an ongoing engagement with the collection as the place of contact of the many artistic identities of the region. The exhibition asks to look not only at the individual works but also at the “seams,” where works representing different artistic trends and cultural identities come in touch with each other. When they come in contact with each other, these works tell stories of coexistence, contrast, and difference within the social fabric of the Northwest region, past and present.

All run through May 12.

Source: MoNA