Did you know that even though La Conner is a very small town, it has three nationally-known, highly respected museums? Did you know that all three museums regularly bring in exhibits that rival many big-city museum exhibits? If you’re not yet familiar with the museum scene in La Conner, we’d like to invite you to spend some time touring our museums – and their ever-evolving and revolving exhibits.

Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum

In 1997, quilter and La Conner resident Rita Hupy founded the La Conner Quilt Museum on the second floor of the historic Gaches Mansion. Rita was just one of a growing community of quilters who were seeking a space in which to display their work and the works of other quilters from across the United States and beyond. By early 2005, the Museum had hosted over 64 exhibits of work from regional, national and internationally-known quilters and fiber artists, and by 2008 – as one of only 14 quilt museums in the entire country – the Museum had become a significant contributor to the preservation of quilt and textile art.  Today, we have a new name The “Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum”, the permanent collection includes quilts and textiles ranging in age from 1820 to Contemporary works.

Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA)

The Museum of Northwest Art strives to collect, preserve, and interpret the art of the Northwest, with a growing collection of art including more than 2,500 contemporary art objects from the early 1900s to the present day. Noted artists include Mark Tobey, Guy Anderson, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, Hilda Morris, George Tsutakawa, Richard Gilkey, Leo Kenney, Doris Chase, Paul Horiuchi, Ambrose Patterson, Viola Patterson, Neil Meitzler, Frank Okada, Clayton James, Philip McCracken, Dale Chihuly, Mary Randlett, Max Benjamin, Jay Steensma, William Slater, and Sonja Blomdahl. Numerous younger or emerging artists are also part of the collection, including Jeff Crandall, Jeremy Lepisto, Kevin Quinn, Joe Rossano, and Lisa Zerkowitz.

Skagit County Historical Museum

Explore Skagit County’s rich and rugged heritage by touring our two permanent exhibit spaces filled with scenes of early Skagit life from the mountains to the sea. From parlors to plows, Native American baskets to toys, the Museum galleries are overflowing with interesting and often unusual treasures of Skagit County’s vibrant past. Experience the uniqueness of life in Skagit County through adult education programs like “Skagit Topics.” This program features local historians and guest speakers. Children’s programs include docented Museum tours, Pioneer Days at the historic Skagit City School and History Trunks filled with artifacts and activities. Come celebrate Skagit History “at the Top of the Hill”.

 

Museums

 
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