At a time when art criticism and art historical discourse have evaporated and almost dried up from the cultural landscape of the Pacific Northwest, the MoNA Journal of Northwest Art was born with the outspoken goal of fostering discussion, scholarship and appreciation of NW art.

The Journal embraces a wide variety of themes and methodologies — including examinations of individual artists and artworks, explorations of the sociological, psychological and cultural contexts within which the art of the Pacific Northwest has been created, as well as projects that situate that work in national and global art historical dialogues — through short essays, interviews and conversations with artists, curators and museum professionals. As a forum for critical discourse, the Journal focuses on the contemporary and historical sensibilities that define the present moment for art in the Pacific Northwest.