Welcome to the MoNA Journal of Northwest Art!
At a time when art criticism and art historical discourse have nearly evaporated 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 Northwest art.
The Journal embraces a wide range of themes and methodologies — including examinations of individual artists and artworks; explorations of the sociological, psychological, and cultural contexts in which art of the Pacific Northwest has been created; and projects that situate the work within 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.
Director’s Notes: Chance, Encounters
At the end of 2025, MoNA was gifted two glass artworks made by Japanese artists Kazuo Kadonaga and Etsuko Ichikawa. Kadonaga’s Glass no.6, 2010-2012 (fig. 1) and Ichikawa’s Trace, 2014 (fig. 2) are displayed side by side in At the Seam: The Museum of Northwest Art’s Permanent Collection in the upstairs galleries. Kadonaga resides and works in Japan, however he has made work in the Pacific Northwest while teaching at Pilchuck Glass School as a visiting artist. On the other hand, Ichikawa has been a long-term resident of Seattle having moved to the Pacific Northwest more than 30 years ago to study at Pilchuck. It is not by chance that the two works are displayed side by side, though, as we will see, chance played a role in how each of the two works came to be.