La Conner's MoNA finds new director close to home

A new executive director with strong ties to the region will take the helm at La Conner's Museum of Northwest Art March 3. Kris Molesworth, former executive director of Northwest Bookfest and a Skagit Valley resident, has accepted the job.

She succeeds Susan Parke, who led the fledgling museum in its transition from a few rooms in a Victorian house to its spacious downtown storefront facility. Parke announced in October that she would be stepping down from her post to assume the job of curator.

Founded in 1981, the Museum of Northwest Art is the only museum devoted exclusively to art of the Pacific Northwest.

Board chair Dick Albrecht said that the museum conducted a national search for a new director but found the right person for the job close to home.

"She writes very well and presented herself well," he said, adding that Molesworth is also a seasoned fund-raiser with lots of experience leading nonprofit organizations.

In addition to her tenure with Northwest Bookfest, Molesworth served as public-information director at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon and director of development at North Cascades Institute, an environmental-education organization in Sedro-Woolley. She has a bachelor of fine arts degree from Pacific Lutheran University and is a practicing artist.

Both Albrecht and Molesworth say that one of the museum's priorities is to continue working toward MoNA's accreditation by the Association of American Museums.

That means installing climate-control systems and meeting standards for properly displaying and storing artworks.

"It's definitely a priority," Molesworth said.

— Sheila Farr, The Seattle Times