First curator of MoNA dies at 88

Barbara Straker James, a notable painter and the first curator of the Museum of Northwest Art, died Thursday in La Conner, Skagit County, at the home she and her husband, the esteemed sculptor Clayton James, had shared since 1953.

She was 88 and had been suffering from Parkinson's disease. It had been less than five years since she retired from her job as chief curator at MoNA.

An early associate of Morris Graves, Guy Anderson and other key figures of Northwest art, Mrs. James quit painting in 1962 but continued to shape this region's art history through her work as a curator and writer. A strong, stoic presence, she was known for her encyclopedic knowledge of the early local art scene, as well as a stubborn streak about what she would — or wouldn't — divulge to others.

Susan Parke, who was hired as director at MoNA in 1990 and is now retired, credits Mrs. James for educating her about Northwest art history. The two became close friends, and Parke invited Mrs. James to begin selecting and organizing exhibitions. Starting as a volunteer in 1991, Mrs. James finally joined the museum's payroll in 1995.

Many of the museum's most important shows stemmed from Mrs. James' knowledge and connections, including painting retrospectives by Guy Anderson and Leo Kenney. (I wrote the exhibition catalog for the Kenney show at her request.) She was also involved in planning for the traveling exhibition "Morris Graves: Early Work."

Parke said that Mrs. James was especially proud of her work on the Anderson retrospective and at having "scooped Seattle Art Museum in celebrating her old friend's 90th birthday." The SAM retrospective opened after MoNA's and borrowed some of the same paintings.

Mrs. James was born Barbara Straker in Massachusetts in 1918 and attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where she met fellow art student Clayton James.

They married in 1944 in Oregon (where Clayton, a conscientious objector, was stationed at Camp Angel in Waldport). The Jameses came to Washington state in 1945 to visit Morris Graves at his studio, The Rock, near Deception Pass, and soon bought property near Graves. In 1953, the Jameses rented a La Conner house previously occupied by painter Richard Gilkey, Parke said. They eventually bought the house and never moved.

Mrs. James had some notable quirks. She hated to speak in public, usually delegating the curator's introductory lecture to others.

And there were some subjects she wouldn't discuss with anyone, setting her mouth and going silent if asked. Parke said that despite their many years of close friendship and working together, Mrs. James would never tell her why she had quit painting. In the 1950s and '60s, her work was exhibited at the Henry Art Gallery invitational, Seattle Art Museum's Northwest Annuals and other venues.

In recent years, there's been a renewed appreciation for Mrs. James' early work. A show of her paintings is currently on view at the Lucia Douglas Gallery in Bellingham.

Mrs. James asked that there be no memorial service. She is survived by her husband. Donations can be made to the Barbara Straker James endowment fund at the Museum of Northwest Art.

Sheila Farr: sfarr@seattletimes.com