MoNA Link:
Learning Through the Arts

About MoNA Link

MoNA Link provides comprehensive art education for students from Pre-K to High school, in school districts throughout Skagit, Whatcom and Island Counties. The program has a strong focus on art integration across curriculum and includes three components:

1. Museum educators visit classrooms to model collaborative teaching that links museum exhibitions, art skills, and grade-level curriculum, aligning with state learning standards.

2. Students are invited to visit MoNA two times a year to see new exhibitions, learn art techniques, and develop the skills to speak and write about art with confidence. One of these needs to be an in-person field trip to MoNA and the other can be a “Mobile Museum” visit in which MoNA staff visits the classroom and leads a discussion and hands-on project based on the current exhibition.

3. MoNA Link teachers participate in a one-year professional development program covering visual art concepts, hands-on art making, Visual Thinking Strategies and an overview of Northwest art. 

Clock Hours

Teachers can earn approximately 42 clock hours over the one-year program. Each Summer Institute offers 21 hours and the three full-day trainings are seven hours each, for a total of 21 more by the end of one school year. Teachers are responsible for paying for their own clock hours unless they receive a scholarship.

Application

View the 2025-26 MoNA Link Flyer and click below to apply! Applications close June 1, 2025

MoNA Link Testimonials:

“As a part of the MoNA Link program I learned many valuable teaching practices. The one that I use on a daily basis is the Visual Thinking Strategies protocol. This teaching strategy helps students to use descriptive language, look for evidence and think critically about art, math and all subject areas…Being a part of the MoNA Link program also supported my class in gaining access to a field trip to the museum. Working in a low income school this program was able to provide valuable experiences for our students by building their background experience of what a museum is and learning that looking at art is accessible to all!”

-MoNA Link Graduate

“The Mount Vernon School District has, for many years, had a strong partnership with MoNA due to the incredible programs for our students and staff related to the arts. As a district with a significant number of low income families, MoNA is often the first in-depth experience these students have to explore the arts.”

-Superintendent

“From day one of the program, we were immersed in opportunities to create, reflect, learn new techniques, and explore opportunities for applying the skills we'd learned into our own educational contexts. Throughout my two years in the program, my students were treated to several museum visits, and visits from Museum staff to our classroom, exposing them to art ways they otherwise may not have had access to. I was also able to learn new ways to apply artistic concepts and techniques to various interdisciplinary subjects, further broadening my own skill set. My experience in the MoNA Link program was extremely positive, and I look back on that time fondly.”

-MoNA Link Graduate

“The partnership between B-ESD and MoNA creates a transformative synergy, merging our mission to educate each student for lifelong success with MoNA's dedication to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting Pacific Northwest art. Together, we empower students through rich, artistic experiences, fostering a lifelong appreciation for creativity and cultural heritage.”

- Assistant Superintendent

More on MoNA Link:

Impact & Research

Since 2003, the program has served over 9,985 students and provided training for 202 teachers (updated May 2024) in the school districts of Anacortes, Bellingham, Burlington-Edison, Concrete, La Conner, Mount Vernon, Mount Baker, Sedro-Woolley and Stanwood-Camano. The program encourages children to become confident communicators, engaged listeners, active observers, and creative problem solvers. MoNA Link builds vital skills for today’s students and educators.

MoNA Link utilizes Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a research-based teaching method that improves critical thinking, language and observation skills through discussion of visual art. According to the VTS organization: “Research has documented a strong relationship between the VTS program and students' academic achievement in math, science, and language arts.” Download an overview of selected studies from 1998 to 2003.

Child Protection Policy

MoNA requires that minors participating in MoNA Link, Early Enrichment, and other events or programs are to be accompanied at all times by an adult or a school-designated representative when at the museum. 

Thank you to our supporters of the Education Program: