Barbara Straker James (1918-2007) was an American artist. She was the curator of the Museum of Northwest Art from 1991 to 2002. [1]
Born Barbara Straker in Massachusetts in 1918, she graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1942. [2] In 1944 she left the East Coast with her husband and fellow RISD Art student Clayton James and relocated to La Conner, Washington. [1] She and her husband worked with fellow "Northwest School" artists Guy Anderson, Morris Graves, and Kenneth Callahan. [3] Barbara Straker James was part of a larger group of Skagit Valley artists who have been recognized in recent years. [4]