LA CONNER — The Museum of Northwest Art’s annual fundraising auction always has offered a wide variety of art.

And most recently, it seems that a largely unappreciated artform — wearable art — has finally come into its own, said Greg Robinson, museum executive director.

Wearable textiles and especially jewelry are attracting more attention and buyers than ever before, he said.

“Jewelry art is an important part of the Northwest contemporary art world, and it doesn’t always get the attention that it deserves,” Robinson said.

This year’s show and auction, scheduled for Saturday, June 20, includes plenty of interesting jewelry from a variety of Pacific Northwest artists, including Carole Cunningham, Debbie Aldrich, Irene Embrey, Jane Penman, Jane Fleshman and Anacortes’ Kathleen Faulkner.

But people who aren’t into jewelry can choose from other kinds of art at the auction, from ceramics, glass and woodworking to metalworks, batik, prints, paintings, photography, mixed media and more.

Besides being the museum’s biggest fundraising event — netting about $200,000 and adding up to about 25 percent of the museum’s annual operating budget — the event has been billed as one of the biggest public shows with exclusively Northwest art.

More than 350 pieces of art are up for sale for an event that typically attracts about 400 people, Robinson said.

The 17th annual auction kicks off with a public viewing from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, and continues Saturday with a public showing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by the silent auction at 5 p.m. and the live auction at 7:15 p.m.

When it comes to jewelry, Faulkner’s “New Growth” hand-fabricated sterling silver necklace will be up for bid, with a value of $700.

The soldered piece is indicative of Faulkner’s organic style, which often takes its inspiration from nature — small leaves on trees, or rocks off the beach.

Faulkner agreed with Robinson that jewelry making has long been shuffled to the sidelines in the art world.

“When I went to art school, you didn’t mention the ‘C’ word — ‘craft,’ because there was a big distinction between fine art and craft,” Faulkner said. “It was a strong prejudice, but that’s changing.”

The Puget Sound area always has been supported by a strong jewelry-making community, Faulkner said. The University of Washington offered a solid jewelry program for years, and several metal workers’ guilds continue to support dozens of skilled jewelry artisans.

Faulkner’s works have been shown for the past 15 years in galleries and exhibitions throughout Oregon and Washington.

The 58-year-old Faulkner said she’s always been artistic. She earned her degree in sculpture in the 1970s from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, but didn’t pursue her artistic passion as a possible career until 20 years later.

She began with paintings, carefully defining her own style.

Then by chance in 1991, while she was working as a deckhand on the Guemes Ferry, Faulkner was joking with a passenger she knew who was a jewelry artist.

“I said, ‘You need someone to help you with your jewelry,’” Faulkner said with a laugh. “She said, ‘You’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.’”

Faulkner wasn’t at all convinced she could handle making jewelry.

“I thought it was going to be so hard, because it’s so exact and so left-brained — and I’m not a left-brained person,” she said.

So she worked as an apprentice to jewelry artist Lois Bertolino of Guemes Island for five years, learning the basics of the craft and the overlay process, before embarking on her own.

What Faulkner most enjoys about jewelry making is the process — not so much the finished product. Through the years, she’s toyed with the design process, sometimes sketching out a blueprint, and other times relying on the materials to guide a design.

She typically uses silver for her jewelry, but incorporates other materials, including stones and other items found on the beaches around Anacortes, such as old asphalt, pottery shards, glass and gaskets.

Most recently she’s concentrated on melding drawings and paintings with her jewelry. She’s also working on jewelry shadowboxes that include artistic brooches or other jewelry.

The shadowboxes are Faulkner’s way of providing a different kind of jewelry art than her competition.

Despite the slumping economy, Faulkner said she’s still selling plenty of her jewelry.

Like Faulkner, Robinson said the museum is doing well, despite the recent recession. Its budget is holding steady, although the museum board did set a more conservative budget for this year, Robinson said.

The museum also has cut back its hours on Sundays and Mondays, staying open from noon to 5 p.m. instead of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. But Sundays and Mondays always have been slow, so most people don’t notice much difference, Robinson said.

In addition, the museum managed to raise about $200,000 for needed building improvements that already have been completed. That means the museum doesn’t have to spend much money on any big maintenance projects, he said.

“We’re actually about where we expected to be with our budget,” Robinson said, but added, “A lot depends on the success of this auction.”

WANT TO GO?

What: Museum of Northwest Art’s 17th annual Art Auction

When: Public viewing noon to 5 p.m. Friday, June 19, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 20. Doors open and the silent auction begins at 5 p.m. Saturday, with the live auction at 7:15 p.m.

Hors d’oeuvres will be served during the silent auction; a box supper and desserts will be served at the live auction. Beer, wine and no-host cocktails will be available throughout the event.

Where: Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner.

Cost: $95 for the auction.

Tickets: 360-466-4446, ext. 109, or http://www.museumofnwart.org/index?page=auction

Beverly Crichfield can be reached at 360-416-2135 or .