Collection

COLLECTIONS LIE AT THE HEART of a museum and distinguish them from other institutions. As the official museum for Whatcom County, and as a department of the City of Bellingham, The Whatcom Museum collections are truly your collections — we hold the heritage of this community in perpetual trust and connect the Museum to the art, culture, and history of the peoples of Northwest Washington State and the world community.

The Whatcom Museum acquires and preserve physical representations of Northwest Washington history and Northwest art, as well as related American art that has directly influenced the development of Northwest art. Collecting objects for historical and cultural significance has been the basis for considering additions to the History, Ethnology and Photo Archives Collections. And then there are the Birds. Explore this section to find out more about your collection, and then make a date to come see it!

Donating Artwork or Historic Materials to the Collection
Gifts of artwork and historic materials play an important role in helping the Museum expand its permanent collection. Objects offered for acquisition must be reviewed and approved by the Museum's Accessions Committee, which is charged with accepting only those items of historic or artistic significance in support of the Museum's mission.

To ensure that the Accessions Committee has sufficient information to properly evaluate your proposed donation, you should be prepared to submit the following information:
A photograph of the object
A brief description of the object, including dimensions
All available information on the age, history and origin of the object
Your name, address and phone number

Donations of tangible items may be tax deductible to the extent of the full fair market value of the objects donated. It is the sole responsibility of the prospective donor to provide Fair Market Valuation. The Museum is prohibited from providing a tax receipt for gifts of $5,000 or more without a formal written appraisal submitted by the prospective donor. If you are interested in making a gift of artwork or historic materials, please contact the development office at 360-778-8939.