featured exhibitions
Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea
ends: August 21, 2022
Ideas about the American West, both in popular culture and in commonly accepted historical narratives, are often based on a past that never was, and fail to take into account […]
Not One of the Boys: The Psychedelic Posters of Bonnie MacLean
ends: November 20, 2022
Bonnie MacLean was just fine with designing handbills and taking tickets at her husband’s music venue, The Fillmore. But a falling out between husband Bill Graham and poster artist Wes […]
The Scene: A Journey Through Bellingham’s Musical Past
ends: November 20, 2022
From string bands on steamboats in the 1890s to alternative/indie rock bands today, for more than 100 years Bellingham’s music scene has embraced genres ranging from folk to classical to […]
additional exhibitions
All is Not Lost
ends: December 31, 2022
Hundreds of glass negatives have been donated to the Whatcom Museum, often arriving in a damaged condition after decades of poor storage and rough handling. The pictures in this exhibition […]
Doorways: Photographs by Jac Trautman
ends: August 21, 2022
We are thrilled to bring back the photography of Seattle artist Jac Trautman, a member of the Duwamish Tribe. In 2021, Trautman presented a series of seven photographs taken as […]
permanent exhibitions
Catalog of Past Exhibitions
The Whatcom Museum was established as a municipal entity in 1944 (then known as the Bellingham Public Museum), operating out of the 1892 Old City Hall building. The year 1968 […]
History Exhibits at Old City Hall
Ongoing; Old City Hall The Museum’s 1892 Old City Hall building features a variety of exhibits that tell the stories of the building’s architecture, the city’s early days, logging history, […]
John M. Edson Hall of Birds
Opened March 16, 2017; Ongoing; Old City Hall This exhibit in Old City Hall provides a glimpse into the local history and culture of the Victorian Era, when taxidermy flourished […]
People of the Sea and Cedar: A Journey Through the Tribal Cultures and History of the Northwest Coast
Ongoing, Lightcatcher People of the Sea and Cedar, in the second floor gallery of the Lightcatcher building, shares the history and art of the Northwest Coast people, blending both historical […]
