City of Hope: Resurrection City & the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign
October 1, 2019 - January 5, 2020; Lightcatcher 2nd Floor Hallway
City of Hope: Resurrection City and the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daring vision for economic justice and opportunity for every U.S. citizen. The poster exhibition examines the Poor People’s Campaign — a grassroots, multiracial movement that drew thousands of people to Washington, D.C. For 43 days between May and […]
WANTED: Ed Bereal for Disturbing the Peace
September 7, 2019 - January 5, 2020; Lightcatcher building
Curated by Amy Chaloupka, Curator of Art The Whatcom Museum is proud to present the work of Bellingham-based artist Ed Bereal for his first museum retrospective, Wanted: Ed Bereal for Disturbing the Peace, which chronicles the full scope of the artist’s diverse practice. Born in Los Angeles in 1937 and raised in Riverside, California, Bereal […]
docent tours
Take a docent-led tour beginning Sat., Sept. 14 and learn more about the artist and his works featured in WANTED: Ed Bereal for Disturbing the Peace. Our trained docents will provide insight into his works, as well as discuss Bereal’s background. Tours begin in the lobby of the Lightcatcher and last one hour.
partners
Art, Politics, and Community
A Conversation Inspired by Ed Bereal’s Work
Saturday, Sept. 21, 4 – 5:30pm
Free with ticket
Old City Hall | 121 Prospect St.
Join the Whatcom Museum and the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center for an exciting and collaborative conversation inspired by the exhibition Wanted: Ed Bereal for Disturbing the Peace. Community leaders, including WWU Political Science Professor Vernon Damani Johnson and Bellingham Chief of Police David Doll, will join artist Ed Bereal in leading participants in round-table discussions focused around art, politics, and their impacts in our community. Participants will break out into smaller groups allowing for constructive conversation that promotes tolerance, respect, and nonviolent communication. Ticket information coming soon.
Image credit: Ed Bereal; Untitled (preparatory sketch), c. 1989; Oil and mixed media on board; 14 × 17 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Whatcom Artist Studio Tour 2019 Showcase
August 3 - October 13, 2019; Old City Hall
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour. Each year the two-weekend event offers visitors insight into the creative process, work-life, and work-environment of nearly 40 artists. For the third year, the Museum will provide a showcase of select artworks from several participating Studio Tour artists. Artists include: Don Anderson, Suzanne […]
In the Spirit of the People: Native Contemporary Artists
August 2019 - February 2020; Lightcatcher building
In the Spirit of the People: Native Contemporary Artists features works by Native American artists in the Museum’s gallery and public spaces on a rotating basis. The series is meant to highlight outstanding contemporary Native artwork and allow the Museum to work more closely with members of area tribes. Works in the series may also […]
Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century
June 1 – August 25, 2019; Lightcatcher building
June 1 – August 25, 2019; Lightcatcher building
Curated by Riane Menardi Morrison, Alissa Haight Carlton, and Heather Grant of the Modern Quilt Guild
Modern quilts are utilitarian art. They tell stories. They are graphic, improvisational, or minimalist. They break the rules. They make a statement. Modern quilts are creative expressions made with needle and thread, fabric, and time, expressing today’s aesthetic through a generations-old traditional craft. Modern quilters respect the rich tradition of quilts throughout history, recognizing that they are makers in a lineage that stretches back centuries.
docent tours
Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays beginning June 1, 1:30-2:30 PM.
Tours begin in the lobby of the Lightcatcher, last one hour, and are included with admission/free to members.
partners
1889: Blazes, Rails, and the Year of Statehood
April 20 - July 21, 2019; Old City Hall
A year of big dreams, big burns, and big politics, 1889 captured a place in our history as a time of great prosperity and adversity. The face of Washington changed. Pioneers arrived, and townsfolk rebuilt from the rubble. Finally, on November 11, 1889, Washington rose as the 42nd state in the union. This exhibit from […]
Firsts in Flight: A Hidden History
April 13 – August 4, 2019; Old City Hall
Take a “timeline tour” outlining the significant contributions made by women and African Americans – particularly by African American women – to our country’s history of aviation and space flight. Meet pioneer aviator Bessie Coleman, who in 1921, became the first African American woman to earn her pilot’s license. And before her, in 1911 Harriet […]
All Is Not Lost: Images Salvaged from Damaged Glass Negatives
April 3 - September 1, 2019; Lightcatcher 2nd Floor Hallway
Hundreds of glass negatives have been donated to the Whatcom Museum over the years, many arriving in damaged condition after decades of poor storage and rough handling. The pictures in this exhibition are derived from time-ravaged Silver Gelatin Dry Plate Negatives and will feature their accumulated scratches, cracks, lost corners, mold stains and water damage. […]
Bellingham National 2019—Water’s Edge: Landscapes for Today
February 2 – May 19, 2019; Lightcatcher building
Juried by Bruce Guenther, Adjunct Curator for Special Exhibitions at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
The Whatcom Museum is hosting the third biennial Bellingham National 2019 Juried Art Exhibition and Awards. Juried by Bruce Guenther, Adjunct Curator for Special Exhibitions at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, the theme of the exhibition is Water’s Edge: Landscapes for Today. Guenther selected artwork submitted by artists from across the United States that represents an investigation of contemporary art practices, and addresses our understandings of the Earth, climate change, and the evolving relationships of humanity to Nature. Works range from traditional interpretations of the observed landscape to the metaphoric and spiritual manifestations of the landscape through image, color, language, and mapping of our felt responses to Nature and the world. The top three artists, chosen by the juror, received cash awards at the opening reception, and the exhibition includes a “People’s Choice” award, based on the public’s vote for their favorite piece.
Juror’s Choice Award Winners:
1st place: Philip Govedare; Artifact; Oil on canvas
2nd place: Natalie Niblack; Watershed; Oil on canvas
3rd place: Patti Bowman; Wave 1; Encaustic on panel
docent tours
Take a docent-led tour Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 1:30pm to learn more about the artists and artwork chosen for Bellingham National 2019 Juried Art Exhibition & Awards. Our trained docents will provide insight into the theme of the exhibition, as well as the background behind some of guest juror Bruce Guenther’s selections for the exhibition. Tours start in the lobby of the Lightcatcher building, last one hour, and are included with admission.
Washington Remembers WWII: Their Sacrifice. Our Freedom.
January 19 – April 14, 2019; Old City Hall
Before they liberated concentration camps or freed countries from tyranny, men and women in uniform fought enemy forces everywhere — in factories on the Washington home front and on beaches abroad. They braved the unknown, lived through the unthinkable, and changed who we are. “I’ve had a wonderful life. … I would go through it […]
