July 26, 2023
Summer Exhibitions at the Whatcom Museum Feature Coastal Landscape Paintings, Site-Specific Installation, Still-Life Photos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2023; Bellingham, WA— This summer, three new exhibitions are opening at the Whatcom Museum’s Lightcatcher building. The shows will feature both traditional painting techniques, as well as contemporary expressions in a variety of media. “Coastal Views: California and the Pacific Northwest,” “Susan Murrell: Sift / Shift,” and “Let It Shine: Photographs by Mina Afshari” will all be on display June 24 – October 29, 2023.  Coastal Views....more

July 26, 2023
Whatcom Museum Opens New Historical Exhibit at Old City Hall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bellingham, WA, May 27, 2023—The Whatcom Museum is excited to open a new exhibit at Old City Hall highlighting The Mount Baker Marathon. On Thursday, August 9, 1911, as the hour of 10:00pm fast approached, twenty-thousand spectators swarmed the streets of Bellingham to witness fourteen contestants embark on the first recorded mountain adventure race in American history. Competitors raced from the bay city at outrageous speeds aboard stripped-down automobiles and an old....more

July 26, 2023
Tickets on Sale for the Whatcom Museum History Sunset Cruises

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bellingham, WA, June 1, 2023—The Whatcom Museum is excited to host its annual History Sunset Cruises this summer. Partnering with San Juan Cruises for tour operation, the weekly cruises will take place Tuesdays, July 11 – September 12, 6 – 8pm Tickets go on sale Thursday, June 1, 2023. The Museum’s popular summer cruises take locals and visitors aboard the 100-foot Victoria Star tour boat. Participants get great close-up views of parks, businesses,....more

March 6, 2023
Bellingham National Juried Art Exhibition Returns to the Museum with the theme of Healing and Repair

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bellingham, WA, March 3, 2023—The Whatcom Museum will present the fourth biennial “Bellingham National” in the fall of 2023. This juried art exhibition and awards will take place at the Museum’s Lightcatcher building and will open to the public Sun., Nov. 12. Grace Kook-Anderson, the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum, is the guest juror for this exhibition titled “Acts of Healing and Repair.” The show will....more
Large panel of silk organza with print of branches and leaves in black, light blue, red, orange, and other colors

December 16, 2022
Contemporary Interpretations of a Traditional Japanese Artform Highlighted in Spring Exhibition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bellingham, WA, December 15, 2022—Presenting contemporary visions of a unique and historically significant Japanese textile-dyeing process, the exhibition Katazome Today: Migrations of a Japanese Art will be on exhibit at the Whatcom Museum’s Lightcatcher building, Feb. 11 through June 11, 2023. Co-curated by Seiko A. Purdue, Professor in Fibers/Fabrics at Western Washington University and Amy Chaloupka, Curator of Art at the Whatcom Museum, the exhibition will....more
Christmas trees decorated with an assortment of items

November 8, 2022
Beloved Holiday Tradition, Deck the Old City Hall, Returns this Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bellingham, WA, Nov. 1, 2022—The holidays return at the Whatcom Museum with Deck the Old City Hall, a beloved tradition and community event. Beginning Friday, Nov. 25, the community can enjoy a variety of themed, decorated trees in the Rotunda Room, weekly craft-making activities and dazzling decor in our historic building. Visitors can get into the holiday spirit at Old City Hall Wednesdays through Sundays from Nov. 25 to Dec. 31, noon-5:00 p.m. “The Whatcom....more