The Whatcom Museum announces the latest in a series of high-profile openings in 2025 with Bellingham artists Garth Amundson and Pierre Gour’s new exhibition, Not the Whole Picture. Partners in art and in life, Amundson and Gour’s work explores the perceptions and politics surrounding immigration, concepts of home, and queer identity. The exhibition opens March 22 and runs through July 27, 2025.
The comprehensive museum exhibition surveys both collaboratively produced works as well as individual artistic explorations in sculpture, collage, and painting. Many of the works also draw from the artists’ extensive photographic archive: in addition to exploring their own family photo albums, they have been intently collecting vintage photographs from thrift stores, both here and abroad, for decades. Most of the images they have gravitated to have been faces of men, unknown to them, from antique Victorian studio portraits to midcentury Kodachromes.
“Vintage photographs are a primary raw material for Amundson and Gour. Using craft and collage processes, they recontextualize these images, embedding new narratives into them to comment on gay invisibility and reveal hidden histories. While their work has received broad audience and critical acclaim for the way the artists transform materials, it nevertheless stands in defiance of society’s erasure of queer culture,” said Whatcom Museum Chief Curator Amy Chaloupka.
Amundson and Gour began their collaborative art careers in the mid-’80s, at a time when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak and queer culture was suppressed and stigmatized. As partners in a committed relationship for decades, they were unable to claim the same legal rights afforded to heterosexuals, an obstacle made more complex once their union was legally recognized in Canada but not in the United States, where they live. Photo-documentation became a way for them to process the world around them.
Anchoring the exhibition is an ambitious photography installation called Not the Whole Picture, which gives the exhibition its name. Culled from 40 years of partnership, images reflect their home life, their relationships, their past, and their personal collections.
The installation presents groupings of more than a dozen large-scale, mandala-like circular forms, ranging in size from 6 to 15 feet in diameter. With radiating rings of hand-stitched 4 x 6-inch photographs, the circular shapes explore the universality of everyday snapshots of events large and small—from birthdays to travels, pets loved and lost, sunsets and celebrations to the intimate moments of a couple’s life together. The photographic rings explore the rituals of everyday life.
Inviting members of the community into their process, the artists asked for donated images to create a new piece for Not the Whole Picture. Amundson and Gour received more than 800 photographs, which they have turned into a stunning reflection of the many faces and places of Bellingham. This work will become part of the museum’s permanent collection after the run of the exhibition.
As Professors of Art at Western Washington University, Amundson and Gour prioritized student involvement in both the exhibition and the design and production of the catalogue, echoing the Whatcom Museum’s commitment to collaboration with students, educators, and artists. Professor Evan Baden and lead designer Abigail Piña of COMPOSIT Press, a student-staffed printing press and bindery at Oregon State University, oversaw the process of hand-assembling the limited-edition exhibition catalogue, which includes an essay by cultural critic and author Mark Dery. Exhibition catalogues will be available for purchase at the Whatcom Museum Store.
“After exhibiting our work in venues around the world, it is rewarding to show at our own Whatcom Museum in Bellingham,” said Garth Amundson. “It’s an honor to collaborate with a space that celebrates creativity, values diversity, and fosters meaningful connections. After living here for nearly 25 years, this exhibition brings our art closer to our home and community.”
Upcoming Events at the Whatcom Museum in Support of Not the Whole Picture:
Member Preview Reception
Friday, March 21, 5 – 7 pm
Must be a Whatcom Museum member to attend.
Photo Transfer Workshop
April 26, 1 – 4 pm
Join artists Garth Amundson and Pierre Gour as they share a variety of techniques for creating and using acrylic gel medium transfers. Add your transfers to paintings, photo collages, or have them stand on their own.
Artful Pairings: Cocktails and Collage
Thursday, May 15, 6 – 8 pm
Craft a collage of personal photographs as you learn about the history of collage with exhibition artists Garth Amundson and Pierre Gour while enjoying a handcrafted local cocktail.
Tickets on sale soon.
Access for All Free First Friday: Not the Whole Picture
Friday, June 6, 12 – 9 pm
Join us at the museum for art activities, pop-up artist tours, and performances inspired by the collections and artwork of Garth Amundson and Pierre Gour.
Free admission, free programming, and extended hours!
Gel Medium Transfer and Collage Workshop
Saturday, July 12, 1 – 4 pm
Stitch and glue a custom photo collage and learn about acrylic gel medium transfers as artists Garth Amundson and Pierre Gour guide you through the processes they use in their work and exhibition.
Tickets on sale soon.
Dinner & Curator Tours of Not the Whole Picture
Wednesday March 26, May 21 & June 25, 5:30 – 8 pm
Enjoy wine and a three-course Italian meal at Bar Cicotti, then join Whatcom Museum Chief Curator Amy Chaloupka for an evening exhibition tour.
Curator Tours of Not the Whole Picture
Friday, April 18, May 16 & June 13, 1 – 2 pm
Whatcom Museum Chief Curator Amy Chaloupka explores the artists' process and vision during an afternoon exhibition tour.
Included with museum admission.
About the Whatcom Museum
The Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA, is an American Alliance of Museums-accredited Museum and a Smithsonian Affiliate. Notable projects have included the 2019 retrospective exhibition WANTED: Ed Bereal for Disturbing the Peace, featured in The New York Times; the co-curated exhibition Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea, on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., in 2023; and Verdant: French Masterworks from the National Gallery of Art.
The Whatcom Museum spans three buildings in downtown Bellingham: the Lightcatcher, Old City Hall, and Old Fire Station No. 1. For more information about exhibitions and admission, visit whatcommuseum.org.
