Jansen Art Center Launches New Regional Hub for Darkroom and Digital Photography
A professionally equipped photography studio offers access to analog, hybrid, and digital processes for photographers of all levels.
The Jansen Art Center today announced the opening of a new lens arts studio, called the Center for Lens Arts at The J. The professionally equipped darkroom and photography studio will be one of the few publicly accessible darkrooms in Washington state and a new creative home for photographers throughout Whatcom County and the Northwest.
The new studio welcomes photographers of all backgrounds to explore the full spectrum of lens arts, from digital to darkroom, through educational excellence, world-class facilities, and scholarship opportunities that ensure cost is never a barrier to participation.
“We are responding to a renewed national interest in film photography and the lack of access to community darkrooms,” said Jansen Art Center Executive Director Cluny Madison.
The new studio welcomes community participation and enhances the region's reputation as a cultural tourism destination. Fully donor-funded at launch, the studio offers foundational classes, open-studio access, digital-negative workflows, advanced workshops, and opportunities to learn from local and nationally recognized photographers. Classes, workshops and monthly meetups begin in February.
Three northwest artists, Jay Tyrrell, Alan Sanders, and Doug Ethridge, shaped the studio’s development, bringing combined decades of teaching, darkroom experience, and creative innovation. Their vision honors the tactile craft of analog processes and the creative possibilities of digital photography, while fostering innovation through hybrid techniques that bridge both worlds.
“It’s exciting to see people discover, return to, or advance their passion for photography," said Jansen Art Center Executive Director Cluny Madison. "The studio is a new opportunity for creativity, belonging, and artistic growth."
About the Jansen Art Center
The Jansen Art Center is a multidisciplinary arts organization in Lynden, Washington, offering year-round exhibitions, music and theater performances, workshops, and classes that support creative learning and artistic practice for all ages. The beautifully restored historic building includes 17,500 square feet of well-equipped studios for ceramics, textiles, jewelry, painting, music, and lens-based arts.
