• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Logo

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism

Travel, Hotel and Visitor Information

Bellingham Outdoors Animated Logo
  • Home
  • Places to Stay
    • Hotels / Resorts
    • Vacation Rentals / Bed & Breakfasts
    • Camping / RV Parks
    • Hotel Packages / Special Rates
    • Park n’ Fly Hotel Packages
  • Places to Eat
    • Restaurants
    • Craft Breweries
    • Wine, Spirits & Wineries
    • Coffee Shops & Sweets
  • Things to Do
    • Events Calendar
    • Annual Events
    • Agricultural
    • Attractions
    • Bicycling
    • Bird Watching
    • Cannabis
    • Casinos
    • Fishing
    • Golfing
    • Hiking
    • Itineraries
    • Museums & Galleries
    • Parks & Playgrounds
    • Running
    • Scenic Drives
    • Shopping
    • Snowsports
    • Spas & Health
    • Theaters & Music
    • Tours
    • Water Adventures
    • Summer Activities
    • Fall Activities
    • Winter Activities
    • Spring Activities
    • Whatcom Arts Project
  • Outdoors
    • Bicycling
    • Bird Watching
    • Fishing
    • Golfing
    • Hiking
    • Multisports
    • Parks & Playgrounds
    • Running
    • Scenic Drives
    • Snowsports
    • Water Adventures
  • Getting Here
    • Maps
    • Ground Transport
    • Air Transport
    • Water Transport
    • US/Canada Border
  • Blogs
  • Communities
    • Bellingham
    • Birch Bay
    • Blaine
    • Downtown Bellingham
    • Fairhaven Historic District
    • Ferndale
    • Lummi Island
    • Lynden
    • Mt. Baker
    • North Cascades
    • Point Roberts
    • Sumas
  • Media
    • Media Request Form
    • Articles & Coverage
    • Press Releases
    • Photo Contest
  • About Us
    • Contact
    • Weather
    • Request Information
    • Jobs & Volunteer
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Industry Resources
    • Membership
    • Member Directory
    • Services
      • Event Planning
      • Relocation
      • Business
      • Education
      • Financial
      • Medical
      • Out of Area
Whatcom Arts Project Banner
Home / Whatcom Arts Project

Whatcom Arts Project

Bellingham and Whatcom County deeply value togetherness. We believe in staying connected during this time of being apart. To achieve that goal, more than 30 performing and visual arts organizations have collaborated to form the Whatcom Arts Project — a campaign to inform, entertain, educate, inspire, collaborate, support, promote, and uplift each other daily and remain socially close while physically distanced.



We are banding together for the betterment of our community and also to keep the local arts alive, now and looking ahead to whatever the future holds. Learn with us, dance with us, sing with us, be creative with us, all in the comfort of your home.

See our daily content on Facebook: Whatcom Arts Project offering performances, classes, narratives, interactive tours and other arts experiences all online. A full calendar of events is below.


Whatcom Arts Project Calendar

Daytime Educational Content: March 1 – 7

Monday Music

  • Bellingham Symphony Orchestra – Elementary post at 8 a.m.
  • Jazz Center of Bellingham – Middle & High School post at 10 a.m.

Tuesday Visual Arts

  • Allied Arts of Whatcom County – Elementary post at 8 a.m.
  • Whatcom Museum – Middle & High School post at 10 a.m.

Wild Wednesday

  • Bellingham Repertory Dance – Elementary post at 8 a.m.

Thursday Theatre

  • Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY) – All ages

Friday Fun Day

  • Whatcom County Library System – Elementary post at 8 a.m.
  • Whatcom County Library System – Middle & High School post at 10 a.m.

Evening Date Night / Family Time Content: March 1 – 7

Monday, March 1: Bellingham Film

Thursday, March 4: Pickford Film Center

Friday, March 5: WWU Dance Center

Saturday, March 6: Make.Shift Live Stream

Sunday, March 7: Whatcom County Library System – Whatcom READS


Mural Artist Gretchen Leggitt

The beautiful mural art in our header is by local artist Gretchen Leggitt. From designs like this mural on the wall outside the Horseshoe Cafe to the largest mural in Washington State located on Puget Sound Energy’s building that spans the length of two football fields, Gretchen is leaving her mark on Bellingham and Washington State. Get to know her in this video:



More About Our Arts Partners

Allied Arts of Whatcom County

For 40 years, Allied Arts of Whatcom County has been a leader in fostering and supporting the local arts scene and serves more than 50,000 people annually. Allied Arts has improved the cultural health and vitality of our community through a variety of events involving visual artists and musicians, its sponsorship of exhibits and programs focused on local artists, its extensive arts education in local schools and its public advocacy for the arts.

Currently, Allied Arts is focused on developing and increasing collaborative relationships with local and regional organizations serving Whatcom County. 


Baker Creek Ceramic Studio

Baker Creek Studio is offering free clay sculpturing lessons throughout the month of April! They will even deliver free clay kits to your doorstep and will be providing a variety of classes to fit all ages. Class packets are also available for teachers.


Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth

BAAY Theatre is bringing creative writing classes, costume classes and new creative community activities right to you. Join in the celebration of imagination!

Founded in 2006, Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts education organization that offers quality instruction in theater, choir, dance, music, and visual arts to youth ages 3-17. The mission of BAAY is to enrich children’s lives through the exploration of the arts. Through BAAY’s programs, they create community and teach children confidence, character, and creativity. 


Bellingham Film

Bellingham Film is the film production central of Bellingham. They work to bring the Whatcom and Skagit County filmmaking community together for networking, education and promotion of this area and the Pacific Northwest as a filmmaking destination.



Bellingham Repertory Dance

Bellingham Repertory Dance (BRD) is a professional contemporary dance collective that began with its first fall performance in 2006, and is now producing two full-length concerts annually. Visit their website to check out their monthly artist spotlight!

BRD has provided educational opportunities by offering weekly dance technique classes, quarterly masterclasses with guest artists, annual youth outreach programs and rehearsals open for public viewing. To date, the company has worked with many regionally and nationally recognized choreographers and hopes to continue to bring great dance works to local and new audiences of contemporary dance.


Photo By Preston Hoffman

Bellingham Symphony Orchestra

Since the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra can’t perform at the concert hall, they have decided to share the music straight from their homes to yours. Each week, the BSO posts Learn At Home! activities and At Home with the BSO performances on their website and to social media as part of the Whatcom Arts Project. Watch this video to learn more about the BSO.



Bellingham Theatre Guild

Bellingham Theatre Guild, established in 1929, is a volunteer organization whose mission is to create theatrical experiences for everyone. BTG welcomes all that are willing to do the work: set builders, painters, actors, costumers, makeup artists, tickets, hospitality folks, greeters, ushers, house managers, trustees, officers, publicity folks. 

When this public health emergency ends, BTG will resume performances for the public monthly orientations for those interested in volunteering here.  Contact info@bellinghamtheatreguild.com for more. 


CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival

CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival is an award-winning multi-day annual curated film festival that showcases and celebrates exceptional films directed by women from around the world. In addition to screening the films, CASCADIA stages social and networking events, workshops, industry panels, educational forums and more during the festival.  


Party April14 89

Gallery Syre

Gallery Syre showcases the work of David Syre, An American artist and Whatcom County local, whose paintings, drawings and sculptures are inspired by travel and nature.


Jansen Art Center

The J’s historic building in downtown Lynden is home to 6 creative art studios, a 110 seat performance hall, 2 floors of exhibit space, the Firehall Cafe and Gallery Shop. The J provides participants with opportunities and encouragement to find their own creativity in a collaborative setting. 



Jazz Center of Bellingham

Jazz Center of Bellingham enriches and inspires our community through jazz, a celebration of humanity! We can’t wait to be with you again with live classes and concerts from our home in the Sylvia Center. Until then…on Mondays our Education Program faculty members offer video lessons and masterclasses for musicians in topics such as improvising, theory, and tune interpretation. On Wednesdays we share recordings from our concert series. Enjoy! The Jazz Center, a proud 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and education organization, is delighted to be a part of the Whatcom Arts Project.


Make.Shift Art Space

Make.Shift is a DIY art space, with four different arms of programming: we’re an art gallery, community radio station (94.9 KZAX), all-ages music venue, and we rent art studios and band practice spaces. And for everything that happens in-house, our policy is ‘no booze, no drugs, no jerks.’  Although lately, not much is happening in house but have no fear! Our Gallery has gone virtual and our KZAX broadcasters are still bringing you local tunes & talk! 


Mount Baker Theatre

The Mount Baker Theatre ignites the imagination of audiences of all ages by presenting national tours and regional acts to audiences from throughout the North Puget Sound region. The Theatre, beautifully restored to its original splendor, anchors the arts district, acts as a community gathering space, and provides economic impact through tourism.


Pickford Film Center

Along with 150 other independent cinemas across the country, Pickford Film Center has suspended its physical programming, but they’re still very much in the business of bringing you new movies!

Check out www.pickfordfilmcenter.org for new releases that you can stream from the comfort of your own home, knowing that up to 100% of your ticket price goes back to support the Pickford. In addition, the Pickford staff is curating a variety of film recommendation lists, keeping the spirit of their original genre Film Series alive through mailing lists and the Pickford website and pursuing other creative ways to continue Pickford’s education outreach and engage with our community and film.


Pickford Film Center Bellingham

Sylvia Center for the Arts

Unlocked from the iDiOM Theater archives, Sylvia Center for the Arts is bringing you BREAKING BREAD hosted by Julia LaFortune with live music from Ellie Gordon. It’s our fresh, live, local, true storytelling series. We open our doors, share our truth, and break bread with one another every other month. This episode is from the before times, before Sylvia opened its doors officially in the big space. The year is 2017. Six brave souls and one intrepid host bring their truth to the stage as they tell stories based on the theme “ALIEN.”



Uptown Art

Join Uptown Art for virtual classes with Facebook Live! No art experience required! For just $25 you can take home all the supplies you need to follow along and create a masterpiece in the comfort of your own home! Class remains accessible for 7 days after the start of the class.


Western Gallery

Take a virtual tour of the Western Gallery’s current exhibition or the Outdoor Sculpture Collection with Museum Educator Tami Landis. The Western Gallery will continue to create videos and digital content to help bring their art and galleries to you.


  • Western Washington University Sculptures Bellingham Whatcom9 50 1 50
  • Western Washington University Bellingham Whatcom County (11)
  • Western Washington University Sculptures Bellingham Whatcom5 50

Feats Of Strength

“Seeing these characters has reminded me of the momentous feats of strength and heroism that are being enacted every day by healthcare workers around the world. Please feel free to repost one of these images and thank, acknowledge or highlight someone who you feel deserves recognition for their selfless efforts to care for and protect our communities during this pandemic.” – Tami Landis


  • Photo Wwu Western Gallery Sculpture Tom Otterness Photo 2
  • Photo Wwu Western Gallery Sculpture Tom Otterness Photo 1
  • Photo Wwu Western Gallery Sculpture Tom Otterness Photo 4
  • Photo Wwu Outdoor Sculpture Tom Otterness Empty

To learn more about this specific work or to check out more creative lessons on Feats of Strength or other Western sculptures, visit westerngallery.wwu.edu


Whatcom Art Guild

Whatcom Art Guild is a non-profit organization, open to all, dedicated to advancing and promoting the visual arts in Whatcom County. It is the oldest continually operating art group in the county. The Guild sponsors two major fine art and/or craft shows annually. Also, spaces are available to members in local businesses to show and sell their work. The Guild sponsors workshops and other activities, including gallery visits, throughout the year. In addition, it cooperates with other art and craft organizations that are interested in promoting local artists and crafters.

To join the Whatcom Art Guild, complete the application form and send it with your dues to the Membership Chairperson.


Wag Logo 2020

Whatcom Art Market

The Whatcom Art Market is a co-op gallery exhibiting the work of over 45 local artists.  The Whatcom Art Market features paintings, photography, woodworking, glasswork, textiles, sculpture, jewelry, greeting cards, and more. As Bellingham’s largest cooperative art gallery, it provides a wide selection of art and gifts.


Wam Logo

Whatcom Museum

The Whatcom Museum, located in the heart of downtown Bellingham’s cultural district, offers a rich variety of programs and exhibitions about art, nature and Northwest history.



Although the campus is currently closed, the Museum is providing a variety of digital resources including an activity page for kids!

Learn more through these links: Facebook, Twitter, e-News sign-up, Family Interactive Gallery eNews sign-up and the Museum’s blog.


Whatcom Library System

Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) connects people with information, ideas and community. WCLS circulates more than 2 million items annually through 10 branches, the bookmobile, and a Library Express location on Northwest Drive.

Residents have access to WCLS’s rich collection of books in print and digital formats, music and movies, online digital services, inspiring events for every age, and public meeting spaces. Experience “The Power of Sharing” by visiting WCLS.org.


Whatcom Reads

Whatcom READS is an annual literary happening that invites Bellingham and Whatcom County neighbors to celebrate books by reading or listening to the same title. During the year, locals discuss the book and explore its themes at lively, public gatherings that lead up to the author’s visit and presentations in the spring. Whatcom READS – organized by all the public and academic libraries in Bellingham and Whatcom County and our community partner Village Books – is grateful for funding sponsors, Friends of Bellingham Public Library and Whatcom County Library Foundation, and for the generous support of numerous community collaborators. Visit whatcomreads.org.


90779150 117366313227372 6668514159623143424 O

Want more inside scoop on Bellingham and Whatcom County?

  • Creative Socially-Distant Arts and Entertainment in Bellingham and Whatcom County
  • Four Winter (and Early Spring) Hikes in Whatcom County
  • Retail Stores and Shops Still Open in Bellingham and Whatcom County
  • Restaurants Offering Take Out Food, Curbside Pickup and Delivery in Bellingham and Whatcom County

Whatcom Arts Project Resources

Locations
Whatcom Reads
5205 Northwest Drive, Bellingham, 98226
Visit Website

Whatcom READS is a county-wide program that encourages everyone to read and discuss the same book. It is organized by all the public and academic libraries in Bellingham and Whatcom County and our community partner, Village Books. 

Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Sylvia Center for the Arts
207 Prospect Street, Bellingham, 98225
Visit Website

Sylvia Center is a performing arts center in Bellingham, Washington. We provide affordable space for Whatcom County’s artists to rehearse, teach and perform, while also creating a central hub for arts audiences to discover and enjoy locally-created music, theater, and dance.

Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Bellingham Film
Bellingham
Visit Website

Bellingham Film was created on 2012 to bring the film community together in an effort to grow our local film industry. The film community of Bellingham and the surrounding area has grown dramatically since our start. With only a few production companies, we now represent a flourishing industry with a wide selection of production companies and DIY filmmakers. 

Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Allied Arts Whatcom County
Allied Arts of Whatcom County
1418 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham, 98225
1-360-676-8548
Visit Website

Dedicated to the arts in our region by empowering local artists through organized festivals and events, enriching our local school children through educational outreach programs, and working as a liaison to art enthusiasts of all ages

alliedarts@alliedarts.com
Categories:
Museums & Galleries, Whatcom Arts Project
Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth
1059 N State Street, Bellingham, 98225
1-360-306-8531
Visit Website

Founded in 2006, Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts education organization that offers quality instruction in theater, choir, dance, music, and visual arts to youth ages 3-17. 

Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Whatcom Library System
1-360-305-3600
Visit Website

Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) connects people with information, ideas and community. WCLS circulates more than 2 million items annually through 10 branches, the bookmobile, and a Library Express location on Northwest Drive.

Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Baker Creek Ceramic Studio
4058 Hammer Drive #105, Bellingham, 98226
1-360-393-5458
Visit Website

Deb McCunn opened Baker Creek Ceramic Studio in 2010 to offer quality classes and studio space for artists and students to improve their craft, develop innovative techniques and nurture their creativity to design and form high quality ceramic art. 

bakercreekceramics@gmail.com
Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Jazz Center of Bellingham
Visit Website

Jazz Center of Bellingham enriches and inspires our community through jazz, a celebration of humanity! We can’t wait to be with you again with live classes and concerts from our home in the Sylvia Center. Until then…on Mondays our Education Program faculty members offer video lessons and masterclasses for musicians in topics such as improvising, theory, and tune interpretation. On Wednesdays we share recordings from our concert series. Enjoy! 

info@jazzcenterofbellingham.org
Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Gallery Syre Bellingham
Gallery Syre
465 W Stuart Rd., Bellingham, 98226
1-360-746-8745
Visit Website

The exhibition features a selection of paintings, drawings and sculptures that spans David Syre’s artistic career so far, from one of his first works to the most recent large-scale canvases that show a complex mastery of painting techniques and visual translation of spiritual, personal and collective experiences.

info@davidsyreart.com
Categories:
Attractions & Entertainment, Museums & Galleries, Whatcom Arts Project
Bellingham Theatre Guild
Visit Website

Bellingham Theatre Guild, established in 1929, is a volunteer organization whose mission is to create theatrical experiences for everyone. BTG welcomes all that are willing to do the work: set builders, painters, actors, costumers, makeup artists, tickets, hospitality folks, greeters, ushers, house managers, trustees, officers, publicity folks. 

info@bellinghamtheatreguild.com
Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Western Washington University Bellingham
Western Gallery
Old Main 490, Bellingham
1-360-650-3900
Visit Website

The Western Gallery provides diverse experiences in the visual arts for its constituencies, encompassing the University community and region while providing a point of reference to the national and international art scene.

Categories:
Museums & Galleries, Whatcom Arts Project
Whatcom Museum Old City Hall Bellingham
Whatcom Museum - Old City Hall
121 Prospect Street, Bellingham, 98225
1-360-778-8930
Visit Website

The Whatcom Museum, located in the heart of downtown Bellingham’s cultural district, offers a rich variety of programs and exhibitions about art, nature, and Northwest history. Home to the Whatcom Museum since 1941, Old City Hall features history exhibits and the John M. Edson Hall of Birds.

museuminfo@cob.org
Categories:
Museums & Galleries, Whatcom Arts Project
Pickford Film Center Bellingham
Pickford Film Center
1318 Bay Street, Bellingham, 98225
1-360-738-0735
Visit Website

Fiercely independent and downright neighborly, Pickford Film Center offers an authentic, rich and uniquely Bellingham experience in a casual and friendly environment. Dedicated to showing the best in independent, foreign and documentary films, PFC programming brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate the joy of the moving image.

info@pickfordfilmcenter.org
Categories:
Theatres & Music, Whatcom Arts Project
Epson Mfp Image
Whatcom Art Market
1103 11th St, Bellingham, 98225
1-360-738-8564
Visit Website

We are composed of over 40 local artists & craftspeople, from watercolor & oil painters to wood & metal workers. Our photographers travel to bring you stunning images! We have artists creating jewelry & glass, handcrafted knits & textiles. Visit us Wednesday-Sunday 10:00-6:00.

FairhavenArtMarket@gmail.com
Categories:
Museums & Galleries, Whatcom Arts Project
Bellingham Repertory Dance
Visit Website

Bellingham Repertory Dance (BRD) is a professional contemporary dance collective that began with its first fall performance in 2006, and is now producing two full-length concerts annually. Visit their website to check out their monthly artist spotlight!

bhamrep@gmail.com
Categories:
Whatcom Arts Project
Cascadia International Film Festival Bellingham Wa
Cascadia International Women's Film Festival
1050 Larrabee Ave. Suite 104 #810, Bellingham, 98225
1-360-543-1049
1-877-405-3458
Visit Website

CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival presents an annual, four-day film festival in April dedicated to showcasing the exceptional films directed by women. The festival screens films, hosts educational panel discussions and Q&A sessions with directors and film industry professionals, presents a Script Studio and stages social events where filmmakers and audience members network. Other events during the year include a summer outdoor short film night.

info@cascadiafilmfest.org
Categories:
Attractions & Entertainment, Whatcom Arts Project
Whatcom Art Guild
Bellingham, 98225
1-360-738-8564
Categories:
Business Services, Organizations & Clubs, Whatcom Arts Project
Whatcom Museum Lightcatcher Bellingham
Whatcom Museum - Lightcatcher
250 Flora Street, Bellingham, 98225
1-360-778-8930
Visit Website

The Lightcatcher hosts a rotating schedule of art exhibitions throughout the year and houses the Family Interactive Gallery (FIG) and Museum Store. 

museuminfo@cob.org
Categories:
Museums & Galleries, Whatcom Arts Project
Whatcom Symphony Orchestra Bellingham
Bellingham Symphony Orchestra
201 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, 98227
1-360-756-6752
Visit Website

The community-based Whatcom Symphony Orchestra performs music of all ages for all ages in six concerts per season at the Mount Baker Theatre, featuring local musicians as well as nationally- & internationally-renowned guest artists. Tickets via the Mount Baker Theatre.

info@bellinghamsymphony.org
Categories:
Theatres & Music, Whatcom Arts Project
Jansen Art Center Lynden
Jansen Art Center
321 Front Street, Lynden, 98264
1-360-354-3600
Visit Website

The Jansen Art Center is a place for artists
to create, teach, share, and engage
the community in the arts.

info@jansenartcenter.org
Categories:
Meeting & Event Facilities, Museums & Galleries, Whatcom Arts Project

Footer

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
Visitor Center Located at I-5 Exit 253
904 Potter Street, Bellingham, WA 98229

Hours: Due to COVID-19, the Visitor Center is open limited hours: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10am-3pm. Masks required.

Phone: 360-671-3990
Email: tourism@bellingham.org

Join

Sign up to receive Bellingham Whatcom County events & information!

Share

site by highwaters.net