Whatcom Museum Names Jessica Borusky as New Executive Director
After an extensive nationwide search, the Whatcom Museum Foundation’s Board of Trustees has selected Jessica Borusky to be the Whatcom Museum’s new executive director, effective July 1, 2026. Director of Collections and Operations Maria J. Coltharp was the museum’s acting executive director following Patricia Leach’s retirement in April 2025.
Borusky (they/them) comes to the Whatcom Museum after serving as the executive director of the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, WA.
They hold a BA from the New College of Florida and an MFA from Tufts University and have also served as the executive and artistic director at Living Arts of Tulsa and the gallery director at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Prior to those roles, Borusky curated public performances and artwork installations in Kansas City, MO, in partnership with municipal and downtown organizations.
“Jessica brings energy, collaborative leadership, strategic vision, and a deep understanding of the important role museums play in strengthening and elevating communities. We are excited about the future of the Whatcom Museum under their leadership,” said Board of Trustees President Rafeeka Kloke. “I also offer my sincere gratitude to Maria Coltharp for serving as the acting executive director this past year.”
Added City of Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund, “Jessica’s professional philosophy is rooted in equitable access to art, which is mirrored by the Whatcom Museum’s founding as a museum of and for our community. I look forward to working with Jessica to keep growing the museum's role as a cornerstone of arts and culture for our community and our downtown.”
The Whatcom Museum opened in 1941 in Bellingham’s Old City Hall as a City-owned building with a permanent collection comprised of locally donated artifacts and memorabilia. Since then, the collection has grown to include more than 250,000 objects, and the museum campus itself has grown to include a second exhibition building, called the Lightcatcher, and Old Fire Station No. 1, which houses an extensive Pacific Northwest photo archive collection. Permanent and rotating shows feature art, local and natural history, as well as the art, activism, and culture of the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe. The museum also includes the Family Interactive Gallery, a dedicated play and art space for children.
“I am honored and thrilled to begin working alongside the Whatcom Museum staff, Board of Trustees, and the City of Bellingham to support a mission that connects diverse people, cultures, and ideas,” said Borusky. “I am excited to share my experience in exhibition spaces, community-forward cultural initiatives, and inclusive education practices and to be a strong advocate for the museum and its commitment to accessibility.”
About the Whatcom Museum
The Whatcom Museum, founded in 1941 on Bellingham Bay, includes two exhibition buildings, an extensive Pacific Northwest photo archive, and the Family Interactive Gallery. Notable projects have included the 2019 retrospective exhibition WANTED: Ed Bereal for Disturbing the Peace, featured in The New York Times; the award-winning, co-curated exhibition Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea, which traveled to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., in 2023; and Verdant: French Masterworks from the National Gallery of Art, which is on view through early 2027. Also on view now are Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press and From the Vault: Hard Edge/Soft Ground. Luminous Glow: The Neon Landscapes of Kelsey Fernkopf opens July 11, 2026. The Whatcom Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
For more information about exhibitions, admission, events, and workshops, visit whatcommuseum.org.
