The Museum is open at full capacity, with face masks required for all visitors regardless of vaccination status. In-person programs have capacity limits and distanced seating on a first-come, first-serve basis. Most programs will also be live streamed on our YouTube. You can find hours and more information here.
January:
Docent Tours of Up Close & Personal
Thursdays and Saturdays, 1–2 p.m. | Lightcatcher building
Included with admission/Members free
Take a docent-led tour of Up Close & Personal: The Body in Contemporary Art. Gain in-depth insights and knowledge about some of the 60 artists featured. Each tour can accommodate eight people. Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-in visitors will be accommodated as space allows. Register here.
Whatcom County Historical Society
Topic to Be Determined
Thursday, Jan. 13, 7:30–9 p.m. | Old City Hall & Virtual
$5 suggested donation/members free
Join the Whatcom County Historical Society at Old City Hall for a presentation about local history. Visit our website or whatcomhistory.net for updates.
Curator Tour of Up Close & Personal
Friday, Jan. 14, 1-2 p.m. | Lightcatcher building
Included with admission/members free
Learn more about the artists and artwork featured in this stunning exhibition from the Museum’s Curator of Art, Amy Chaloupka, who organized this exhibition from the renowned collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky. Tours are limited to eight people. Pre-registration is encouraged. Register here.
Fairhaven Hotel: Anecdotes from the Archivist
Sunday, Jan. 23, Tours at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. | Old City Hall
Included with admission/members free
Join Photo Archivist Jeff Jewell for a discussion and tour of The Fairhaven Hotel exhibit at Old City Hall. Learn the history of one of Fairhaven’s most renowned buildings. Each tour lasts 45 minutes and is limited to 10 people per tour. Pre-registration is encouraged. Online registration coming soon.
North Cascades Audubon Society
Fourth Sundays: Audubon at the Museum
Sunday, Jan. 23, 1–3 p.m. (drop-in) | Old City Hall
Included with admission/members free
A volunteer from the North Cascades Audubon Society will be on hand in the John M. Edson Hall of Birds to answer questions about migration, conservation, birds in peril, and more. All ages welcome.
North Cascades Audubon Society
Wildlife Research and Monitoring in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex
Tuesday, Jan. 25, 7–9 p.m. | Old City Hall & Virtual
$5 suggested donation/members free
Dr. Jason Ransom will present an overview of wildlife research, monitoring and conservation efforts currently happening in North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The Audubon will require proof of vaccination to attend this program in-person. Please bring your vaccination card or a photo of it.
February:
Art Walk: Dialog Through Dance
Friday, Feb. 4, 5–9 p.m. | Lightcatcher building
Free
During this special Art Walk, we are excited to host Bellingham-based nonprofit dance/theater company Kuntz and Co. for an interactive experience, Dialog(s). Part of their upcoming multi-part program Emerging Suite, Dialog(s), this performance explores how we can converse through movement. The public is invited to sit across from an individual and engage in a movement conversation. Whether you want to only observe or make your movement “voice” (silently) heard, we invite you to take part in this unique in-gallery experience.
Portrait Painting: Up Close & Personal Workshop
Saturday, Feb. 5, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Lightcatcher building
$50 non-members/$40 members
Registration coming soon at Eventbrite.com
Join artist Trish Harding as you learn how to paint a portrait using oils or acrylics. Inspired by the exhibition Up Close & Personal, you’ll learn how to draw your subject, as well as paint the likeness and essence of your subject. Some experience with your media is suggested. Registration limited to 10 participants.
Whatcom County Historical Society
Topic to Be Determined
Thursday, Feb. 10, 7:30–9 p.m. | Old City Hall & Virtual
$5 suggested donation/members free
Join the Whatcom County Historical Society at Old City Hall for a presentation about local history. Visit our website or whatcomhistory.net for updates.
Curator Tour of Up Close & Personal
Friday, Feb. 11, 1-2 p.m. | Lightcatcher building
Included with admission/members free
Learn more about the artists and artwork featured in this stunning exhibition from the Museum’s Curator of Art, Amy Chaloupka, who organized this exhibition from the renowned collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky. Tours are limited to eight people. Pre-registration is encouraged. Register here.
North Cascades Audubon Society
Reproductive Ecology of the White-Headed Woodpecker in Washington’s Ponderosa Pine Forests
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 7– 9 p.m. | Old City Hall & Virtual
$5 suggested donation/members free
In Washington, the White-headed Woodpecker is listed as a species of concern due to its association with old-growth ponderosa pine forests. For the last 18 years, Jeff Kozma, wildlife biologist for the Yakama Nation, has been studying the ecology of the White-headed Woodpecker. The Audubon will require proof of vaccination to attend this program in-person. Please bring your vaccination card or a photo of it.
North Cascades Audubon Society
Fourth Sundays: Audubon at the Museum
Sunday, Feb. 27, 1–3 p.m. (drop-in) | Old City Hall
Included with admission/members free
A volunteer from the North Cascades Audubon Society will be on hand in the John M. Edson Hall of Birds to answer questions about migration, conservation, birds in peril, and more. All ages welcome.
Up Close & Personal: The Body in Contemporary Art
Through Feb. 27, 2022 | Lightcatcher building
Curated by Amy Chaloupka, Curator of Art, from the renowned collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky, Up Close & Personal examines questions about the body through the expressive lens of 60 artists. These compelling portrayals of the figure are situated at the crossroads of identity and point toward countless possibilities for human connection and understanding.
The Fairhaven Hotel
Through March 20, 2022 | Old City Hall
In 1890, the Fairhaven Hotel embodied the posh sophistication that the booming city of Fairhaven wished to project. Yet, with the collapse of the economy in 1893, the hotel soon symbolized Fairhaven’s failed dreams and false promises. Historical photographs, along with surviving hotel treasures curated from the Museum’s collection, will follow the hotel from glorious beginning to smoldering ruin.
Artists x Artists
Through May 8, 2022 | Old City Hall
As a companion show to Up Close & Personal, this exhibition explores intimate portraits of artists by artists. Some artists turn the camera on themselves or depict friends and colleagues in their work. The exhibition draws from the Museum’s permanent collection and presents a variety of expressive gazes.
People of the Sea and Cedar: A Journey Through the Tribal Cultures and History of the Northwest Coast
Lightcatcher building | Ongoing
People of the Sea and Cedar shares the history and art of the Northwest Coast Native people, blending both historical and contemporary perspectives. View historic photographs and artifacts, participate in hands-on learning experiences, listen to a Lummi language interactive, and more.
John M. Edson Hall of Birds
Old City Hall | Ongoing
Designed in collaboration with the North Cascades Audubon Society, the Hall of Birds features the Museum's collection of more than 500 mounted birds accompanied by interactive opportunities.
