Whatcom Museum

Two sails left in the 2026 season.

Tuesday, August 25 · History Cruise
Kolby LaBree of the Good Time Girls closes out the summer with stories of Bellingham's past and maritime lore.

Tuesday, September 1 · Geology Hazards Cruise (just added!)
Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, Ph.D. explores the volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis that shaped our mountains and coastlines, and how we live safely among them.

Both sails run 6 – 8 pm on Bellingham Bay. Members $50, public $60, children 5 and under free.

Tickets: https://whatcommuseum.org/cruise/

That 1892 clock tower never gets old. Neither does free admission all year. Our new membership page is live, and it lays out everything that comes with joining: unlimited visits to both buildings, exhibition previews, store discounts, and more. Members make exhibitions, Free First Fridays, and everything in between possible. Check out the new page and become a member: https://whatcommuseum.org/membership/

📷: Ross Cummings, RAC Cameraworks

The Family Interactive Gallery will be closed Wednesday, August 19 through Sunday, August 23 for a summertime refresh! We’ll be repainting, deep cleaning, and getting the space ready for fall.

The rest of the museum will remain open during the closure.

The FIG reopens Wednesday, August 26 with new activities and art projects!

Gelli printing is fast and a little bit messy, which is most of the appeal. You roll acrylic onto a flexible gel plate, press in texture, lay down paper, and pull. Ghost prints, unexpected pattern, colors doing something you didn't plan. Rarely what you pictured, which is the point.

Bellingham artist Lisa Dailey teaches "Introduction to Gelli Prints," a three hour beginner workshop in the Lightcatcher Studio. Lisa works across embroidery, watercolor, collage, acrylics, and bookbinding, and she teaches hands-on workshops through Second Life Artistry. No experience necessary.

You'll come away with a stack of prints for collage, art journaling, cards, and mixed media work. Registration includes admission to the museum and all materials, and you'll take your gel plate home to keep printing.

Sunday, August 30, 1 – 4 pm
Lightcatcher Studio, 250 Flora St.
Ages 18+
Member $50, public $55
Register: store.whatcommuseum.org/botanical-gelli-prints

End the night somewhere unexpected. Local musician Devin Champlin closes out Free First Friday tonight in the Old City Hall Rotunda Room with original music paired with his own animations projected across the wall.

Devin is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, luthier, and artist from Northwestern Washington with a thoroughly DIY approach. He rarely plays the same thing twice, so this one is genuinely one night only.

Tonight, 6 – 7 pm. Free admission, no ticket needed.

whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday

Two perspectives, one tour. Today at 1 pm, Chief Curator Amy Chaloupka and artist Kelsey Fernkopf walk the Lightcatcher Galleries together for a conversational look at "Luminous Glow" and "Hard Edge/Soft Ground."

Amy talks about the art in both exhibitions. Kelsey joins for the "Luminous Glow" portion to talk about his work and how he makes neon glass.

We have been getting this question a lot, and it is a good one: these images are not AI. Kelsey is a master neon glass tube bender who has worked in Pacific Northwest sign shops since 1987. Working with photographer Steve Gilbert, he installs real neon in real places, natural and urban, and they photograph it there. Real glass, real light, real place, real photos.

Free First Friday, today, 1 pm. Free admission, no ticket needed.

whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday

📷: "Gold Ventana Waterfall," 2025, neon and composition by Kelsey Fernkopf, photo by Steve Gilbert, courtesy of the artists.

Watch the sidewalk go three-dimensional. Local chalk artist Luciana Navarro-Powell is out front of the Lightcatcher Building and in the Courtyard today drawing her signature illusion panels, mixing optical tricks with fish, birds, orcas, and other local favorites.

It is whimsical, interactive ground art built for every age, and it is happening in real time. Come now to watch it take shape, or later to see it finished.

Free First Friday, today, 10 am – 6 pm. Free admission, no ticket needed.

whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday

Pack a picnic. The Whatcom Museum and Bellingham Parks and Recreation are kicking off a brand new lunchtime concert series for kids at Maritime Heritage Park tomorrow.

Start with spinning optical illusion pinwheel and top crafts at 11 am, then Wren the Juggler performs juggling tricks and jokes from noon – 1 pm. Bring a blanket, sunglasses, sunscreen, and lunch, and be ready to dance, sing, juggle, and twirl.

Tomorrow, Friday, August 7, 11 am – 1 pm at Maritime Heritage Park, 500 West Holly St. Free. The series continues August 14 and 21.

whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday

📷: Elijah Forslof

See what your eyes miss. Free First Friday is tomorrow, August 7, and this month is all optical illusions.

Chalk artist Luciana Navarro-Powell creates three-dimensional ground art outside the Lightcatcher 10 am – 6 pm. Head to Maritime Heritage Park for optical illusion crafts at 11 am and the Kids Concert Series with Wren the Juggler at noon. Chief Curator Amy Chaloupka and artist Kelsey Fernkopf lead a tour of "Luminous Glow" and "Hard Edge/Soft Ground" at 1 pm. Make projection art with Heather Dawn Sparks 5 – 8 pm, and close the night out with music and animations from Devin Champlin 6 – 7 pm.

Free admission, no ticket needed. Galleries 12 – 9 pm. Family Interactive Gallery 10 am – 6 pm.

Full schedule: https://www.whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday/

Clear skies, mid 70s, and a boat.

Seats are still open for tomorrow's "Summer Sunset Cruise" on Bellingham Bay. Kolby LaBree of the Good Time Girls narrates two hours of Bellingham lore and local history while the light does its thing over the water.

Tuesday, August 4. Board at 5:45 pm, sail 6 – 8 pm from the Bellingham Cruise and Ferry Terminal, 355 Harris Ave. Covered seating, snack bar, and full bar on board.

Ticket sales close at noon tomorrow.

www.whatcommuseum.org/cruise