Museums and Galleries

• Artwood is a cooperatively owned showplace and retail source for the finest in contemporary woodworking, providing custom design services, cabinetry, fine furniture, and many decorative accessories. Artwood also carries a variety of consigned work by other local artists. Come in and experience the beauty of wood.

• Features 500 sq ft large scale toy train layout, interactive O Gauge layout, collections of antique toy trains, railroad history and more.

• THE LIGHTCATCHER is designed by Olson Kundig Architects’ founding partner, Jim Olson. The building is named for its focal point and most innovative feature — a spectacular, translucent wall 37 feet high and 180 feet long, that captures the Northwest’s most precious natural resource: sunlight. The 42,000-square-foot-building integrates natural materials native to the region and is the first museum in Washington designed and registered to LEED Silver-Level specifications.

Outdoor Sculpture Collection

• Extending from the Western Gallery's plaza and integrated with other campus buildings, quadrangles, lawns, and playing fields is Western's Outdoor Sculpture Collection. The Western Gallery is in the Fine Arts Complex, centrally located on campus and across from Carver Gym.

• The Spark Museum of Electrical Invention offers an exciting and educational experience for audiences of all ages. Compelling, interactive exhibits spanning four centuries of scientific achievement and cultural heritage are featured in a world-class collection of unique objects. The Spark Museum displays the inventions and innovations that changed the course of human history. 

• A studio like none other in Bellingham. Our mission, to create an entertainment venue where people - young, old, male, female, artistic or not – can discover their creative abilities, revealing the “artist within” while at the same time socializing with others. We offer painting events in a warm and inviting studio/gallery setting. 

• 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.

• Whatcom County artists open their studios to the public during the 20th annual Whatcom Studio Artist Tour the first two weekends of October. Artwork is for sale and artists are available (some demonstrating) to meet with visitors. Tour includes clay, glass, handmade books, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture and woodworking. This self-guided tour is free. 

• 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. The campus features two buildings with public hours; Old City Hall and the Lightcatcher.

• Part studio, Fine Art Gallery, and country manor, step into a world of aesthetic pleasures. Abstract and contemporary artworks, artist workshops, and more, discover art as experience, and see the creative process at work. By appointment only – call to schedule.