Bellingham|Whatcom
County Cultural Crawl

The Jansen Art Center is a multi-purpose facility offering many avenues for the community to engage with the arts. Our studios in Ceramics, Jewelry, Music & Theatre, Paint & Fine Arts, and Textiles provide opportunities for both seasoned artists and beginning students to hone their skills in learning and open studio environments. The J offers programs for students anywhere from age 6 upward, features pieces from hundreds of local artists in our solo and juried exhibits, and welcomes large audiences to our various performances and recitals.

The Mount Baker Theatre in downtown Bellingham's Arts District is the largest performing arts facility of its kind north of Seattle. A beautifully restored 1927 architectural treasure, listed on the register of National Historic Places, the theatre is dedicated to showcasing some of the best live performing artists on both the professional and community levels for audiences in the North Puget Sound area and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

Founded in 1998 by a small group of local film fans dedicated to making high-quality cinema available in Bellingham and the entire Whatcom County region, the mission of Pickford Film Center is to provide a forum and resource for independent cinema, strengthening community through education, dialogue and the celebration of film. PFC offers year-round, independent, foreign and documentary film, world class performing arts, and related special events. We’re also proud to host special events for schools, universities and community organizations.

The SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention attracts thousands of curious visitors from all over the country, and all over the world. They arrive looking for sparks, fun and a few surprises. What they actually get is much, much more. Located in the heart of downtown Bellingham’s cultural district, the SPARK Museum has become a premiere destination experience, appealing to visitors of all ages and walks of life. What began as a simple collaboration between two life-long collectors turned into a public treasure devoted to science, history and getting everyone excited about discovery and the process of invention. At SPARK we believe every person who visits our Museum is looking to have an experience. They might be here to see the fantastic galleries, attend a field trip or event, or see the Museum’s signature MegaZapper Electrical Show—it doesn’t matter. What everyone wants is to have a memorable experience, something they’ll never forget. We are reminded of that message every time we open our doors to the public. In 1998, longtime local resident Jonathan Winter (Bellingham Antique Radio Museum), joined forces with John Jenkins to create one of the most complete collections of authentic electrical devices and scholarship ever displayed in one location. This spectacular collection follows a continuous thread of scientific invention and discovery. Beginning with The Dawn of the Electrical Age, the first of the Museum’s six interactive galleries. “It all begins with magnets, amber and fir,” says Museum co-founder Jon Winter. “We start with the earliest machines ever used to make, measure and store static electricity, then progress to the hands-on SPARK Static Lab.”

Village Books and Paper Dreams is a community-based, independent bookstore and gift shop located in the Historic Fairhaven Village on the southside of Bellingham and in the iconic Waples Mercantile Building on Front Street in Lynden, Washington. Since 1980, we have been "building community one book at a time." Village Books and Paper Dreams is a place to meet your friends, talk books, or just while away an hour or two among our shelves or at Evolve Chocolate + Cafe deliciously perched on the mezzaine of Village Books in Fairhaven, overlooking the Village Green. If you're in the neighborhood come on in to explore!

The Whatcom Museum provides innovative and interactive educational programs and exhibitions about art, nature, and Northwest history. The Whatcom Museum's three-building campus includes Old City Hall, home to the Whatcom Museum since 1941. See local history and rotating community art and culture exhibits at Old City Hall, as well as performances and lectures.