Whatcom Museum

09/04/2026

Sidewalk Sale

09/04/2026

This Free First Friday, Setting Sun Circle brings two films and two voices to Old City Hall.

Free Borsey will share his journey with Coast Salish canoe culture, including the year-long restoration of the Lummi Youth Canoe, Beauty, and the collective effort to bring her back to the water. Raven Borsey will speak on traditional Lummi reef net fishing, one of the oldest and most sustainable fishing practices of the Coast Salish peoples, and how Indigenous stewardship has sustained these waters since time immemorial.

The evening also includes screenings of "West Shore" and "Our Sacred Obligation."

Friday, September 4, 6 pm at Old City Hall Rotunda Room, 121 Prospect St. Free. Details: whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday

09/04/2026

Water is not just a resource in Northwest Washington. It is the shared asset our whole region runs on. Three free panels this Free First Friday take that seriously.

4 – 5:15 pm: Water is Life: Our Shared Culture, Environment, and Economy. Jay Julius (fisherman, former Chairman of Lummi Nation), Rich Appel (Water for Whatcom, Appel Farms), and Perry Eskridge (Whatcom County Association of Realtors), moderated by Ethan Smith.

5:30 – 6:45 pm: Water Under Threat: Climatic Challenges to Our Communities. Gavin Willis (Whatcom County Agriculture Water Board), Free Borsey (Lummi Nation artist and environmental steward), and Everson Mayor John Perry, moderated by David Roberts.

7 – 8:15 pm: Creative Thinking About Future Water Resource Management. Keynote by water attorney and author Jim Davenport, with Tom Tebb (former Director, Office of Columbia River) and Jim Papp (marine shipping specialist, photographer, and author).

All three are in the Lightcatcher Studio, 250 Flora St. Details: whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday

09/03/2026

Nooksack storytellers Tammy Cooper-Woodrich and Angela LeToi share tales rooted in Coast Salish tradition and place this Free First Friday.

Tammy has been a Tribal Storyteller since 1985, sharing stories across Washington State and as far as Port Stephens, Australia. Angela, a member of the Nooksack Indian Tribe, began telling stories in 2017 following in her mother's footsteps while attending Northwest Indian College.

Friday, September 4, 12 – 1 pm in the People of the Sea and Cedar Gallery at the Whatcom Museum's Lightcatcher building, 250 Flora St. Free and open to all ages. Details: whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday

09/02/2026

Free First Friday is September 4, and this month's theme is Sharing Our Water. Together with the Salish Current and the League of Women Voters, we're hosting a full day of art, music, storytelling, and honest conversation about protecting the water we all share.

Morning: a toddler-friendly tour of "Hard Edge/Soft Ground" (10:15 am) and Baby and Toddler Music with Little Sapling Music (10:30 and 11 am).

Afternoon: Nooksack Storytelling with Tammy Cooper-Woodrich and Angela LeToi (12 pm), Coast Salish Art with Jason LaClair (1 – 3 pm), the Water is Life Poetry Workshop with Carla Shafer (1 – 2:30 pm), the Sharing Our Water Market with artist vendors and local nonprofits (2 – 7 pm), "Vivid Victorian" tours with guest curator Naomi Whiting (3 and 6 pm), and Meet a Musician with the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra in the Family Interactive Gallery (4 pm).

Evening: three panels on the cultural, environmental, and economic future of our water (4, 5:30, and 7 pm), plus film screenings and talks from Setting Sun Circle's Free Borsey and Raven Borsey at Old City Hall (6 pm).

Everything is free at the Whatcom Museum's Lightcatcher building (250 Flora St.) and Old City Hall (121 Prospect St.). Full schedule: whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday

09/02/2026

Why have so many people throughout history had their panties in a bunch over the drawers in women's drawers?

Join theatrical costume designer Diane Johnston for "Hidden Layers: Women's Undergarments and How They've Shaped Ladies' Liberties" on Thursday, September 10, 5 – 6 pm, in the Old City Hall Rotunda Room. The talk pulls back the layers of satin and silk to see how comfort, freedom, and function in women's undergarments have mirrored society's changing views on modesty, femininity, and equality.

We'll also display a selection of Victorian undergarments from the permanent collection in the Rotunda Room, and the current exhibition "Vivid Victorian: Whatcom County Fashions from 1860 – 1900" is on view at Old City Hall.

This event is free thanks to generous support from Humanities Washington, but seats are limited and advance registration is required: https://bit.ly/45Yztux

08/31/2026

Join our Setting Sun Circle team at Whatcom Museum's First Friday free event "Sharing Our Water."

It's a day of art, music and honest conversation about protecting the water we all share with events for the whole family – presented by the museum, Salish Current and League of Women Voters!

☀️ Listen in to a discussion with Setting Sun Circle's Free and Raven Borsey about their connection to the Salish Sea and work to preserve our waterways.
🎥 See our films "West Shore" and "Our Sacred Obligation"

📅 Fri. Sept. 4
⏰ @ 6 pm
📍 Whatcom Museum, Old City Hall Rotunda Room

Find the whole schedule of events from 10 am to 8:15 pm held at Old City Hall, the Lightcatcher and the Family Interactive Gallery: https://www.whatcommuseum.org/free-first-friday/

08/31/2026

08/29/2026

Eight paintings. One courtyard. Every one of them up for auction.

The finalist murals from Noisy Waters Mural Festival are installed in the Lightcatcher courtyard through September 18. Each one is 8 feet by 8 feet, painted on canvas, and designed to live outdoors.

The courtyard is free and open Wednesday through Sunday, 12 – 5 pm. No admission needed. 100% of auction sales support Noisy Waters and keep the festival free.

Bidding closes September 18 at 10 pm: https://bit.ly/noisy-waters-competing-muralist