Natural Dye and Shibori Workshop with Serafima Zavorotny and Fiona Ferguson
2026-02-08 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Denver)
Striking Scarves: Natural Dye and Shibori Workshop with Serafima Zavorotny and Fiona Ferguson

Brighten up the winter months with natural dyes. Learn how to use plants to create vibrant, wearable art in this introduction to dye making. Participants will explore common natural dyes like madder and weld, learn how to achieve long-lasting color, and experiment with making simple dyes using kitchen scraps, like avocado skins. Next, participants will learn traditional shibori (Japanese tie dye) techniques to create fun patterns on test pieces, then will jump into creating a custom dyed silk scarf.
Class registration fees include admission to the Whatcom Museum, supplies for the class, and a dyeable silk scarf to take home with you.

Provenance Tales of Three French Paintings from the National Gallery of Art
2026-02-20 17:00 - 18:00
How They Got Here: Provenance Tales of Three French Paintings from the National Gallery of Art

Have you ever wondered how an artwork ends up in a museum? Provenance, or the history of an object’s ownership, can offer us a fascinating insight into the social environment in which art is made, sold, collected, displayed, valued—and sometimes stolen. Margaret Doyle, head of Curatorial Records at the National Gallery of Art will join us at the Whatcom Museum to recount the twists and turns in the journeys of three paintings by Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, and Henri Matisse, from their creation in France to their final stop as part of the National Gallery’s permanent collection in Washington, DC. The provenances of these paintings include a memorable set of characters and situations, with stories encompassing artistic friendship, influential French dealers, notable women collectors, a prominent American statesman, and Nazi confiscation and postwar restitution.
This talk is made possible by the National Gallery’s “Across the Nation” program, which is sharing cherished works with regional 10 regional museums around the United States, including ours. These paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse are on view now in Verdant: French Masterworks from the National Gallery of Art.
This event is free to attend, but advance registration is required.

Introduction to Recording Oral Histories with Kyle Norris
2026-02-28 13:00 - 15:00
Introduction to Recording Oral Histories with Kyle Norris

There’s something incredibly special about recording the voices and stories of our loved ones. In this class, public radio reporter Kyle Norris will share his 20 years of experience to teach you the techniques to make audio recordings. Capture Grandma telling her greatest tales or memorialize anyone you know and love for future generations.
You’ll learn basic but important interviewing skills inspired by NPR’s StoryCorps project to ask questions that will lead to emotional, specific, and compelling answers. Explore the equipment you can use to make audio recordings, from budget-friendly options to more expensive devices like digital audio recorders and high-quality microphones. Finally, learn how to store your interviews and share them with others using free editing software.
Class registration fees also include admission to the Whatcom Museum.

Introduction to Sunset Moth Preservation with Mickey Alice Kwapis
2026-03-14 13:00 - 14:00
https://www.whatcommuseum.org/event/introduction-to-bug-pinning-sunset-moths/
Learn how to spread and dry your own sunset moth specimen to keep. Using a rehydrated specimen ready to spread, each student will be guided through the process of flexing, posing, pinning, and drying their own moth specimen. This incredible insect, native to Madagascar, is a day-flying moth with structural colors that catch the light to appear as an iridescent rainbow. You will leave with your finished pinned specimen ready to dry at home, as well as a spreading board and tool set to keep for use with future projects. The week following the workshop, students will receive an email containing a digital guide to the entire spreading process, from a dried or freshly deceased specimen to completion.
No experience necessary; ages 12 and younger must be accompanied by a calm adult who can assist where needed. One specimen and tool set are provided per ticket purchased, so if the adult wishes to participate with their own specimen set, an additional ticket should be purchased.
Class registration fees include admission to the Whatcom Museum, one specimen and tool kit, and supplementary reading materials to learn how to repeat the process with more specimens at home.
Mickey will also be teaching a forest scorpion specimen preservation workshop on March 14.

Introduction to Forest Scorpion Preservation with Mickey Alice Kwapis
2026-03-14 15:00 - 16:00
https://www.whatcommuseum.org/event/introduction-to-bug-pinning-stunning-scorpions/
Learn how to spread and dry your own forest scorpion specimen to keep. Using a rehydrated specimen ready to spread, each student will be guided through the process of flexing, posing, pinning, and drying their own scorpion specimen. This incredible arachnid is native to Thailand and uses its pincers more than its tail to inflict damage to its prey. You will leave with your finished pinned specimen ready to dry at home as well as a spreading board and tool set to keep for use with future projects. The week following the workshop, students will receive an email containing a digital guide to the entire spreading process, from a dried or freshly deceased specimen to completion.
No experience necessary; ages 12 and younger must be accompanied by a calm adult who can assist where needed. One specimen and tool set are provided per ticket purchased, so if the adult wishes to participate with their own specimen set, an additional ticket should be purchased.
Class registration fees include admission to the Whatcom Museum, one specimen and tool kit, and supplementary reading materials to learn how to repeat the process with more specimens at home.
Mickey will also be teaching a sunset moth specimen preservation workshop on March 14.

Georgetown Steam Plant and Olympic Sculpture Park
2026-04-11 09:30 - 17:30
Travel in time today as we visit one of Seattle’s National Historic Landmarks and then fast-forward to an outdoor contemporary sculpture collection. Our day begins with a docent-led tour at the steam plant highlighting the important role it played beginning in 1906. We’ll break for a no-host lunch before venturing up to the modern-day Olympic Sculpture Park. Please note: Both locations include steps and uneven surfaces and require walking and standing for a long period of time. Depart/return Civic Stadium.
Website: https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/bellingham/activity/search/detail/41401?onlineSiteId=0&locale=en-US&from_original_cui=true
