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The Import Guys storage room is full. Japanese cars and minibikes cover the floor; it’s a squeeze to amble around the building, but you could look for hours. Cars of all colors, varieties, shapes, and sizes sprawl out, and in the corner sits a collection of Japanese video game machines….
Nestled along the Swinomish Channel lies Seaport Books—the only bookstore in La Conner. The location in the Seaport Landing Building gives one the illusion of stepping back in time, with its light mint paint color and white trim that has the aesthetic of the early 20th century. While the building may look antique, the bookstore’s co-founders, Marion Melville and Janna Gage, celebrated its eighth year in 2024. Gage grew up in La Conner and spent…
Island life may have a reputation for being laid-back, but it can definitely throw residents some curveballs. Dancer Chelsea Sherman moved to Orcas in 2020, just as the…
The moment you walk into a Pacific Northwest forest, you’ll feel magic in the air. It’s hard not to look under toadstools, inside hollow trunks, or around rocky outcroppings just to see if a curious faerie is there looking back at you. One Bellingham performance company strives to create a world where…
On Kristen Winn’s left inner wrist is a teal-blue tattoo of an oval seventh-circuit labyrinth, its lines snaking around and around until your eyes almost cross trying to see the path. She got the tattoo 10 years ago, during a time of major transition. According to Winn, labyrinths are all about transition. “There’s only one…
From Gretchen Leggitt’s colorful mountainscapes to Jason LaClair’s Coast Salish designs, street art has played a major role in defining Bellingham’s character. Now, residents can expect to see even more art around town thanks to Noisy Waters Mural Festival, a…
Bellingham’s Bay Street Studios Studios may seem unassuming from the outside looking in, but if you frequent First Friday art walks, you already know that the interior is home to a vibrant (and growing) arts community. This includes Synapse Gallery, a studio/event space that’s quickly becoming a hub for Bellingham creatives. Synapse is owned and operated by Jax Mildner (Fine Art Jax, fineartjax.com) and…
REMY COUTAREL, A Franco-American artist who has lived in Bellingham since 2017, believes that art can be used to open dialogues. After moving to the U.S. in 2011, exploring aspects of artistic and personal identity in Seattle and Bellingham, and experiencing the naturalization process firsthand, they are ready to start conversations with illustrations and comics. Coutarel grew up in France, where comics have…
Paper Whale
Q&A with Author Laurie Noelle and Illustrator Sharon Beth
Rexville Grange Art Show
Lummi Artists on Lummi Island
Museum of Northwest Art
Q & A with Artist and Fisherman Tom Crestodina
Rena Priest
Sarah Bell
Smith & Vallee Gallery
Katheryn Moran Photography
A look into a Ferndale artist’s home studio
Rebecca Meloy
Read & Share aims to spread the love of reading while connecting the community through ideas, information, and a nonfiction book by a regional author. This year’s book is “House Lessons: Renovating a Life,” by four-time bestselling author Erica Bauermeister.
Bellingham artist settles into his York neighborhood studio
Gabe Rogel
Monica Koller
Ciara Sana
A Bellingham local, Ford has been writing books and managing his own software company for the past 30 years.
Dorothy Smith and Allegro Strings
La Conner writer pens new novel about the Donner Party
Gretchen Leggitt’s murals capture the heart of Bellingham
Bellingham potter Linda Stone captures the PNW in her creations
Leather meets literature in Artist Kasey Potzler’s hand-bound leather books.
Through poetry, Wong is dissecting her own fears in comparison to her family history.
Meet Tommy Gibson, a 76-year-old photographer from Whatcom County. Hear his story and inspirations in this Q&A.
This month’s Wonder Woman is Kira Iaconetti, a 20-year-old performer who is two years out from her awake craniotomy.
Hear the story behind the founding of Days For Girls International, an organization that aims to increase period education and access to menstrual care for girls around the world.
Local author Kathryn Trueblood discusses her career as an author and her journey while writing “Take Daily as Needed.”
Nobody puts Baby Cakes in a corner! This nonet is taking the Bellingham Funk scene by storm. Read more about the group and how they got started.
Local artist Lin McJunkin raises climate change awareness through her glasswork creations.
Lori Hill is an award-winning artist currently living in Bellingham, who has been featured in galleries and markets across several states.
Local visual artist Kevin Coleman is a philanthropist and champion of the arts in Bellingham—read about his work at WhatcomTalk and with local nonprofits.
Leo E. Osborne is a multi-award-winning artist and writer whose love of nature led him to the Pacific Northwest, where he continues to explore his craft.
We take a look at Bellingham local Ryan Sandholm, known around town for his acoustic shows that fuse pop, rock, and country.
During four weeks of July, for six days a week, Bellingham TheatreWorks is presenting three productions for Fairhaven’s first Summer Repertory Theater.
Leif Whittaker is a climber, ranger, and author. His new book, “My Old Man and the Mountian,” talks about his childhood and journey summiting Mount Everest.
Sarah Menzies has made her way from Ferndale to Seattle as a filmmaker. Her work will be shown at the Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival.
Whatcom Chorale presents “Heart Mountain Suite,” a musical composition by Sarah Mattox using journals from Japanese internment camp prisoner, Kara Kondo.
The McHughs is a local family band. Tim McHugh and his three kids are celebrating their new album, “A Day Will Come,” with a CD release party this Spring.
Mother and son duo released their book, “Raising Ryan: Living with Autism” in June of 2018. Sometimes funny, sometimes hear-wrenching, this is their story.
Christopher Morrison is Bellingham’s own Dale Chihuly, creating beautiful glass art pieces inspired by nature. You can find his work at Morrison Glass Art.
Cataloging, recording, and saving priceless pieces of Bellingham’s history is up to the archivist Jeff Jewell at Whatcom Museum.
The Pickford Film Center is celebrating their 20th anniversary. The movie theater shows independent films and hosts a variety of film festivals every year.
Dave Mauro has conquered seven summits and shares his stories in his new book, “The Altitude Journals”. He will be speaking at REI stores across the US.
The traveling Caravan Stage Co. presents “The Nomadic Tempest” at the Squalicum Marina. The show hopes to spread awareness of the effects of climate change.
Michael Dyrland of Dyrland Productions uses photography and multimedia to bring environmental issues to the forefront.
He created the Rocket Donuts’ rocket in downtown Bellingham and has been a contractor for 25 years designing multimillion-dollar homes in the Pacific Northwest. Now, Alexei Ford has just opened Ruckus, a downtown art gallery just a stone’s throw from the Bellingham Farmers Market. Ruckus prides itself on combining an authenticity of the West with a modern organic appeal and rugged functionality. A love for weathered wood, leather, rust and canvas fills the carefully curated space. A…
Tore Ofteness has been a local photographer for more than 30 years. Born in Norway, Ofteness, 72, lives in Bellingham. Now all but retired, Ofteness recently published the book, “A Higher Perspective:…
Unidentified flying objects are personal for Bellingham artist Trish Harding. A Lummi Island native and Bellingham resident, she says she has seen UFOs twice in her lifetime, once on Lummi as a child and also as a young adult off the island. With that partly in mind, she named her downtown workplace Studio UFO. From that studio last year, she won a region-wide competition to be selected as the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival poster artist. The 35th anniversary of the…
As a Bellingham native, professional painter Ben Mann has spent much of his life capturing the whimsy of the Pacific Northwest. His paintings are bold with color, yet soft with their overall simplicity. It is hard to imagine…
Change skier Breezy Johnson’s status from “Olympic hopeful” to South Korea-bound. In an update to our story in the February edition of Bellingham Alive (p. 68), the Western Washington University sophomore, who grew up in Victor, Idaho – and has yet to ski Mount Baker, Western’s “home” mountain – has been named to the 2018 U.S. Olympic team that will compete in Pyeongchang, South Korea,…
Threshold Singers Since 2007, the Bellingham Threshold Singers have been providing soothing sounds for people who are seriously ill or dying. These 40 or so women are committed to providing comfort for their clients as they labor through death with the help of song. Last year, the dedicated group performed more than 500 “sings” for clients in Whatcom County, six-year member Janis Walworth said. Each “sing” lasts…
Bellingham has its artistic success stories (Death Cab for Cutie, comedian Ryan Stiles), but it also has its grassroots luminaries. Author, poet, and radio producer Shannon Laws is one. She has the privilege of not only being…
Joe Treat If you drive down Worline Road in Bow you’ll pass a house guarded by life-sized driftwood statues. A massive rhino stares down all who enter the driveway with reflective black eyes. The porch is bookended with two owls and a rather terrifying zombie-like creature. What can be best…
Chris Moench It all started with a lump of clay. While Chris Moench hasn’t always been a professional potter, art…
Western Washington University Summer Theatre With the vast amount of outdoor activities available to Pacific Northwest residents in summer, theater-going is rarely at the top of the list. From hiking to windsurfing to jumping in the bay, being outdoors is a priority in our short summer months. So Western Washington University’s Summer Theater program decided to integrate the best of both worlds — riveting entertainment in an active setting. Bikes….
Diane Padys wasn’t always on track to become a photographer. “Photography was always a passionate hobby of mine from college,” she said. Padys spent a number of years working as a staff accountant in San Francisco…
Not every 8-year-old has to worry about inviting their third-grade teacher to their movie premiere. But for Kayleigh Finnegan, it was a real predicament. “Where do…
As Dana Cohenour’s children’s music class let out, the smiles were in abundance. The students, about 4 to 5 years…
Documentaries, directors in focus at Cascadia International Women’s film festival Since high school, Natalie Fedak has had stories she’s wanted to tell. She started off writing screenplays and for the last three years, she’s been producing, editing and directing documentaries. Now one of her documentaries is going to be shown during the…
We all have our ways of escape, whether it is in a guilt-inducing TV show, a long jog, or maybe a glass of wine. For artist and author Holly Barbo it is writing fantasy and thriller novels that keep her sane in what can seem, especially lately, like an…
Katie Johnson did not plan on becoming an artist when she started at Western Washington University. Johnson’s work was featured last year in a show at Aslan Brewing Co., but she’s known mostly for the Brewdeck,…
