The next time you’re at the Bellingham Farmers Market (BFM), you’ll notice something new: a mural featuring veggies, flowers, birds, mushrooms, and pollinators. 

The mural was a collaborative effort by Bellingham-based artists Gretchen Leggitt and Sarah Finger. 

“I’d been wanting to collaborate for a while now, and I thought there would be no better person to collaborate with than Sarah Finger,” Leggitt says. “She is just a phenomenal illustrator and artist.” 

The piece integrates both Leggitt and Finger’s artistic styles. Finger, who is a printmaker, says the mural has a gradient background with the top images in black, similar to prints. The mural was done with spray paint, which is Leggitt’s medium of choice. She is, after all, responsible for the longest mural in Washington. 

According to BFM director Lora Liegel, the market wanted a mural for a few reasons: to bring beauty to the area, show pride for the market, and draw people in. 

The project was a community effort, funded through an Indiegogo campaign that ran in early 2021. 

“This entire mural has happened because of the support of the general public and their interest in supporting the arts in Bellingham,” says Leggitt. 

The mural can be seen at 1100 Railroad Avenue. The Bellingham Farmers Market is every Saturday, April through December, and every third Saturday in January, February, and March from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. A new Wednesday market runs from 4-7 p.m. from now through September at 300 West Laurel Street.