BELLINGHAM, WA.- The Whatcom Museum announced the opening of three new exhibitions in the museum’s Lightcatcher building on February 6, 2026:

Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press

Personal to Political is a nationally touring exhibition featuring works by 17 African American artists who are reshaping the contemporary art world, from Kerry James Marshall, Lonnie Holley, and Woody De Othello to Gee’s Bend Quilters Loretta and Essie Pettway and Louisa and Mary Lee Bendolph. Printmaking is at the heart of the exhibition: this show highlights the enduring legacy of Berkeley, California-based printmaking studio and publisher Paulson Fontaine Press.

Established in 1996, the Bay Area woman- and minority-owned printmaking studio has sought to amplify often-underrepresented voices in the visual arts. Meeting Radcliffe Bailey and Kerry James Marshall, both featured in the exhibition, oriented studio owners Pam Paulson and Rhea Fontaine toward promoting the work of African American artists, and Personal to Political is the result of this commitment.

“Paulson Fontaine Press’s idea to develop an artist residency was ingenious,” said Whatcom Museum Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions Amy Chaloupka. “Printmaking is inherently more democratic and far-reaching than other artforms because it gives artists the ability to make multiples of their works, which expands visibility. For example, Martin Puryear is a phenomenal sculptor who often works at a monumental scale, but not every museum has the capacity to exhibit or collect that work. It’s much more feasible to exhibit his editioned prints, which puts his art in front of more museum visitors and within reach of more collectors.”

In addition to 44 prints from Paulson Fontaine Press, this exhibition includes a selection of studio works, such as paintings, collage, and sculpture, by several of the exhibition artists. Unique to the Whatcom Museum’s showing is the inclusion of a Gee’s Bend quilt by Louisiana Bendolph and large-scale paintings by Lonnie Holley, courtesy of Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland. Taken as a whole, this presentation of Personal to Political is a rich display of media and material that offers an expansive approach to artmaking.

Additionally, a signature piece in the exhibition is David Huffman’s Basketball Pyramid, a large-scale installation made from 650 regulation basketballs. This work intersects recognizable symbols from Black culture and ideology today with the ancient shape of the pyramid, which has roots in Afrocentrism. At the conclusion of the exhibition and per the artist’s request, all the basketballs used in the Whatcom Museum’s showing will be donated to local schools and recreational organizations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.

Chaloupka added, “The works in the exhibition convey survival, hope, and positivity in response to political wounds that are steeped in personal experiences many can relate to. That’s why visibility and representation in art are critical.”

Personal to Political is organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA, and is curated by Carrier Lederer, former Bedford Gallery curator. It will be on view at the Whatcom Museum through June 28, 2026.

Murmuration

Murmuration, by Edison, Washington-based artist and sculptor Andrew Vallee, will see a swoop of swallows, from hand-carved wood and cast bronze, form a shape-shifting configuration within the museum’s illuminated Light Hall.

Vallee, an artist and woodworker for nearly three decades, carves his pieces from found species—whether from a 3,000-year-old salvaged Douglas fir trunk, dug up from the muddy sloughs near Vallee’s home, or from collected maple, fir, and cedar. The subjects of Vallee’s work, referencing bone, feather, leaf, or stone, often encompass themes of the natural world. After carving, sanding, and shaping by hand, Vallee further transforms objects into bronze or glass. As an artist, he embraces the notion that he is engaged in a collaboration with nature.

Museum guests are invited to join Amy Chaloupka and Andrew Vallee for afternoon exhibition tours, included with museum admission, on Feb 20, April 17, and May 29. Details online. Murmuration is on view through January 17, 2027.

From the Vault: Hard Edge/Soft Ground

Curated by Whatcom Museum Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions Amy Chaloupka, Hard Edge/Soft Ground brings the museum’s extensive permanent collection to the fore in an exhibition that delves into the museum’s abstract art holdings, from Op Art prints to bold, color field paintings.

The paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, and collages, dating from 1950–2017, are by regional and internationally recognized artists whose contributions reveal a striking spectrum of open-ended expression. They explore structural precision, energetic gestures, and playful visual sensation of color and form.

“I think there’s a common perception that abstract works are challenging or intimidating to engage with, maybe because many lack narratives or objects that we easily recognize,” said Chaloupka. “I felt this way for a long time myself but have come to deeply appreciate and enjoy the open-ended nature of this kind of work. You can indulge in its pure color or form without the burden of the story your mind tries to tell you about it. And that can be very calming.”

Some artists, such as Mary Henry, Bridget Riley, and Francis Celentano, used precise line work and saturated color combinations to create illusion and question perception. By contrast, artists associated with the Northwest School, like Mark Tobey, Leo Kenney, and Paul Horiuchi, responded to the world around them through the use of elemental forms, soft tones, and earthy palettes to symbolize and expand upon ideas of human connection and a oneness with nature.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, a recent study found that viewing original artworks in person significantly lowered levels of the stress hormone cortisol by as much as 22% in participants. Benefits were higher still for those who participated in art activities weekly.

Chaloupka added, “Now more than ever, it’s important to center our wellbeing. Art offers us one way to do that, and abstract art, especially, asks us to meet it in the present moment, with no expectations of what a work should mean other than to enjoy that it—and we—exist.”

From the Vault is the first in a series of exhibitions, beginning in 2026, inviting the public to engage with the museum’s extensive art collection. They will explore key artistic movements and shared themes, deepening our understanding and appreciation of the works held in public trust for the City of Bellingham and its community.

Hard Edge/Soft Ground is on view through September 20, 2026.

Vivid Victorian: Whatcom County Fashions from 1860-1900

Also on view in Whatcom Museum's Old City Hall is Vivid Victorian. Set against black-and-white photographs of Whatcom County from the late 1800s, Victorian ensembles reveal the colors that dazzled social events and held up to the rugged streets and daily struggles of the era. Curated by Naomi Whiting, a textile specialist, conservator, and Bellingham resident with a long-standing interest in historical clothing. Vivid Victorian runs through September 27, 2026.