I checked out Make.Shift during last week's Downtown Walk and was blown away by the sheer variety…read moreof art offered here. From modern and contemporary to upcycled to textiles to photography...it's all represented in this spot. Art Walk is a great night to go because you can meet the artists in person and hear about their work and what inspires them.

Every community should have a creative center like Make.Shift to support local arts and music. The…read morespace is non-profit, all -ages, drug-free, and Make.Shift offers practice space to bands passing through for a small fee. Make.Shift is also home to "The Magic Van" a resource for bands looking to tour the PNW who lack access to a band van. This weekend they hosted a local craft fair where there was a button trade, multiple floors of local crafts, and I even picked up some vinyl. Additionally down in the lower level I found an alternative lending library (with zines of course) and some indie publications for sale. There was even an artisan guitar maker who took a break from his craft to talk about what he does. The whole experience was straight up cool. I will make sure to stop back in the next time I am in Bellingham and drop a few bucks in the donation jar because creative spaces like this enrich communities and support the arts for us all.

On the first Friday of every month (yes, even the rainy/snowy ones) the Downtown Bellingham…read morePartnership sponsors a lively walkabout featuring tours of various galleries, cafes, restaurants, bars, and pretty much anywhere art can be displayed. It's a fun and fantastic opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of our city's art community. There's no price for admission, and some of the galleries even offer nibbles, wine, and/or beer! The best part, though, is meeting the artists who come to show off their work in person. You can go to their website to download a map of each month's participating locations, or stop at the Downtown Bellingham office on Commercial St. for a printed copy. This is a serious must-do for anyone wanting to experience the Bham scene!

Fantastic Artwork Museum with great music occasionally ~ Open on some days check the scheduleread more

Western Washington University has a fabulous art collection. Although it is best known for its…read moreworld-class outdoor art, the Western Gallery is wonderful space dedicated to a wide variety of thoughtful -- often cutting-edge art. Tonight (3/2/2017) New York photographer, Arne Svenson discussed his work, some of which is currently on exhibit at the gallery. In addition to talking about "The Neighbors" at the invitation-only soiree, Svenson talked about some of his earlier work. I was particularly taken by his 1985 sock monkey project -- https://goo.gl/images/UCLcHa

When I saw this shop I was so excited to go in. The window displays are fabulous. I tried several…read moretimes and each time, when I arrived, it was closed. I finally did get to visit on an 'open' day but I was disappointed in the treatment I received. The woman working there was very rude. I decided to try again another time but sadly, received the same treatment. As lovely as this place is, I will never buy anything from them. They need to hire some people with class and customer service skills.

I am beyond bored at most antique stores. My wife loves them and I will cheerfully accompany her to…read morethem when I have failed to plan our route to avoid them. Ormolulu had me at Hello. The proprietors are Debbie and Jim. Their curation is amazing. Before we even entered the store, they had good music (Ray Charles) playing at appropriate volume from high quality concealed speakers. More about that in a minute. While they don't have as much guy-stuff as they do girl-stuff, they have ten times as much guy stuff as any other five antique shops I've been in. Before we talked to Debbie about whether it was OK to take pictures (it is OK), I was sneaking photos on my phone where I couldn't be seen. If you want to outfit the best man cave ever, this is the place to shop. Which brings me back to the music. Jim does clever retrofitting of radios and other pieces, putting high quality Bluetooth-capable speakers in them. So there is pleasant music throughout the shop and it's hard to tell where it's coming from. The antiques literally sing. I had a huge grin when I found the first one. I KNOW there's music coming from this wall, but from where...? They should do a lot of these and make them easily discoverable by other than curious audiophiles. I'll post some pictures soon as I get them off my phone.

What a beautiful little store, filled with wonderful works of glass art. Over 70 different artists…read morehave work featured here, and no matter where you look, there is something that catches your eye, until you look to the next piece. The woman that was working there (not sure if she's the owner) was pleasant. We purchased a glass turtle (because we collect them on our adventures) and brought it home to add to our table of turtles. I can't wait to go back up that way and get another piece of art to add to our home. They had a glass kayak that we both fell in love with, and so many other items. It's hard to make yourself just get one. Can't wait to go back.

I think the first review was supposed to be for the glass store across the street…read more.. Artwood is very very cool, a fairly unknown gem consisting of about ten co-op members. Twenty years (or is it more) old, they are a bunch of woodworkers which means they are very tall on amazing work and skimpy on marketing and sales which explains why Artwood is still unknown to most everyone outside of Bellingham and even many who live here. The work seems expensive? Sure, but the people making it and the gallery are not getting rich. One of a kind furniture/woodwork is time intensive, and this country is not a low wage mecca like southeast Asia. Or even mass produced in North America. On other words the value is there, its not blue sky, the question is are you willing or able to pay for it. Erica and crew at the gallery are not woodworkers, but family of woodworkers, so you get good info and a good feeling and things are clean and well organized and displayed. unlike many stores (full disclosure, I am a lifetime career woodworker) their focus is not just about how much they can sell and how long they can withhold payment. Their focus is on making the operation keep going so the woodworkers can make more great stuff. Don't think the items in the gallery were made in the back room at Artwood, or made by the people working at the gallery. The woodworkers are full time people with families and shops and woodworking tools and machinery, and a life staked on it all. My point is admire the design and craftmanship, its amazing. Don't dismiss it as "so expensive" or being unrealistic. Thats unrealistic.....

If I ran an art space, this is what it would look like! A little dark, a little moody, with high…read moreceilings and all sorts of art hanging every which way. This place is super cool! I visited during a recent Art Walk when they even had a great band playing, and some tasty nibbles too. The art when I was there included oil paintings and charcoal. There was also an extensive class schedule (now doesn't that sound like fun). This place is definitely staying on my must-stop list for the next Art Walk.

I can't say enough good things about Frameworks in Bellingham. I recently brought in several pieces…read moreto be framed, including a delicate 75-year-old magazine cover with a unique interior color that wasn't easy to match. The gentleman who helped me, Paul, took a great deal of time and care in selecting the perfect frame, patiently working with me to find just the right one. After the framing was completed (with the materials he had special-ordered), I had second thoughts. The frame, though beautiful, didn't quite feel right. I was hesitant to say anything, given the work and expense already involved. But to my surprise, Paul couldn't have been more understanding. Not only did he offer to take the piece apart and help me choose a new frame, he also gave me a generous discount on the second order. His attitude was kind, respectful, and utterly without ego--just a genuine desire to make sure I was happy with the final result. It's rare these days to find someone who stands so firmly behind their work and treats customers with such care. Frameworks went above and beyond in every sense. I'm deeply grateful--and delighted with the final result. As others have noted before me: this is an exceptional shop offering the very highest in customer care and satisfaction. Highly recommended.

I have a small collection of prints, nothing fancy, just a collection over 30+ years of travel. I…read moretook three new pieces to Bellingham Frameworks recently and I am blown away by every aspect of my interaction and the outcome. The people working here spent a great deal of time helping my find the exact frame components to fit my taste and make the prints look stunning. When I picked them up last week I was simply amazed at how great they look!

I'm a part-time San Juan Islander and a regular visitor to SJIMA. Over the years, I have been…read moreincredibly impressed by the professional presentation of art at SJIMA. I go to a lot of museum exhibitions. I found SJIMA to present an exhibition that is better than any museum in Washington; better than SAM, better than Bainbridge, etc. I'm not sure what has changed; maybe staff is getting complacent, but the last two exhibitions have been incredibly disappointing. The current exhibition of Andy Eccleshall is flat, does not flow and the lighting is terrible. It really is a disservice to Eccleshall as his work is fantastic. The work in the glass room in front looks like a college student's exhibition. The volume of work in the small room is overwhelming and average at best. Again, something must have changed because the last two exhibitions are not up to what my expectations are for SJIMA. I will probably check out the next one but if it is at the level of the last two, I won't be wasting my time or money again.

NOT the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park. Due to some of the pictures and reviews, I thought the…read moresculpture garden was here. It is not. The San Juan Islands Sculpture Park is on the other side of the island at 9083 Roche Harbor Road San Juan Island, WA 98250. This museum was great, but not the one we were looking for.