WWU Art & Art History

10/22/2026

Western Washington University Art and Art History students with professors Cynthia Camlin and Monique Kerman are hosting an open studio event at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in studio 1 of La Cebo building 17, Esplanade du port in Auvillar, France on October 29 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The open studio event concludes the study abroad program they completed at the Moulin à Nef facility, which included several cave visits in France's Dordogne region. The students’ program is an international course exploring deep historical sources of figurative art and its contemporary practice.

Western Washington University Art and Art History students with professors Cynthia Camlin and Monique Kerman are hosting an open studio event at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in studio 1 of La Cebo building 17, Esplanade du port in Auvillar, France on October 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. The open...

10/19/2026

Featuring works by Cynthia Camlin and Cara Jaye, the artwork in “Surge: A Geography of Flow” at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner comes out of a collaboration between visual artists and climate scientists exploring how art can spark conversations about climate change’s impact on the landscape.

Detail of Cara Jaye’s “Surf 1,” which portrays surf smelt and diatoms. Cyanotype and water-based media, 2026. Photo by Cara Jaye.

Featuring works by Cynthia Camlin and Cara Jaye, the artwork in “Surge: A Geography of Flow” at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner comes out of a collaboration between visual artists and climate scientists exploring how art can spark conversations about climate change’s impact on the lan...

10/17/2026

MONDAY at 5 PM - Artist talk with Natalia Arbelaez - https://mailchi.mp/wwu/art-4937068

10/05/2026

Christopher Hartshorne, Senior Instructor of Printmaking, will be featured in the 2026 Pacific States Biennial North American Juried Print Exhibition in Hilo, Hawai'i. The exhibition runs Nov. 2, 2026 through Jan. 14, 2027 at the University of Hawai'i Hilo. Hartshorne's work, "Sight Unseen," was selected from among hundreds of submissions by noted juror Althea Murphy-Price.

Christopher Hartshorne, Senior Instructor of Printmaking, will be featured in the 2026 Pacific States Biennial North American Juried Print Exhibition in Hilo, Hawai'i. The exhibition runs Nov. 2, 2026 through Jan. 14, 2027 at the University of Hawai'i Hilo. Hartshorne's work, "Sight Unseen," was sel...

09/23/2026

Seiko Purdue, WWU Professor of Fiber Arts, is showing her weft ikat at "World of Threads," an international exhibition of works in Toronto from September 23 through January 17. The World of Threads Festival is a leading international showcase of contemporary fiber and textile art. The exhibition features over 900 artworks by 192 artists from 22 countries. Purdue's weft ikat work, pictured, appears among the individual works curated at the exhibition. Weft ikat is a textile design method where horizontal weft yarns are resist-dyed before weaving, meaning the pattern only emerges gradually as the shuttle passes across the loom.

Seiko Purdue, WWU Professor of Fiber Arts, is showing her weft ikat at "World of Threads," an international exhibition of works in Toronto from September 23 through January 17. The World of Threads Festival is a leading international showcase of contemporary fiber and textile art. The exhibition fea...

09/10/2026

As an avid fan of Seattle’s music scene during the late 1990s and early 2000s, photographer Bootsy Holler, ‘92, created a portfolio of little-known bands who later defined a decade in music history.

She chronicled the formative years of artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, Interpol, Modest Mouse, Gossip, Beck, Moby, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Foo Fighters.

Her book “MAKiNG iT: an intimate documentary of the seattle indie, rock & punk scene, 1992-2008” reflects on the second generation of Seattle’s music scene, as the world transitioned from celluloid to digital, grunge to indie.

As an avid fan of Seattle’s music scene during the late 1990s and early 2000s, photographer Bootsy Holler, ‘92, created a portfolio of little-known bands who later defined a decade in music history. She chronicled the formative years of artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, Interpol,...

09/02/2026

Brian Nigus, Instructional Technician for the Department of Art and Art History at Western will have works featured in the Make.Shift Art Space Clipboard show for the September 4 First Friday event. All works sold support working artists studios, facility restoration and repair at the community art space.

Brian Nigus, Instructional Technician for the Department of Art and Art History at Western will have works featured in the Make.Shift Art Space Clipboard show for the September 4 First Friday event. All works sold support working artists studios, facility restoration and repair at the community art....

07/20/2026

What an incredible experience! This dynamic group brought the class to life with curiosity, creativity, and energy! We’re not done yet! Keep an eye out for more details about the exhibition in the B-Gallery during the Fall 2026 term. We can’t wait to see everyone’s NYC inspired journals & projects!

What an incredible experience! This dynamic group brought the class to life with curiosity, creativity, and energy! We’re not done yet! Keep an eye out for more details about the exhibition in the B-Gallery during the Fall 2026 term. We can’t wait to see everyone’s NYC inspired journals & proj...

07/14/2026

Amazing Turnout at Kollide!

On 7/3 Peter Rand’s Experimental Animation class hosted a pop-up exhibition in the main gallery at Lightcatcher Gallery. The event, an interdepartmental collaboration with called “Kollide”, was visited by over 1600 people and was reported as the second highest attendance the museum had seen in a single day in the last 3 years! Please check out the photos of this amazing interdisciplinary project and check the story linked in the comments for the development of the project.

06/26/2026

Free Friday, July 3! Kollide: A Collaborative, Kaleidoscopic, Audiovisual Installation at the Whatcom Museum Lightcatcher Gallery

The experiential pop-up installation runs Friday, July 3, and Sunday, July 5. (The Whatcom Museum will be closed Saturday, July 4.)

Kollide is a collaborative, audiovisual installation that brings together 17 artists from WWU Art & Art History and

Each artist produced original animation in response to a specific section of Kaleidoscope, a flute choir composition by WWU student composer Anna Mitchell.

The animations were then interpreted by six composers from Western’s Electroacoustic Music Studio class, resulting in 17 additional, original music videos. Presented simultaneously across multiple surfaces within the Lightcatcher gallery, the videos and musical works are recombined into a single artwork.

Visitors are invited to move about the installation and experience the shifting perspectives available at every turn.