AFTER HOURS

Ernst Haeckel (German, 1834-1919); Reef-forming coral with six-fold symmetry, from the book, Art Forms in Nature (Hexacoralla, Kunstformen der Natur), 1904; Lithographic and halftone print. Courtesy of Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology, Kansas City, Missouri.

EVENTS

Endangered Species:
Artists on the Front Line of Biodiversity
Whatcom Museum | 8.8.18–1.6.19

The exhibition, Endangered Species: Artists on the Front Line of Biodiversity, presents 80 works of art in all media, from rare books to cutting-edge video, spanning the 19th through 21st centuries. It highlights artists who celebrate biodiversity’s exquisite complexity, interpret natural and human-induced extinctions of plants and animals, and focus on endangered species from diverse ecosystems. The exhibition explores art’s historic role in raising public awareness about the human activities that threaten habitats. Weaving together art, natural science, and conservation.

Endangered Species highlights an international group of 52 artists who celebrate biodiversity’s beauty, interpret natural and human-induced extinctions of plants and animals, and focus on species from diverse ecosystems under stress. It also includes the work of artists who spotlight the human activities that threaten biodiversity alongside projects that revitalize habitats and reconnect people to the rich tapestry of life.

The exhibition spotlights five thematic concepts: Celebrating Biodiversity’s Beauty and Complexity: From Landscapes to Microscopic Imagery; Mammoths and Dinosaurs: Interpreting Natural Extinction; Portraits of Loss: Extinction by Human Actions; Endangered Species: Plants and Animals on the Edge of Survival, and At the Crossroads: Destruction or Preservation of Biodiversity.

Endangered Species has been organized with the intent of impacting public discourse about biodiversity while advancing the artist’s pivotal role in building awareness. By tracing links between contemporary and earlier artists, the exhibition examines art’s contribution to an enduring cultural legacy of nature conservation.

The exhibition will run from September 8 through January 6, 2019 at the Whatcom Museum. For more info visit whatcommuseum.org.


FILM

Far Out, A Film by Teton Gravity Research

SEPT 26 Bellingham, get ready! TGR is returning to the Mount Baker Theatre for the Winter kickoff party of the year. You won’t want to miss this one-night-only premiere of the new feature-length ski and snowboard film, Far Out. There will be prizes from REI, Yeti, Atomic, Volkl, Outdoor Research, and more, plus everyone in attendance will have a shot at the tour grand prizes. Don’t miss your chance to see Far Out on the big screen.

Mount Baker Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Tickets at mountbakertheatre.com.


MUSIC

Mike Allen Quartet

Whatcom Jazz Music Arts Center

SEPT 12 WJMAC welcomes Western Canadian Music Award-winning saxophonist Mike Allen back to the WJMAC stage! He returns with his quartet, featuring the incomparable Miles Black on piano, with eloquent, masterful jazz.

Sylvia Center for the Arts, 7 p.m. wjmac.org.


Arête Quartet featuring NYC guitarist Will Bernard

Whatcom Jazz Music Arts Center

SEPT 19 NYC jazz/funk guitarist, Will Bernard, joins Arête Quartet for this very special performance. Multiple Grammy-nominee Will Bernard has worked with luminaries Don Cherry, Tom Waits, Ben Sidran, Stanton Moore, Dr John, Charlie Hunter, Medeski/Martin/Wood and many others. He brings masterful guitar-playing and several of his compositions to the genre-bending Arête Quartet, teaming with Joe Doria (keyboards), Steve Jones (bass) and Joel Litwin (drums).

Sylvia Center for the Arts, 7 p.m. wjmac.org.


Milica Jovanović

SEPT 29 Pianist Milica Jelača Jovanović is joined by bassoonist Pat Nelson and a classical string quintet for a special performance at the Jansen Art Center. The quintet includes Laura Camacho, violin; Grant Donnellan, violin; Eric Kean, violin; Coral Marchant, cello, and Spencer Hoveskeland, bass. Works by Gardel, Keyper, and Mozart will complement the evening’s centerpiece — Chopin’s Concerto in E Minor, Op. 11.

Jansen Art Center, 7:30 p.m. Tickets at jansenartcenter.org.


RHYTHM & BEAUTY

Whatcom Symphony Orchestra

SEPT 30 The Whatcom Symphony Orchestra opens its 43rd season with the premiere of a new piece by local composer Scott Henderson, titled Cascadiana. Inspired by the majesty of our natural landscape, the piece commemorates the 50th anniversary of the North Cascades National Park, established on Oct. 2, 1968. Repertoire also includes Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

Mount Baker Theatre, 3 p.m. Tickets at mountbakertheatre.com.


Press Play! Video Games with the Symphony

Whatcom Symphony Orchestra

OCT 15 Gain a new understanding of symphonic instruments in technology and life. The Whatcom Symphony Orchestra will be featuring music from popular video games to explore careers in music and technology, while introducing students to the orchestra. Students will learn about the history of music in video games. From Tetris to Angry Birds to Minecraft, we are exploring video game music from past to present. Today’s video-game composers frequently are inspired by and reference great orchestral composers of the past. These composers use cutting-edge technology to create their scores and work with orchestras and graphics designers.

Mount Baker Theatre, 10 a.m. & 12:15 p.m. Tickets at mountbakertheatre.com.


Classical at the Museum

Whatcom Symphony Orchestra

OCT 12 In honor of the Whatcom Museum’s Endangered Species: Artists on the Front Line of Biodiversity exhibition, join members of the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the unique relationship between music and biodiversity, with chamber performances in the Rotunda Room of Old City Hall. Explore how composers choose to express their relationships with diverse bird species through birdsongs, and join in a short trivia game!

Old City Hall, Noon–1 p.m. Free with Museum admission. whatcommuseum.org.


TALK

Jane Goodall:
Tomorrow & Beyond

OCT 8 Jane Goodall, conservationist and world-renowned expert on chimpanzees, is founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Her discovery that chimpanzees make a use of tools rocked the scientific world and redefined the relationship between humans and animals. She travels the world speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees, environmental crises and her reasons for hope. Her talk is part of the Western Washington University Fraser Lecture Series.

Mount Baker Theatre, 7 p.m. Tickets at mountbakertheatre.com.


VISUAL

Boneyard and Bloom: Paintings by Cynthia Camlin

SEPT 6 – NOV 30 Cynthia Camlin’s paintings from 2017 interpret changes in the world’s oceans. The ghostly architecture of bleached coral in Boneyard evokes the withering of life in an acidifying ocean. Bloom is an ongoing series of paintings that revel in the fertility of growing reef systems. These underwater vignettes have been an opportunity for multilayered experiments with paint and process.

Jansen Art Center, jansenartcenter.org.


Whatcom Artist Studio Tour: Showcase Exhibit

SEPT 6 – NOV 30 The Whatcom Artist Studio Tour is celebrating 24 years with an amazing group of 39 artists working in nine different media throughout Whatcom County. This exhibit showcases many artists participating in the 2018 tour. Visit the Jansen Art Center to preview the work of the artists on tour and pick up your Whatcom Artist Studio Tour guidebook. During the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour, artists open their studios to the public. Visitors will meet the artists and get a glimpse into their creative process. Many of the artists will offer tours of their workspaces or demonstrations of the tools and process they use to create their art.

Jansen Art Center, Bellingham, and throughout Whatcom County. Artist information and tour maps at studiotour.net.


Fibers & Beyond Exhibit

SEPT 6 – NOV 30 Colorful, finely crafted, elegant and playful work in fiber media by local and nationally known artists will be exhibited at the Janson Art Center during the Fibers & Beyond exhibit. Featured artists include John Mullarkey, Caryn Friedlander, Patti Barker, Liz Moncrief, Marilyn Olsen and Sheri Ward. The exhibit will also include woven rugs by the late Jo Morgan and work by members of the Whatcom Weavers Guild that showcases tablet and floor loom weaving techniques, eco-dyed monoprints, hand stitching and felting. Don’t miss the annual Fibers & Beyond Conference and Sale, at the J from Oct. 10–13 that includes a keynote speaker, workshops and the popular Whatcom Weavers Guild sale.

Jansen Art Center, jansenartcenter.org.


2018 Fall Juried Exhibit

SEPT 6 – NOV 30 The Juried Exhibits are open to the public as a way to showcase the artistic talent in Whatcom County and the surrounding region. Each season, artists are invited to submit up to five pieces to be judged by a qualified jury made up of artists, curators, and other figures in the arts community. The selected pieces are displayed in the Jansen Art Center for the community to enjoy. There were 195 items from 46 artists submitted to the Fall Juried Exhibit. The jury selected artwork from 35 artists, with 81 pieces being chosen from those submitted. Jansen Art Center, jansenartcenter.org.