About Western Gallery
Letter from the Director
Dear Art Friends,
Welcome to Western Gallery! We are excited you have found your way to our website. Thank you for your interest in our collections and programs. I am looking forward to the lineup of new exhibitions for our 2026-27 academic year featuring recent paintings by South Asian American artist Rajkamal Kahlon this fall, a 30-year survey of work by feminist Chicana artist Celia Herrera Rodriguez in the spring, followed by our annual presentation of the Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates. Each exhibition will offer an array of public programs to delve further into the work of these amazing artists. I hope you will join us.
This will be my first full year of programs as Director of Western Gallery, and I am eager to share my vision to bring dynamic contemporary art to Bellingham. Each of our upcoming exhibitions will present a range of ideas, material explorations, and strategies to inspire deep thinking. I invite you to visit, look closely, ask questions, and hopefully leave with a new way to appreciate our world.
There is more. Our campus boasts an incredible collection of Outdoor Sculpture (some indoors too). Do you have a favorite? Is there one that particularly puzzles you? Come take a tour with a Western Gallery Intern. Our interns are knowledgeable, engaging guides to help visitors learn more about the Western Gallery Collection. They also have the inside scoop on the mysterious disappearance (and return) of the Tom Otterness “Sunbather.”
Western Gallery and all our programs are FREE and open to all. This is YOUR place to experience visual art. I look forward to seeing you in the gallery, or maybe even meditating near your favorite sculpture.
Warmly,
Kelly Lindner
Director, Western Gallery
Mission
Western Gallery is committed to creating an environment for learning through the visual arts. Our mission is to create dynamic art experiences for students, faculty, staff, and community, through exhibitions, collections, public programs, publications, and tours. The gallery acts as a center for innovation, experimentation inviting discussion and an exchange of ideas on critical issues in contemporary art. Integrated into the cultural fabric of Western Washington University and Bellingham, Western Gallery is a regional resource for visual art.
Internships
The gallery offers internship opportunities in conjunction with the Museum Studies minor at Western.
Student Jobs
Western Gallery employs 10-12 work study students each year as gallery attendants. Gallery Attendants are responsible for greeting visitors, providing security for artworks on display, and answering questions about the exhibition during gallery open hours.