Featured Artists
Each month, we showcase the work of a local queer artist by hosting a reception during Downtown Bellingham’s First Friday Art Walk, and then displaying their work on the walls of the BQC Center in a month-long exhibition.
Would you like to apply to be one of our upcoming featured artists? Please email us at info@bellinghamqueercollective.org!
Matthew Crane: December Featured artist
We were thrilled to welcome back Matthew Crane as our featured artist for December. As both a Queer and HIV-positive artist, his work aligns powerfully with this month’s World AIDS Day theme. For this exhibition he shares previously private works that speak directly to his lived HIV+ experiences, honoring both personal truth and collective history. He also offers deeper insight into other pieces, revealing how living with HIV quietly weaves its threads through every layer of his creative process. Matthew joined us for a special reception during this month’s First Friday Art Walk and his work will be displayed at the Center through the end of December.
Previous artists
Matthew Crane
In November 2025, we featured the work of local artist Matthew Crane at the BQC Center with a reception during the First Friday Art Walk and a month long exhibition.
Matthew is an LGBTQ+ artist located in Bellingham, WA. He creates vibrant, emotionally layered works that channel and explore healing, energetic movement, and transformation. His process bridges the visual and the visceral, inviting viewers into moments of reflection, empowerment, and hope.
Sarah Sokol
In October 2025, we featured the work of local artist Sarah Sokol at the BQC Center with a reception during the First Friday Art Walk and a month long exhibition.
Sarah grew up camping in the wilds of Washington state, and finds inspiration in the textures, colors and energy of the Pacific Northwest. She uses acrylic paint on canvas to create fantastical scenes, strange creatures, and abstract textural exploration.
