The works of 55 women artists go on display Friday, April 4 at the Dakota Gallery in downtown Bellingham in conjunction with CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival. CASCADIA introduced the exhibition of work by women artists from throughout the region in 2024 as an extension of the festival’s celebration of artistic work created by women.
This year's exhibit will open Friday, April 4 at 6 p.m. at the Dakota Gallery, 1322 Cornwall, during downtown Bellingham's April Artwalk. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The art will remain on display through May 24.
Barbara Matilsky, art historian and curator, selected this year’s artwork. “Our first exhibition featured 36 artists. Now, the number is 55,” says Matilsky who also curated the 2024 exhibition. “I wanted to include as many artists as possible to fit into the Dakota Art Gallery in order to draw attention to the tremendous talent of Pacific Northwest women artists.”
Last year’s opening at the Dakota Gallery drew one of the gallery’s biggest crowds of the year with more than 300 people attending. Matilsky says the works in this year’s exhibition are extremely strong with a variety of themes, styles and media represented to make for a fascinating visual experience.
As with the film festival which features the films of women directors, the exhibit calls attention to the visual women artists working in our region. Matilsky believes that recognition is especially important right now because women’s rights and freedoms are under attack in many areas of the country.
“During the past 25 years or so, women have achieved incredible success and visibility in all fields. This is especially true in the visual arts,” she says. She remembers when large-scale exhibitions at major museums featured only a few women artists, and an even smaller number of people of color.
“Now,” says Matilsky, "women are represented by major galleries and museums and have made significant contributions to the history of contemporary art.”
ABOUT CASCADIA
CASCADIA is a 501-c3 organization whose four-day film festival celebrates the power of stories told by women to entertain, enlighten, and inspire. By bringing together international cinema, artists, filmmakers, and moviegoers, CASCADIA builds community locally and within the film industry nationally and worldwide. The festival has proudly presented the work of more than 250 women directors globally and will feature approximately 30 films over the in-person festival.
