Mindport began in downtown Bellingham as an experimental project of three friends, and it has continued for almost 30 years under the guidance of a small number of dedicated staff. Kevin Jones, the museum’s founding director, retired in 2019, and funding from a generous donor who has been financially supporting the museum for decades is coming to an end, so we feel the business is at a natural stopping point.

Sharing this space—providing a place for countless visitors to slow down, look, think, experiment, play and spend time with one another—has been an amazing journey!

On Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, 370 people gathered to say goodbye to Mindport Exhibits, creating a memorable, record-breaking send-off. Some attendees were visiting for the first time, while many longtime friends came to bid farewell. There was a lot of love in the room. We are grateful to our community for seeing us out in such a heartfelt way!

Many of Mindport’s custom-made, interactive exhibits will be relocated to new homes in Whatcom County in 2025. Locations will be announced before the end of 2024. Please subscribe to our email list by filling out the form on the bottom of this page if you would like to be notified when that announcement is made.

Mindport was a privately-owned business that had been reliant on substantial financial assistance from a donor. That funding, which supported operations and programs here, was coming to an end and would not be available to a new owner. Thus, due to financial considerations, new ownership was a path that could not be pursued.

That is an option that we explored in recent years with legal and nonprofit consultants. To be successful and sustainable, Mindport would need to be set up, managed and funded as a nonprofit. This means creating and sustaining a nonprofit structure capable of continually raising the substantial sum of money needed to support exhibits, programs and other operations.

There are already more than 120 arts, culture and humanities nonprofits in the Bellingham area doing important work here. Mindport chose to close instead of entering that market and competing for limited funds with our museum friends and other vital organizations.

We are pleased to report that 210 W. Holly St. has been gifted to Children of the Setting Sun Productions, a local Indigenous-led nonprofit. CSSP is developing Setting Sun Labs — a vibrant lab space that will share films, podcasts, events, a digital heritage library, immersive media and contemporary art. Their vision is to create an immersive experience gallery, a Coast Salish lifeways gallery, digital media production studios, an artist-in-residence program, and maker spaces for Indigenous artists to create and interact with each other and the community. Learn more by reading this September 2024 media release​.

Effective January 2024, the Correspondence Club, which meets one Saturday per month, will transition to the Bellingham Public Library’s Skillshare space at 210 Central Avenue in Bellingham. People will still be able to learn the art of making snail mail collage, note cards and envelope assemblage in the company of mail art enthusiasts. All materials will continue to be provided.