WWU employee, alumna featured downtown at Friday's Art Walk

Alumna Shirley Erickson and Western employee Leanna Bowman will be featured artists during the First Friday Downtown Bellingham Art Walk on Friday, Dec.1 from 6-8 p.m. at Western City Center, located at 1155 N. State Street on the first floor of the Bellingham Herald building.

Wine, beer,  hot chocolate and appetizers will be served.

Shirley Erickson has created art in Bellingham since the late 70’s.  She received her BFA from WWU in 1996, graduating Magna Cum Laude.   She did post graduate work for five sessions at Pilchuck Glass School and two sessions at Red Deer College. 

She exhibits actively and has her work in many private, corporate and public collections.  She continues to create using the many skills she has learned over the years. 
She paints, makes jewelry, works in mixed media, welds and creates sculpture with metal and glass. And she also teaches sculpture and welding classes at Bellingham Technical College.

Erickson has also served on the board of the Artist Trust, the Big Rock Garden Sculpture Committee, and was a Bellingham Arts Commissioner for over 15 years.

Leanna Bowman is a Western employee who spends much of her spare  time in her studio making jewelry. She has a keen eye for using worked metal and beaded jewelry and is a very creative and prolific artist.