Mission

The Bellingham Metal Arts Guild (BMAG) exists as a non-profit 501(c)(3), community-based membership organization for people with varying skill levels and interests in the metal arts. It provides a forum for the appreciation of and involvement in the diverse field of metal arts through educational activities such as lectures, demonstrations, classes, and guest workshops.

Objectives

BMAG seeks to offer members and our surrounding community an avenue to broaden their creative pursuits by striving to:

BMAG is committed to facilitating communication and enhancing engagement between other art organizations and their stakeholders in Bellingham and surrounding communities.

History

The Bellingham Metal Arts Guild (BMAG) is a non-profit guild created by and for lovers of the metal arts.

How It All Started

A small group of passionate artists, students and teachers began the process of forming BMAG at the end of January, 2012 with a meeting at the now closed Pouncing Rain Jewelry & Metalworking Center. The interests expressed by the 24 people who attended this meeting were noted and used to create our Mission Statement and Objectives along with additional input from others in the community. Based on that meeting the owner of Pouncing Rain, Ms. Kathleen McGregor, agreed to donate much of her equipment to BMAG. It was due to this kind donation that BMAG was first brought into existence. Since then, many other people have donated or placed on loan equipment to BMAG.

What We Have Been Doing

• Provided classes since 2013
• Improved the studio with new resources
• Incorporated as a Washington State nonprofit corporation
• Received our IRS tax-exempt status 501(c)(3)
• Substantially expanded class topics for all skill levels
• Recruited new, highly qualified instructors who are practicing professionals in their areas of expertise
• Launched a community support project where BMAG is providing donations to other secular non-profits for their fund raising events