Setting Sun Circle
Join us as the journey begins…
A new home for Indigenous innovation, healing and collective action
After a decade of amplifying Indigenous voices through films, podcasts, research and gatherings, we are embarking on a bold next chapter: the creation of Setting Sun Circle.
Setting Sun Circle is a 17,000 sq. ft. immersive storytelling and cultural experience center in downtown Bellingham. It will be a space where storytelling, innovation, and Indigenous Knowledge meet the urgent challenges of our time.
“As storytellers, we’re answering the call to action.”
— Darrell Hillaire
A place of creation and healing
By bringing together Native storytellers, artists, researchers, technologists, and educators, Setting Sun Circle will support healing, artistry and Indigenous innovation at the highest level. Our new space will be home to:
Production studios for films and podcasts
Research informing policy and academia
K-12 education opportunities and resources
An artists-in-residence program
At the heart of Setting Sun Circle is the continued urgency to drive social and environmental change for the benefit of all people and communities. Our storytellers and innovators will continue to explore real solutions to climate resilience and biodiversity protection and regeneration while upholding Indigenous rights.
Our transformative stories – centered, inspired, and produced – by Indigenous voices, will inspire a shift in culture at scale.
Community experiences rooted in spirit
Visitors to Setting Sun Circle will explore and interact with:
Traditional and contemporary Coast Salish gallery
Immersive theater and performance space
50-foot curved LED video wall
Healing garden and Coast Salish Living Mural
Retail space dedicated to Indigenous creators
Chef’s kitchen
Most vital to the space are the people who fill it with spirit, ideas and good intention.
We understand our shared responsibility to create a transformative space of cross-cultural learning through Coast Salish stories, lifeways, and artistic expression.
We are seeking gifts to help bring this vision to life. We invite you to make a bold and meaningful gift to our region’s Indigenous communities.
With your support, we can amplify Indigenous values and light the way toward a resilient and thriving future for all communities along the Salish Sea and beyond — so that we may learn, create, and grow, together.
To contribute to the Setting Sun Circle project or programs, contact Erin Malone, Director of Individual Giving, at 360-223-0668.