Mindport Exhibits, an interactive museum in downtown Bellingham, will close this fall after nearly 30 years.
The privately owned business cited challenges following the retirement of founding director Kevin Jones in 2019, and the end of funding from a longtime donor. The exact closing date will be announced soon.
“Financial support from a dedicated and generous donor was key to making so many wonderful things possible at Mindport,” said Tallie Jones, Kevin’s daughter and executive director of Mindport, in a news release. “That support allowed what started as an experiment to grow and become an active part of the community for many years.”
The museum explored alternatives to closing, such as changing Mindport’s business model to a nonprofit, but ultimately chose to close instead of compete “for limited funds with its museum friends and other vital organizations,” Tallie Jones said in the release.
Mindport was founded in 1995 by friends Kevin Jones, Robin Burnett and Joe Edwards, and aimed to blend science and art in its interactive exhibits. Each one-of-a-kind feature was hand-built by staff.
“The founders were driven by their own experiences in biology, physics, electronics, art and all the ways people — especially children — interact and learn through wonder,” Tallie Jones said in the release.
The museum offered curated art installations featuring local and regional artists, and brought traveling exhibits to venues around Whatcom County. Mindport also operated a low- to no-cost tutoring program.
The museum employed two full-time and six part-time staff members.
The building is not expected to stay vacant for long, and conversations with a new potential owner are underway with an announcement expected soon, the release stated.
Meanwhile, Tallie Jones is looking for new homes for Mindport’s interactive exhibits.
“We have been part of many people’s memories, and they of ours,” Kevin Jones said in the release. “We are grateful to have been a presence in downtown Bellingham for almost 30 years, and we’re going to miss being here.”
Updates on closing events, exhibit transitions and other developments will be posted online. Questions can be directed to Tallie Jones at 360-647-5614.
Mindport is currently open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is a sliding scale from free to $10.
