BELLINGHAM - When the Lightcatcher Building opens to the public Nov. 14, visitors will be able to stand in the open courtyard and stare up at the gently curved glass wall that gives the new addition to the Whatcom Museum its name.

They can walk into the hushed space of the main gallery and ponder what looks like 10 large white paper bells hanging from the ceiling - some of them suspended over a vat of black inky water as part of sculptor John Grade's installation. Called "Bloom: The Elephant Bed," it is one of the Lightcatcher's two inaugural exhibits.

Or they can explore the new Family Interactive Gallery with their children, who will be able to play with an interlocking foam sculpture, listen to water falling while sitting in the Rain Hut or pretend to sit around a campfire in the woods.

Workers have been busy readying the 42,000-square-foot building at 250 Flora St. for its grand opening.

"It's not completely done. We're on the homestretch here," said Patricia Leach, executive director of the Whatcom Museum, early last week during a media tour of the building, its opening exhibits and the family gallery, already dubbed the FIG.

OLD AND NEW

The Lightcatcher carries a total price tag of $18.3 million, with $12.9 million of that for construction.

The project is being financed with a combination of bonds repaid with sales tax revenue, private fundraising efforts by Campaign for the Arts and the Whatcom Museum Foundation, as well as grants.

The building is being seen as a cultural anchor of downtown Bellingham - one its designers expect to hold its own against the iconic landmarks of the Mount Baker Theatre and the 1892 Old City Hall Building.

The red Old City Hall served as the main art gallery space for Whatcom Museum prior to the Lightcatcher. But the modern Lightcatcher will have state-of-the-art systems to control temperature, light and moisture. That will allow museum officials to bring in better art, including traveling exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution.

Standing at the Lightcatcher, it's possible to see the Old City Hall at 121 Prospect St. that will continue to be used for offices for museum staff as well as rental for public events.

Plans call for converting the 1892 building into a space that would provide an overview of the history, natural history and ethnography of the region.

The Lightcatcher Building is the first of the Whatcom Museum's complex built specifically to serve as an art gallery. It also is part of a project more than a decade in the making to economically revitalize downtown Bellingham by drawing people to a cultural district.

THE LIGHTCATCHER

Stephen Yamada-Heidner stood in the courtyard of the Lightcatcher early last week, talking about the inspiration behind architect Jim Olson's design of the building. Both men are with Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, the Seattle firm that won the international competition to design the new museum.

Olson wanted the space to be open, to link to street life outside, to connect to what is natural about the region.

"His whole concept was to warm it up," said Yamada-Heidner, also an architect.

Hence, an open courtyard with views of the sidewalk and windows that allow passersby to see into parts of the museum, as well as a color scheme reminiscent of the bark found on the area's trees and rocks on its beaches.

The curved wall - 37 feet tall and 180 feet long - also reflects Olson's wish to connect inside to out.

The translucent wall will collect and reflect light. It also will glow with the light that's inside the building.

"It's intended to be viewed from the outside. It's intended to be seen as a beacon of light," Yamada-Heidner said.

The wall also is part of the Lightcatcher's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver standard construction. The LEED standard requires the use of natural light and natural ventilation.

The wall has some glass panes connected to a computer that will open and close them to moderate temperatures.

The building's other eco-friendly attributes include:

• Energy efficiency through radiant floor heating.

• A cistern that catches rainwater for use to flush toilets, allowing the museum to save 200,000 gallons of water annually.

• A green roof that will provide some insulation as well as divert stormwater runoff.

• Using stormwater to water the rain gardens.

THE ART

"Out of Bounds: Art from the Collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky" and "Bloom: The Elephant Bed," will be the Lightcatcher's first two exhibits, which will focus on contemporary art.

Early last week, John Grade talked about the inspiration for his abstract sculptures, the white bell-like pieces hanging down from the Lightcather's 26-foot-tall gallery.

Microscopic algae called coccolithophores inspired his installation.

"They live just below the surface of the ocean," Grade said.

When they die, their calcium carbonate skeletons fall to the bottom of the ocean; 200,000 years ago they helped form the white cliffs of Dover in the United Kingdom that geologists have dubbed the elephant bed.

That ancient death into new form will be replayed during the course of Grade's exhibition, when some of the sculptures - made from paper-like material - will be lowered into the water beneath and allowed to slowly dissolve.

"Out of Bounds" features art collected by the Zirinskys.

"The Zirinskys are very politically aware," said Barbara Matilsky, art curator for the Whatcom Museum. "The Zirinskys have many works that address the feminine roles of women."

The title refers to the wide-ranging taste of the collectors; the show features more than 80 pieces in all media, including painting, sculpture, video and installation art. It also refers to the artists themselves, who transcend borders in that they come from around the world.

They delve into global political issues, identity and people's relationship with the planet.

Four pieces explore the Sept. 11 terror attacks, including an oil on canvas by Hung Liu that shows a woman's neck pierced by a crane.

THE FIG

The building is unusual in that it is a space for fine art and children's activities, all under one roof.

"How do you marry art with a children's activity space?" Leach said.

The Family Interactive Gallery seems to be the answer to that question, with the aim of connecting youngsters to art and the natural environment. The 3,000-square-foot gallery is what Leach has described as a new and improved version of the former Children's Museum, which was housed in another building and has since closed.

"Everything in here is based on art activities, art experiences," said Larry Ackerley, a partner in Seattle-based LA CAB, designer of the all-ages space.

If the other two galleries in the museum are for viewing art, the FIG allows children to make their own art, to appreciate art that's been tailored to them, to discover through play.

Via different activity zones, they can make their own sculptures, create a story on a magnetic painting made by local artist Randy Clark, also known as "Fish Boy," and learn about animation by creating their own video short and playing back scenes on a monitor.

In the middle of the large gallery is a toddler interactive space, made up of a smooth and sinuous wooden playpen created by Smith & Vallee Woodworks, based out of Deming. The wood for the playpen and the other activity zone stations in the room came mostly from native alder trees that were sustainably harvested - and rounded and smoothed to create different stations with children in mind.

One highlight for children likely will be the Rain Hut, which is intended to teach youngsters where rain goes after it hits the roof. They also can walk into the hut, sit down, push buttons and hear things like rain, wind, seagulls or bees.

"Now you're creating a whole soundscape," Ackerley said over the noise.

In the days before the Lightcatcher Building opens to the public, one of the many people who helped make it possible reflected on what it could mean to the community.

"It's an enthusiastic restatement of how important our core area is," said Dunham Gooding, president of the Bellingham-Whatcom Public Facilities District.

The district is among the public and private entities helping to create a cultural district downtown.

"It's just one of many things found there (downtown)," he said of the Lightcatcher, "but it's an important part of a center to our county and our city that provides great opportunities for personal experience in terms of culture, learning and social interaction."

OPENING DAY

What: Grand opening of the Whatcom Museum Lightcatcher Building.

When: Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m. for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Doors to the museum open at noon.

Where: 250 Flora St. in downtown Bellingham, at the corner of Grand Avenue.

Cost: Entry is free on opening day. The museum closes at 5 p.m.

Inaugural exhibits

• "Out of Bounds: Art from the Collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky," which runs through March 21.

• "Bloom: The Elephant Bed," which is an installation of sculptures by John Grade. It runs through April 10.

Details: Call 778-8930.

MUSEUM HOURS, PRICES

Whatcom Museum's Lightcatcher Building will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. After opening day, regular admission for non-museum members will be $10 for adults; $8 for students, seniors and military; $4.50 for children 5 and younger.

Museum officials rolled out a new program Oct. 1 that offered nine membership packages. They range in price from $30 for educators, students, seniors and those in the military, to $75 for friends and family, to $500 for those who want to be patrons. There also is a $50 individual membership rate and a $150 Smithsonian Affiliate level.

There is no admission charge for museum members.

To learn more about membership packages, call Kristin Costanza at 778-8939.