July: Collectively Assembled
Collectively Assembled: Heads, Bodies, Fins, and Claws
cadavre exquis from the Salish Sea
July 3rd to – July 25th, 2026
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Saturday 11am – 4pm
Opening Reception: July 3rd, 6pm-9pm
1213 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
What if 62 artists contributed an 18” x 24” drawing as parts of 22 composite drawings loosely depicting Salish Sea animals? Using the fun drawing game the Surrealists used to play, exquisite corpse, artists made a blind pick of a pre-selected Salish Sea animal part prepared by the inventor and curator of the exhibition, Suzanne Morlock.
New to Bellingham, local visual artist, Suzanne Morlock, conceived of this game idea to help her
become acquainted with local creative folks, learn more about a selection of Salish Sea animals and have some creative fun. Allied Arts accepted Morlock’s proposal for this collaborative game idea in the fall of 2025. The show will be in the Allied Arts Gallery, 1213 Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham, July 3-
25, 2026.
With a vision which by-passes the thinking mind, the freedom to not over think is the artist’s secret
power. Stretching the artist to think outside the box, participants created, using their own style, the
portion of the animal they picked. The drawings were executed with a supplied big, black Sharpie
marker. One participant quipped, “What a fun project! I never work that big! Or with sharpies. I might
have to work this way more often.”
What will these Salish Sea creatures look like? What spectacular, hilarious and exotic results will make
up this exhibition bringing the head, hand and imagination of individual area artists together to “see”
something new, bypassing the typical tools individual artist use to “make art”. Another participant
described the process as, “… This is great! … this is hard … this sucks … I suck … maybe … well that’s
kinda cool … this is great!”
The July 3rd reception will be a flashy opening honoring the depicted animals and the humans who
drew them. Mark the opening date, Friday July 3rd 6-9pm – an opening not to be missed! An assortment
of species will be a part of the festivities as well as some special guests. Ecoacoustician, Andrea Lynn
has prepared a sound piece, Voices Beneath the Waves, which will play in the gallery using sounds
harvested from the sea. Dancers, Aowyn Leiper, Kaitlin Nelson and Karmen Samione will respond will
respond to the visual and sound art with an original movement piece. Bait bites will be served as we
celebrate the Salish Sea and spark conversation and care for the ecosystem.
In partnership with Bellingham SeaFeast, Morlock’s collectively assembled will be part of a larger
curated exhibition of creative collaborations SeaFeast has undertaken during the nonprofit’s ten year
history. Look out for more details on the 10th anniversary celebrations of SeaFeast’s “fishy fun” and
creative retrospective at the Cordata Gallery August 22 through October 24, 2026.
For more information visit www.alliedarts.org or contact us at 360-676-8548 or gallery@alliedarts.org.
