Each month Echoes hosts ‘Hamster Church, a gathering in which we invite a member from the larger Bellingham community to share about their life - why are they here? what are they doing to make life better here in the ‘ham? how can we learn from them? Past participants have included an iconic drag queen, a panel of local Muslim women, local artists, and more. Bellingham harbors a lot of colorful characters!
This month features Brad Lockhart!
Brad is Bellingham's local flag prodigy. This public conversation will focus on flag design and his stories around flag making. You may be familiar with the recent nail-biting drama around a new Seattle flag? We'll hear about that, how the whole Bellingham flag thing got its start, as well as other design that Brad has done and is planning. It's an excellent story, and we're excited to share this conversation with Bellingham! There will be time for Q&A at the end. You can peruse the extent of his work at lariatcreative.com and prepare some questions!
Bradley James Lockhart is a graphic artist, musician, and animator from Whatcom County. Brad is a graduate of Whatcom Community College and Western Washington University with degrees in visual art and digital design. In 2015 he had the opportunity to design a flag for Bellingham as part of an unofficial contest. The flag grew and grew in popularity across the community until it was officially adopted by the Bellingham City Council in April of 2017. Brad’s unique style blends meaningful imagery and ionic design which can be seen throughout his many logo, poster and flag designs. In addition to design, he works as a freelance animator through his own studio, Lariat Creative. Animation has afforded Brad the opportunity to record songs, voice act and animate characters for media companies and independent artists, authors and filmmakers.
Our conversation facilitator is Charis Weathers, founder of Echoes, and a pastor on the Echoes collaborative team. She has a deep love for this region, and thinks 'hamster church is a great way to BE church.
The event is free and open to all; donations are welcome.
Location is the Old Parish Hall, 2116 Walnut St, which is made possible by St Paul’s Episcopal Church.
A variety of snacks will be available; feel free to contribute!
For more information contact Charis Weathers
charis@echoesbellingham.org