Mission Statement

Our mission is to engage the community by providing all-ages spaces for art and music in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.

 

MAKE.HISTORY

Make.Shift is a 501(c)3 nonprofit formed in 2008. The organization was started with the modest goal of being a support network for local bands. Flagship programs in the early days were The Magic Van, and bike generator program. With the initial mission of supporting local musicians and lightening their environmental impact, our biodiesel van was free to local musicians who didn’t have a touring van, helping more than a dozen local bands tour as far away as California and Idaho. Make.Shift soon added the Power Wheels program — two bicycle-powered generators that powered dozens of live shows and events. For years Make.Shift was run out of volunteers’ homes while we searched for a central headquarters.


October 2011 saw Make.Shift move into the former Jinx Art Space at 306 Flora. This move opened up the doors for more Make.Shift projects. Today, Make.Shift is home to an all-ages art gallery and music venue, 12 affordable art studios and 6 band practice spaces, as well as a backlined practice space and open art studio that can be rented by the hour. Our low-power community radio station, KZAX 94.9 FM, lives just a few blocks away. We host art walks on the first Friday of each month, all-ages, substance-free concerts most Fridays and Saturdays, and weekly all-ages and all-experience-level workshops every Saturday in our classroom space.

 

MAKE.NEWS