Powerful Exhibit Looks at the Mount St. Helens Eruption
This month marks 35 years since Mount St. Helens blew her stack
By Brangien Davis May 6, 2015
This article originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
Living with volcanoes in your backyard breeds a certain nonchalance; our prominent peaks make for inspiring vistas and weather gauges, sure, but unless they’re actively rumbling, we rarely think about their explosive potential.
On May 18, 1980, that tranquil attitude was shaken when Mount St. Helens erupted in a spray of gas and rock that lasted for nine hours, extended more than 200 square miles, killed 57 people and blocked out the sun. In the exhibit Living in the Shadows, the Washington State History Museum examines the impact of the eruption, as well as the history and current seismic activity of the five active volcanoes in our region. It serves as a good reminder that gentle giants sometimes go rogue. Runs through 5/17; washingtonhistory.org
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Studio Sessions: Jo Cosme
The Seattle-based multimedia artist and 2026 Neddy Award winner challenges the postcard version of Puerto Rico and centers the persistence of its people.
Jo Cosme knows how seductive a postcard can be. The Seattle-based Boricua (Puerto Rican) multimedia artist works across photography, installation, video, sound, and interactive elements to examine and pull apart how Puerto Rico is seen, sold, and misunderstood from the outside. Trained in photojournalism, with a BFA in photography from Puerto Rico School of Fine…
Seattle’s Drag Brunch Has History
The city’s Sunday shows started long before the mimosas got bottomless.
There was a time not too long ago, when drag performances—now a mainstay of Seattle’s queer scene—were kept under wraps. And when brunches, complete with singing and dancing queens dressed in dazzling drag as you sipped mimosas, weren’t a Sunday staple. During the 1940s and ‘50s, an era largely shaped by restrictive laws and bias…
Studio Sessions: Sangram Majumdar
Working at the confluence of history, culture, and various painting traditions, UW associate professor Sangram Majumdar is one of this year’s Neddy Artist Award winners.
Discover the art of UW professor Sangram Majumdar, a 2026 Neddy Artist Award winner. Learn about his inspiration and upcoming Seattle exhibition at Cornish.
Rearview Mirror: A Georgian Dinner, Sidewalk Sips, and One-of-a-Kind Clothing
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
A new life for old clothes To celebrate one year in its current studio, the FXRY—a clothing repair service available via in-person appointments, home pickup, or mail-in drop off—is dropping its first collection. A small batch of reworked pieces, Second Mark will feature 13 vintage barn jackets, cropped, chain-stitched, and renewed into a completely unique, one-of-one…