Arts
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Powerful Exhibit Looks at the Mount St. Helens Eruption
This month marks 35 years since Mount St. Helens blew her stack
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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SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction
Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way.
What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common? According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot. “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…
Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power
Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.
The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture. This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…
Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan
Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.
Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…
Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…