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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Every Dress Tells a Story
Dhivya Balasubramanian’s new collection reworks fashion classics using Indian textiles.
For Dhivya Balasubramanian, the story often starts with a sari. Sometimes a client brings one in, folded carefully and full of family history. Other times, Balasubramanian pulls from the collection she has gathered on trips to India. Either way, the fabric usually comes first. At her Queen Anne studio, it might become a gown, a…
Beyond the Notes: Xian Zhang Expands Seattle Symphony’s Reach
The music director talks representation in classical music and the work of bringing new audiences into the concert hall.
As Xian Zhang prepares to lead the Seattle Symphony into its 2026/2027 season, the acclaimed conductor returns to one of the city’s most storied cultural institutions. A Grammy and Emmy-winning maestro with an international résumé spanning the New Jersey Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and major opera houses across Europe, Zhang’s relationship with…
Rearview Mirror: Lobster Rolls, Cold Plunges, and Opening Night at SIFF
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SIFF Goes Full Boots Last night, I covered the SIFF opening night red carpet for the first time, and it was as fun as I hoped. The festival opened at Paramount Theatre with I Love Boosters, Boots Riley’s new bonkers comedy about a group of professional shoplifters taking on a cold-blooded fashion girl boss. Keke…
Studio Sessions: Yaminee Patel
A second generation Indian American, artist Yaminee Patel uses her work to explore her heritage, a childhood growing up in the Midwest, and the larger economic and cultural factors surrounding agricultural practices around the world.
Over the past year, Yaminee Patel has narrowed her artistic focus, centering rice as the medium for her work. A symbol of sustenance, survival, hard work, and culinary tradition, rice is a deeply important element in many cultures around the world. It also represents the idea of sharing a meal together, creating human-to-human connection, which…