Art exhibit remembers the eruption of Mount St. Helens

(FEBRUARY 15, 2020) Portland Art Museum is in downtown Portland has a new exhibit. It is called "Volcano!" It shows art about Mount St. Helens.

Mount St. Helens is in Washington. It is about 50 miles from Portland. At approximately 8,300 feet high, the mountain is large enough to be seen from Portland on a clear day. Before 1980, it was even taller. Then it was about 9,677 feet high.

Mount St. Helens is actually a volcano. The last time it erupted was March 27 through May 17, 1980. The eruption caused a great deal of damage. It killed 36 people.

The exhibit at the art museum includes paintings, drawings, and photographs about the eruption and the volcano's transformation. "Volcanic eruptions have long been depicted by artists because they are the most visually spectacular manifestations of nature’s awesome power. Earthquakes, fires, and hurricanes can affect much larger areas, but few are as breathtakingly beautiful," says the museum.

Artists from the Pacific Northwest reacted to the eruption in different ways. Some painted the eruption itself and its results. Others used volcano ash in ceramic and glass sculptures. Photographers made a record of the mountain before and after the eruption. Some studied the return of nature.

The museum will show the exhibit through May 17, 2020.