Wild Beauty

Tonight we went over to the 'big city' (Hood River) to the Columbia Center for the Arts. There was a slide show promoting the book Wild Beauty, photographs of the Gorge from 1867-1957. The slides were presented by Terry Toedtemeier, Portland Art Museum's curator of photography, and coauthor John Laursen. The room was packed, people sat on the floor and craned their necks from the sides of the theater.

The exhibition at PAM consists of more than 200 photographs, and is a historical journey through the unique geography of the Columbia River Gorge. Our guides Toedtemeier and Laursen explained the circumstances and significance of the photos shown, related to the times and technology.

Many of the photos have never been available to public view. The original prints or negatives are fragile, and are preserved in archival collections. I checked out the book, it costs $75. But on Amazon, you can get it for under $50. I have no room for more coffee table books. Heck, I don't even have room for a coffee table. And I can look out the window and see the Gorge every day. So no book here.

The slide show was great, and made me want to go see the photos. The exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art runs until January 11th. Sounds like a good thing to do with the girls when they come for the holidays!