For millions of years, volcanoes have been the most powerful force in nature. And for many in the West, the impact of volcanoes is forever tied to the May 18, 1980, eruption of Washington’s Mount St. Helens. The science, spectacle, and significance behind these massive peaks is the focus of the immersive exhibition, Under Pressure: A Volcanic Exploration.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, illustrated maps and advertisements functioned as powerful enticements to attract new inhabitants to the West. Opening Saturday, November 15 at the High Desert Museum, Drawn West: A History of Promoting Place explores a century of salesmanship, when artists and cartographers alike crafted an image of the West that depicted both fact and fiction.

Miguel Almeida: Las Manos que dan de Comer