On April 1, the art exhibit Particles on the Wall (POTW) will go up at the Maxey Museum at Whitman College in Walla Walla. POTW is an exhibit that explores “the world implications of the Hanford Nuclear Site, striving to display and unite core pieces in four disciplines: visual arts, literary arts, science, and history and memorabilia.” The exhibit aims to promote discussion and expression about Hanford.

The Hanford world can often seem dry, dense, and enigmatic. By pairing historical information about Hanford with poetry and visual art, POTW upends the traditional Hanford narrative and provides an engaging and diverse range of representations of Hanford’s impact.

Pieces in POTW include poetry, prose, historical Hanford-related objects, sculptures, and visual art. One of the featured poets is Kathleen Flenniken, former Washington State Poet Laureate and a former Hanford worker, whose book of poetry about Hanford, Plume, won the Washington State Book Award.

Particles on the Wall is a moving exhibit that frequently changes location. If you are near the Walla Walla area, I encourage you to go see it while it is set up in the Maxey Museum during April. It is also available as a book and a free PDF via the Particles on the Wall website.

by: Emily Bays