Portland State Magazine Spring 2018

14 WITNESS TO STEWART HARVEY ’69, MA ’71 considers himself the volunteer historian of Burning Man, but even he can’t believe how what started as a small hippie gathering on a San Francisco beach 32 years ago evolved into an international draw. Harvey, a longtime Portland photographer and former English teacher, chronicles that astounding transformation in Playa Fire: Spirit and Soul at Burning Man , published by HarperElixir, a large-format book that he both wrote and photographed. For him, “transformative” defines the annual gathering, which combines ritual, art and community. He has shot it every year since 1989. “The reason I go is because it’s a fantastic experience” he says. It began in 1986 when Harvey’s late brother, Larry, became interested in blending ritual and temporal art. To observe the summer solstice, he brought a few friends to AWAKENING DANCE, 2016