Critical Northwest is an arts festival in the style of Nevada’s Burning Man festival, but with a decidedly Cascadian flavor. With only about 1,000 participants, Critical Northwest is much smaller and more intimate than Burning Man. Far from the uncaring desert, participants camp together among the old growth of the pacific northwest, and fill grassy meadows with towering kinetic sculptures and flaming effigies. Since its humble beginnings in 2003 as a simple weekend getaway, Critical Northwest has bloomed into a…