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Pacific Historical Review

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“So Let Me Paint”
Navajo Artist R.C. Gorman and the Artistic, Native, and Queer Subcultures of San Francisco, California
Jordan Biro Walters
Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 88 No. 3, Summer 2019; (pp. 439-467) DOI: 10.1525/phr.2019.88.3.439
Jordan Biro Walters
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Abstract

This article explores the status of R.C. Gorman (Navajo) within the art community of San Francisco, California, in the 1960s. Using Gorman’s personal papers, the article addresses how his queer identity, Navajo heritage, and Native urbanization contributed to his production of world-renowned art. Gorman’s representation of strong Navajo women, which made him a universally recognized artist, stemmed from his own exploration of gender performativity and homoeroticism while living in an urban gay mecca. Moreover, Gorman’s use of both resources in the city and the southwestern Indian art market allowed him to forge a successful art career. A formative figure in the Native American Fine Art Movement, Gorman’s experiences in San Francisco suggest that indigenous creative practices challenged a dominant interpretation and construction of the inferiority of American Indians.

Keywords:
  • R.C. Gorman
  • San Francisco
  • migration
  • queer history
  • Native art
  • nádleehí
  • © 2019 by the Pacific Coast Branch, American Historical Association

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Vol. 88 No. 3, Summer 2019

Pacific Historical Review: 88 (3)
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“So Let Me Paint”
Navajo Artist R.C. Gorman and the Artistic, Native, and Queer Subcultures of San Francisco, California
Jordan Biro Walters
Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 88 No. 3, Summer 2019; (pp. 439-467) DOI: 10.1525/phr.2019.88.3.439
Jordan Biro Walters
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“So Let Me Paint”
Navajo Artist R.C. Gorman and the Artistic, Native, and Queer Subcultures of San Francisco, California
Jordan Biro Walters
Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 88 No. 3, Summer 2019; (pp. 439-467) DOI: 10.1525/phr.2019.88.3.439
Jordan Biro Walters
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • View author's works on this site
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