The Lavender Palette: Gay Culture and the Art of Washington State

This catalog named after the exhibition it represents features work by artists such as Mark Tobey (1890-1976), Morris Graves (1910-2001), Thomas Handforth (1897-1948), Mac Harshberger (1900-1975), Orre Nelson Nobles (1894-1967), Sarah Spurgeon (1903-1985), Virginia Weisel (1923-2017) and many more.

In this groundbreaking exhibition, Cascadia Art Museum was the first museum to explore regional gay culture through the work of early- to mid-twentieth century gay and lesbian artists. This important collection examined the effect this group had on shaping the cultural identity of the region.

The majority of the art in this exhibition had never been seen by the public. Cascadia Art Museum curated works from family collections, national and local private collections as well as major institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Many people are aware of what is termed “The Northwest School” after a 1953 LIFE magazine article gave the region’s artists a national identity. Three of the four major painters associated with this movement were gay and this exhibition will be examining their work in relation to their personal life experiences.