Paulson, Don
Variant namesBiographical notes:
Seattle-born artist Don Paulson (1933- ) was a painter in the Pop Art style, sometimes using the pseudonym "Whitey Boom." His work is in the collections of institutions like the Seattle Art Museum and the Anchorage Art Museum. After attending Auburn High School, Paulson served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. In 1960s New York, he was involved with Andy Warhol's Factory and attended the first public performance by the Velvet Underground. Discovering the lightshow scene upon his return to Seattle in 1966, he founded Lux Sit and Dance. This collective used projectors, fog machines, prisms, colored liquids, and other paraphernalia to create their light effects, and worked with bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and the Byrds. Paulson was also a member of E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology), an organization that supported art-science collaborations and encouraged artists to explore new technologies. In addition to his art, Paulson also was an authority on the early gay underground in Seattle, contributing to the Seattle Gay News and co-authoring the book An Evening at the Garden of Allah: A Gay Cabaret in Seattle in 1996. He was active in Black and White Men Together, a gay interracial organization.
From the guide to the Don Paulson Collection of Political and Social Ephemera, 1953-2007, (Museum of History & Industry Sophie Frye Bass Library)
Don Paulson, an artist and author in the greater Seattle area, was born in Seattle in 1933. Paulson attended Auburn High School, then served for two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He lived in New York and Los Angeles for short periods but returned to Seattle in 1966 and devoted himself to painting. Paulson, a contributor to the Seattle Gay News, formed a friendship with Skippy LaRue, whose photo and clipping collection on female impersonators led Paulson to write about the topic. Specifically interested in female impersonators who performed at the Garden of Allah nightclub in Seattle, he collaborated with University of Washington communications professor Roger Simpson on the book, An Evening at the Garden of Allah: A Gay Cabaret in Seattle (Columbia University Press, 1996), for which they won the Governor's Writers Award in 1997. Paulson used the nickname "Dawn" among his friends, and he used "Whitey Boom" as an alias in connection with painting.
Paulson was a member of Black and White Men Together, a gay interracial organization committed to fostering supportive environments and overcoming racial and cultural barriers. BWMT/Seattle participated in educational, political, cultural, and social activities as a means of addressing racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and heterosexism in the community.
From the guide to the Don Paulson Papers, 1954-2002, (University of Washington Libraries Special Collections)
Links to collections
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Subjects:
- Female impersonators
- Political participation
Occupations:
- Collector
Places:
- Seattle (Wash.) (as recorded)
- Seattle (Wash.) (as recorded)
