C.N. Gorman Museum, Native American art museum at University of California, Davis, US.
The C.N. Gorman Museum displays contemporary and historical works by Native American artists through rotating exhibitions and a permanent collection. The holdings include more than 2,000 pieces created by around 250 different artists working in various media and techniques.
The museum was founded in 1973 to honor Carl Nelson Gorman, a Navajo code talker, artist, and former faculty member at the University of California. Gorman's teaching and artistic work shaped the museum's focus on contemporary Native American creators.
The collection reflects voices of artists from many Native American communities who contribute their work directly to the museum. This creates a living archive that shows ongoing creation today, rather than focusing only on historical pieces from the past.
The museum has been located in Nelson Hall at 181 Old Davis Road since 2023 with expanded exhibition spaces. The new location offers improved facilities and accessibility for visitors of all abilities.
About one third of the collection comes from direct donations by the artists themselves, including well-known names such as Frank LaPena, Rick Bartow, and Dana Claxton. This makes the collection a direct statement by artists about their own work and its meaning.
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