David Martin, the art historian, is a local treasure. He knows what's under all the rocks—all the artists whose lives and careers have been obscured by the years.

In conjunction with the big traveling show Hide/Seek at Tacoma Art Museum, Martin is giving a talk tomorrow called The Lavender Palette: Gay Northwest Artists in the Early 20th Century, starting at 1 pm.

The reputations of many gay artists have suffered due to the lack of extant material, which is often destroyed by embarrassed family members or friends after their deaths. Lecturer David Martin has done extensive investigation into this subject over the past 20 years and uncovered important material. In this lecture, he shines a lens on gay, lesbian, and bisexual artists who were active in Washington State before 1960. Although these artists achieved local and even national recognition during their lifetime, their personal lives have rarely, if ever, been discussed, and most of the gay-oriented works by these artists that Martin will reveal have never before been seen by the public.

You already need to get down there to see Hide/Seek. Make it a double. Details.