DEAR BRUCE
BRUCE KAMERLING
ROBERT MILES PARKER
PAUL CADMUS
Unlocking Hidden Stories: The Artistic Legacy of Bruce Kamerling
The Dear Bruce exhibition is a tribute to San Diego historian and curator Bruce Kamerling, whose deep relationships with artists like Paul Cadmus and Robert Miles Parker provide a window into a shared world of passion, creativity, and camaraderie. Through letters, drawings, and artworks exchanged between Kamerling and these artists, the collection—on loan from Lambda Archives and the San Diego History Center—offers a rare glimpse into how their personal lives intertwined with their artistic endeavors. A key figure in LGBTQ+ history and cultural preservation, Kamerling bridged the worlds of art and history, ensuring that the stories of San Diego’s artists were not forgotten. His legacy, seen through these candid and intimate exchanges, continues to inspire the preservation of both art and history within marginalized communities.
From the archives of Lambda Archives of San Diego
with additional historic documents and artwork from San Diego History Center
courtesy of San Diego History Center, and Jeffrey D. Shorn + Charles S. Kaminski Trust
BRUCE KAMERLING
October 16, 1950 - October 17, 1995 • Passed away from AIDS
Bruce Kamerling was a prominent figure in both the preservationist and LGBTQ+ communities of San Diego. As a preservationist, Kamerling dedicated much of his life to safeguarding San Diego's historical heritage, particularly its architecture and cultural landmarks.
Kamerling was also a proud gay man who, in addition to his professional work, cultivated deep connections within the LGBTQ+ community. His friendships with artists such as Paul Cadmus and Robert Miles Parker highlighted his personal ties to the art world and his role in creating a space where LGBTQ+ history could be recognized and preserved. Kamerling’s correspondence with Cadmus and Parker, documented through letters featured in the exhibit "Dear Bruce," illustrates his involvement in a close-knit community of queer creatives and thinkers, who, like him, were determined to preserve both art and identity in an often-unwelcoming world.
Kamerling was employed by the San Diego Historical Society and held the position of Curator of Collections. An honorary life member of the Save Our Heritage Organisation, he served four years as a director including one term as president. He sat on the City of San Diego’s Historical Site Board from 1983 to 1988 and served as a trustee of the Balboa Art Conservation Center from 1981 to 1993. In 1988, he was placed in charge of the restoration and furnishing of Hebbard & Gill’s Marston House for use as a public museum. Kamerling has written numerous articles on San Diego’s cultural history, and the Historical Society published his books, 100 Years of Art in San Diego in 1991 and Irving J. Gill, Architect in 1993. He prepared the San Diego section for The Arts and Crafts Movement in California, Living the Good Life, published by the Oakland Museum in 1993.
Through his preservation efforts and his personal relationships, Kamerling left a lasting impact on both the architectural landscape of San Diego and the visibility of LGBTQ+ history within the city’s cultural archives. He served as board president of Lesbian & Gay Historical Society, now known as Lambda Archives of San Diego from 1993 - 1995.
Robert Miles Parker
August 13, 1939 - April 17, 2012
Robert Miles Parker was a renowned artist, preservationist, and activist whose work significantly impacted historic preservation in San Diego. In 1969, Parker founded the Save Our Heritage Foundation (SOHO), an organization dedicated to protecting the architectural heritage of San Diego's older neighborhoods. His passion for preserving historic buildings came from a deep appreciation for the character and history embodied in their structures, often threatened by urban development and modernization.
As an artist, Parker was known for his whimsical, detailed pen-and-ink drawings of buildings, which he used to advocate for their preservation. His work helped bring awareness to the importance of San Diego’s historic architecture, and he played a pivotal role in the preservation of notable sites in the city, including the Gaslamp Quarter. Parker’s advocacy left a lasting legacy on San Diego’s urban landscape, balancing the city's growth with the protection of its cultural and architectural heritage.
In addition to his preservation efforts, Parker also corresponded with significant figures in the art world, including Paul Cadmus and Bruce Kamerling. His letters to Kamerling, filled with artistic reflections and personal insights, are featured in the exhibit "Dear Bruce," showcasing the intersection of his artistic and preservationist endeavors.
Paul Cadmus
December 17, 1904 - December 12, 1999
Paul Cadmus was a prominent American artist known for his provocative and subversive work that often explored themes of homoeroticism, social critique, and the complexities of human behavior. Born in 1904 in New York City, Cadmus rose to fame in the 1930s with his distinctive style of figurative art, blending elements of Renaissance technique with modern social commentary. His paintings and drawings frequently depicted scenes of urban life, labor, and leisure, often with biting satire aimed at exposing the hypocrisies of American society.
Cadmus gained national attention for his controversial painting The Fleet’s In! (1934), commissioned by the U.S. Navy for the Public Works of Art Project. The painting’s depiction of sailors engaging in revelry with prostitutes and gay men caused an uproar, leading to its removal from exhibition. This event marked the beginning of Cadmus’ reputation as an artist unafraid to challenge social norms and address taboo subjects, including homosexuality, which was rarely depicted in art at the time.
Throughout his career, Cadmus continued to push boundaries with his finely detailed drawings and paintings, portraying the complexities of sexuality and the human form with a blend of humor, pathos, and sharp social observation. His work stood as a bold statement in defiance of censorship and repression, earning him a unique place in 20th-century American art.
Cadmus’ correspondence with Bruce Kamerling, featured in the "Dear Bruce" exhibit, offers further insight into his personal life and artistic philosophy, revealing a more intimate side of the artist who fearlessly explored the subversive and often marginalized aspects of society.
The Studio Door
3867 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday. 11 AM - 6 PM.
or by appointment
The Studio Door celebrates diversity, inclusion and equality by providing a welcoming, supportive and safe environment for all its artists. The Studio Door is gay-owned and operated.