Diversity Unraveled: The Conception of Lenn Redman’s series “What Am I?,” Los Angeles, 1963-1984

This essay examines “What Am I?”, an art series by caricature artist Lenn Redman (American, b. 1912, d. 1987). Developed through the 1960s and 1970s, “What Am I?” includes a poem, an illustrated book, a didactic book, and twelve paintings reproduced as lithographs. Created to combat national and ethnic prejudice, the series encourages diversity and acceptance of human differences. While living in Los Angeles, Redman witnessed widespread social and civil unrest fueled by the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, environmental pollution, and the threat of nuclear annihilation. Deeply burdened by the violence and discrimination around him, he underwent what he described as a “spiritual metamorphosis.” This led him to devote his later years to activism through art. “What Am I?” was his call for social unity, to be shared with his local community and beyond. My research analyzes the intended meaning of the artwork and poem in the series, drawing on Redman’s personal sketchbook, his library, and secondary sources. I examine these sources’ connections with conventional and religious symbolism and with the artist’s social, political, and religious beliefs and activities. By contextualizing the images within Redman’s historical and spiritual influences, I illuminate the events and ideas that shaped his poetic and artistic vision. “What Am I?” has never been studied in context. Its call for unity and acceptance remains highly relevant amid today’s social, political, and civil challenges.