ArtsWestchester hosts landmark costume exhibition on Ballroom culture

White Plains, N.Y. —ArtsWestchester will initiate an unprecedented cultural retrospective with a costume exhibition that shines a spotlight on the artistry and cultural legacy of New York’s House Ballroom community.

Legendary Looks: The Art of Effects Design in House Ballroom celebrates the fashion and drama of costumes in House Ballroom. The multi-media exhibition opens on May 31, and it features over 16 extraordinary looks created by some of Ballroom’s top designers, stylists, and walkers, including Icon Overall Mother DeeDee Lanvin, Icon Founding Mother Miss Shalae Basquiat and Legendary Cameo Cameo.

The House Ballroom community is a working-class Black, Latinx, queer and trans cultural formation that grew out of the Harlem drag ball scene of late-19th century. The community is organized around an alternative kinship system of cross-generational non-biological families called Houses. Balls are the ritual events where Houses compete with one another in performance categories.

“Ballroom has been many things historically – the elixir of healing, the political gesture of organizing people, and using art and the public sphere as sites of resistance,” said co-curator Michael Roberson Maison-Margiela.  “Ballroom has been and continues to be a cultural expression responding to race, class, sexuality, and gender oppression. This exhibition reflects Ballroom’s rich legacy, its artistry, its power, and its collective spirit of resilience.”

Costumes displayed at ArtsWestchester are accompanied by illustrations, ball flyers, photographs, and video, highlighting the creative process and inspiration behind each ballroom moment. The exhibition’s opening reception is June 1, 6-8pm, and it will feature a short program, refreshments, and a DJ from the House Ballroom Community.

The exhibition will be open Wednesday to Sundays from (12-5pm). ArtsWestchester’s gallery is located at 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, N.Y. The admission is $5.

“Ballroom is joy in motion. During such turbulent and uncertain times, it is a privilege to slow down and pause to honor and elevate the ornate and passionately designed ‘effects’ from our culture, highlighting the points of view of both designers, competitors, and those who have mastered both art forms,” said co-curator Twiggy Pucci Garçon. “This collaboration is yet another example of how our community brings together people across practices and institutions for a shared goal of amplifying ballroom’s impact on the world.”

The exhibition is co-curated by Legendary NYC Mother Jonovia Chase Lanvin, Icon International Mother Twiggy Pucci Garçon and Icon Ballroom Hall of Famer Founder Michael Roberson Maison-Margiela, three prominent leaders/ and educators/curators known for their work in elevating and sustaining the rich legacy of House Ballroom culture. 

Legendary Looks is a three-part exhibition that includes ArtsWestchester, City Lore in Manhattan and Pioneer Works in Brooklyn. On June 6, Pioneer Works will debut Legendary Looks: My Ballroom Story, a multimedia installation by Felix Rodriguez, a filmmaker who has documented the ballroom scene since 1991. On July 25, City Lore will open Legendary Looks: Preserving Our Legacy, a multi-media exhibition that includes ball flyers, archival photos, costuming pieces, as well as audio excerpts from oral history interviews collected by the curators.

photo credit: ©-Alan-Mozes-2022

About ArtsWestchester

ArtsWestchester, established in 1965, is one of NY State’s largest private, not-for-profit cultural service organizations. ArtsWestchester’s core offerings include a Grants program for Westchester and Rockland-based artists & cultural orgs; a Folk Arts Program that presents, promotes and preserves the artistic expressions of the region’s cultural communities through collaborative programming; and an Exhibitions Program that has shown the work of over 4,000 regional artists in 75+ exhibitions. ArtsWestchester is one of few arts organizations in the U.S. with an ongoing commitment to supporting the artists and expressive practices of House Ballroom. ArtsWestchester has presented over 25 House Ballroom-led programs featuring 90+ artists; and has helped administer nearly 500K in direct public and private support for House Ballroom tradition bearers and HBC organizations. A leading funder and advocate for the arts, ArtsWestchester works to create an equitable, inclusive, vibrant and sustainable community in which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of life.