Legendary Looks: Preserving our Legacy Exhibition on House Ballroom

City Lore Announces New Exhibition

LEGENDARY LOOKS: PRESERVING OUR LEGACY

Curated by Icon Ballroom Hall of Famer Founder Michael Roberson of Maison-Margiela and Legendary NYC Mother Jonovia Chase of Xclusive Lanvin

On View July 25, 2025 – September 4, 2025

                      OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, July 25^, 2025 6PM – 8PM

 New York, NY – City Lore, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution is pleased to announce as a part of their 40^th anniversary programming, the launch of a new exhibition, Legendary Looks: Preserving Our Legacy, one of a three-part exhibition series, entitled Legendary Looks co-organized by Arts-Westchester, Pioneer Works and City Lore, which focuses on the cultural legacy of House Ballroom. City Lore’s exhibit will be on view from July 25^th through September 4, 2025 at the City Lore Gallery located at 56 East First Street in Manhattan. There will be an Opening Reception on Friday, July 25^th from 6 pm until 8 pm.

Legendary Looks: Preserving Our Legacy is curated by Icon Ballroom Hall of Famer Founder Michael Roberson of Maison-Margiela and Legendary NYC Mother Jonovia Chase of Xclusive Lanvin. Roberson and Chase serve as a Cultural Ambassadors for City Lore’s Creative Traditions Residency Program and have engaged in ethnographic research, audio-visual documentation, and program planning focused on the New York City Metro area’s House Ballroom community, artists, and events.

Legendary Looks: Preserving Our Legacy at City Lore, will spotlight select House Ballroom community leaders, including Pioneer RR Chanel, Pioneer Alvernian Du’Mure-Versailles and Legendary NYC Father Joejo St. Laurent and their efforts to preserve House Ballroom culture and history. The multimedia exhibition will feature collections of ball flyers, archival photos, costuming pieces, as well as video and audio excerpts from oral history interviews collected by the curators.

The 3 Part Legendary Looks Series provides visitors with an opportunity to delve into the extraordinary tradition and artistry of effects design in the LGBTQ+ House Ballroom community. This groundbreaking multi-media exhibition features more than sixteen unforgettable looks created by some of ballroom’s top designers, stylists and walkers, including Icon Overall Mother DeeDee Lanvin, Icon Founding Mother Miss Shalae Basquiat, Legendary Cameo Cameo, Legendary Giovanni 007, and DMV Father Drake Garçon. Exhibited costumes are accompanied by illustrations, ball flyers, photographs and video that highlight the creative process and inspiration behind each ballroom moment. The exhibition is curated by Icon International Mother Twiggy Pucci Garçon, Legendary NYC Mother Jonovia Chase Lanvin, and Icon Ballroom Hall of Famer Founder Michael Roberson Maison-Margiela. Exhibition text is written by Fatima Jamal and Mikelle Street.

ArtsWestchester – Legendary Looks: The Art of Effects Design in House Ballroom, May 31-July 20, 2025

Pioneer Works – Legendary Looks: My Ballroom Story, June 6 – August 10, 2025

For more information on all three exhibitions: https://artswestchester.org/programs/gallery/legendary-looks-the-art-of-effects-design-in-house-ballroom/

Major support for Legendary Looks is provided by the Coby Foundation, Ltd with additional support by the Mid Atlantic Folk and Traditional Arts – Community Projects program of Mid Atlantic Arts.