Photograph by
Gaskin, Gerard H., Trinidadian American, born 1965
Subject of
People of Color in Crisis, American, 1989 - 2008
Date
August 2007
Medium
digital
Dimensions
H x W: 2912 pixels × 4368 pixels
242.65 MB
Caption
"The balls are a celebration of black and Latino urban gay life. They were born in Harlem out of a need for black and Latino gays to have a safe space to express themselves. Balls are constructed like beauty and talent pageants. The participants work to redefine and critique gender and sexual identity through an extravagant fashion masquerade. Women and men become fluid, interchangeable points of departure and reference, disrupting the notion of a fixed and rigid gender and sexual self. My images try to show a more personal and intimate beauty, pride, dignity, courage, and grace that have been painfully challenged by mainstream society. All of this happens at night in small halls in cities all over the country. These photographs, taken in New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, and Washington, D.C., show us different views of these spaces as they are reflected in the eyes of house and ball members who perform what they wish these cities could be." – Gerard H. Gaskin
Description
A color digital image of Joseph and Charles, captured while participating in the Walking the Labels Category at the People of Color in Crisis (POCC) Ball in 2007. The two men are pictured in the center of the image wearing colorful suits and hats. The man to the left is dressed in a powder pink suit with a black shirt and a patterned pink bow tie. He also has a powder pink fedora style hat with a purple feather tucked into the brim. He holds an open umbrella that has a floral bright pink, purple, blue, and orange print. Another man stands in front, to the left, on the right side of the photograph. He wears a suit with a printed leaf and vine pattern in black, white, yellow, and various shades of green. He has on a white shirt with a dark green tie. Sunglasses cover his eyes and he is wearing a beige brimmed hat. He holds a red flower with a long stem to his nose. A large crowd is visible in the darkened room surrounding the men.
Place captured
Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Portfolio/Series
Legendary
Classification
Media Arts-Photography
Type
digital images
digital media - born digital
Topic
Communities
Dance
Fashion
Gender
Health
Identity
LGBTQ
Music
Nightlife
Photography
Sexuality
Urban life
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gerard H. Gaskin
Object number
2019.44.6
Restrictions & Rights
© Gerard H. Gaskin
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5d46ffc36-af96-4180-86a9-be8cbbc5fc85

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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