W New York Launches NYC House Ballroom Photo Exhibit to Honor World AIDS Day

In honor of World AIDS Day, the W New York has teamed up with award-winning photographer Gerard H. Gaskin to present Legends, a month-long exhibition and charity initiative celebrating the vitality of the New York Ballroom scene. The exhibit, opening December 1, will be available to both guests and locals and will feature photos from Gaskin's upcoming award-winning book Legendary, one of the largest bodies of work dedicated to the evolution of New York Ball culture.

New York’s Ball scene is an underground community where gay and transgender men and women come together in high-spirited, late-night pageants. Theexhibit will shine a light on this hidden culture which encourages individuals to flaunt their stuff during uninhibited competitions. With an established tradition of advocating for Worlds AIDS Day, W New York was eager to get involved.

“W New York’s Legends will be a celebration of self-expression, and will give guests a unique visual journey through a cultural movement that began in New York,” Anna MacDiarmid, general manager of W New York, said in a statement. “The exhibit provides a rare look into the history of the Ballroom scene through the personal accounts of truly iconic Legends.”

A selection of Gaskin’s archived footage will feature a series of recent never-before-seen images. Gaskin, who has been attending these balls for the past 20 years, was recently named winner of the Honickman Photographic Prize for his work. Proceeds from the exhibit will go to Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI), founded in New York City in 1979 in order to provide comprehensive counseling and case management for over 2,000 LGBT youth and their families from over 350 surrounding zip codes. 

The W New York is located at 541 Lexington Avenue. Click here for more information.