Ralph’s Neon Oasis Beach Party

On September 17, 2022, Ralph Hopkins, Halo Kaya Perez Gallardo, and Gilian Rappaport co-organized a large-scale participatory public art project in the form of a party on NYC’s only historic, public gay beach: The People's Beach at Jacob Riis Park on the Rockaway Peninsula (known as Riis Beach). Titled ‘Ralph’s Neon Oasis Beach Party’, the artwork engaged with a broad community of over 200 beach goers and the general public.

The project re-enacted the iconic, historic fashion shows that Ralph created with the Riis Beach community on the same site throughout the '90s. We constructed a catwalk on the sand from the same long piece of mylar fabric that Ralph used in his original parties. As Ralph said in an interview that we did almost a year before the party, “It looked like you’re walking on water,” (Gilian Rappaport with Ralph Hopkins, “They Call Me The Mayor At Riis Beach”, SOFA Journal, December 12, 2021).

It was also – unintentionally – staged at a crucial time in the history of the beach. In early 2022, New York City announced plans to demolish the Neponsit Hospital building, which has sheltered Riis Beach as a queer sanctuary since the 1940's. The long-abandoned building acts as a barrier between the beach and the heavily trafficked Rockaway Beach Blvd, while also serving as a canvas for important community artworks including graffiti on the exterior walls reading "QUEER TRANS POWER" and "KNOW YOUR POWER". City councilwoman Joann Ariola, whose district includes the building, explained in Reuters in Fall 2022 that a park has been proposed in the wake of the demolition, which is aimed for completion before the 2023 beach season.

The re-enactment of Ralph's Beach Parties shifted time and space, and engaged new and old audiences on Riis Beach that day through offering artistry and a sense of belonging. As Ralph explained: “I wanted something for you to see that you hadn’t seen before. And to have a good time, and feel that you’re part of it.” 

‘Ralph’s Neon Oasis Beach Party’ ran for five hours from 1pm to 6pm, with the fashion show around 4pm. It included fashions by designers from Ralph’s community, Everett Clark and Lonnie Cisco, alongside young, emerging designers and performers curated by queer performance space Lil' Deb’s Oasis. These included Care Instructions (by Anne Gilbert Symons), Baggiana (by Sacha Medjo), and Boiled Wool (by Cynthia Chang). Three performers, also curated by Lil Deb’s, did drag on the runway. They included Davon Rainey, PVSSYHEAVEN (aka Rose Mori), and Venus Babes (aka Ejike Figueira). The designers featured over eleven models collectively, respectively – Boiled Wool: Margo Greb, Anastasia C Warren, Hot Bird Bath, Nifemi Ogunro; Care Instructions: Claire Beauchamp, Jasmine Araujo, Mo Romney, Anne Gilbert Symons; Baggiana: Sophia Urftik, Talaya Robinson, Logan Francis; The DJ was David Store.