STANDUP/STAND OUT!
You’re invited to THE PEOPLE’S BALL, Brooklyn Public Library’s free annual celebration of fashion, personal style and inclusivity. THE PEOPLE’S BALL, named Time Out New York’s Best Nightlife Event of 2023, welcomes you to dress up and walk the runway in Central Library's iconic lobby.
Your hosts will be actress Delissa Reynolds (A Thousand and One; Wu-Tang: An American Saga) and Robert Verdi, leading life-style expert and celebrity stylist. Kevin Aviance, the legendary DJ, musician and performance artist, will sing his hits, and DJ Spinna will keep you dancing.
We will also celebrate the 95th birthday of the late New York Times street fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham, by featuring his muses Marilyn Kirschner, Lauren Ezersky, Jean Stone, Lana Turner and Amy Fine Collins.
Co-curated by Souleo.
Join us May 5, 2024 at 7pm. RSVP for an evening of style, fashion, and inclusivity.
Pose on the Plaza starting at 6:30 pm (doors at 7:00pm).
#THEPEOPLESBALL
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Delissa Reynolds is a New York based actress whose recent film work includes a roles A.V. Rockwell's A Thousand And One, , Brian Silverman's Two Lives in Pittsburgh, the award winning short WONDER directed by Javier Molina, The Day The Ponies Come Back directed by Jerry Schatzberg and the soon to be released Magic Hour directed by Jacqueline Christy and Exp. 36 Directed by Mackenzie Mauro. Her television work includes a recurring role on Hulu's Wu Tang: An American Saga and appearances on CBS' The Good Fight, FBI: Most Wanted, Manifest, HBO's Divorce, Netflix's Orange is the New Black and Luke Cage.
Robert Verdi is a TV personality and fashion expert. He’s the go-to style guru for A-listers like Eva Longoria, Bethenny Frankel, Hugh Jackman, Terrence Howard, Kathy Griffin, Kristen Wiig, Joy Behar, Ana Ortiz, Sandra Bernhard, Mariska Hargitay, Bobby Flay, Fantasia, Joely Fisher and Sami Gayle. Famous for his wit and wisdom, Mr. Verdi has become one of the most recognizable faces in the world of fashion and design today. Verdi’s credits include his eponymous network show The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi, She’s Got The Look, host of Surprise by Design, Full Frontal Fashion, Fashion Police and E! Entertainment News Red Carpet; Style expert for The View, The Today Show, The Wendy Williams Show, Martha Stewart, CNN; and cameo roles in The Devil Wears Prada and The September Issue.
DJ Spinna is an anomaly. As a world-renowned DJ, producer, remixer, label head, promoter, curator, and influencer, Spinna has crafted his artistic vision since the 1990s. His musical spectrum spans all flavors, from Hip-Hop [as founding member of The Jigmastas], to Soul and R&B [authoring remixes for Stevie Wonder and Mary J. Blige] to Jazz and Funk [reviving productions from Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, Betty Carter, Al Jarreau, Eddie Kendricks] to Electronic/Dance and Soulful House [transforming Shaun Escoffery’s “Days Like This” into a worldwide dance floor anthem]. His prolific studio work led to his 2002 cult-classic LP, Here To There, released on the iconic BBE label. DJ Spinna is synonymous with ground-breaking, annual tribute events. Since 2001, “WONDER-Full” has celebrated the Guest of Honor, Stevie Wonder. “Soul Slam,” 20- years strong, is the authoritative Michael Jackson vs. Prince party. For Spike Lee’s “BK Loves MJ,” DJ Spinna commemorates Michael Jackson’s August birthday in Brooklyn annually. Recently, in August 2023, DJ Spinna orchestrated his “Soul Slam” themed tribute event, collaborating with Spike Lee for “BK Loves MJ + Prince” to an audience of over 30k in Fort Greene Park, in Brooklyn, NY.
Souleo has been hailed as an “Icon of Harlem” (Ruth Millington, art historian and author of Muse) and “Harlem’s Heart & Soul” (NY Daily News). An acclaimed creative, curator, impresario, consultant, and muse he seamlessly merges the worlds of art, fashion, literature, media, and music to document and amplify the stories of the emerging and underrepresented via exhibitions, events, and writing. Souleo has collaborated with noteworthy institutions and brands, including New York Public Library (New York, NY); Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York, NY); Brooklyn Public Library/Center for Brooklyn History (Brooklyn, NY); Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY); Columbia University (New York, NY); Barnard College (New York, NY); Newark Museum of Art (Newark, NJ); Stax Museum of American Soul Music (Memphis, TN); Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art (New York, NY); Nordstrom; and AARP. Souleo's work has been widely covered in outlets including the Associated Press; NY Times; The New Yorker, New York Magazine/The Cut; ESSENCE; EBONY; and NBC. www.SouleoUniverse.com
Kevin Aviance is a legendary DJ, musician, and performance artist. His debut album, Box of Chocolates (Wave Records) introduced Kevin’s hard-hitting sound with the club hit, Cunty, which was sampled by Beyoncé on her song Pure/Honey. In 2015, Aviance received the Living Legend award at the GLAM Awards and Released his newest single BODY in 2023! Instagram: @kevinavianceofficial
Jean Stone has always loved to dress and as half of The Idiosyncratic Fashionistas since 2009, has covered museum and gallery openings, NYFW runway shows and NYC Easter and Pride Parades; lectured on fashion at The New School; walked runways in NYC, Brooklyn and Tel Aviv; and was featured in NYC TV and radio news stories, 4 books, 3 documentaries and numerous national and international newspaper and magazine articles. Bill Cunningham’s shots of Jean appeared in his column in The NYT Sunday Style section.
Lana Turner, a native of New York’s Harlem, is a reader, writer, thinker and researcher with a keen interest in the elements of art and style in black culture and why this meditation matters. Ms. Turner works as a real estate professional, archivist, and produces chamber music salons and literary events. She is co-founder and chair of The Literary Society (1982), a New York City book discussion group based in Harlem.
Marilyn Kirschner is a longtime fashion editor with 50+ years of experience, an industry leader, and a fashion icon with a unique personal style. Marilyn held the position of Senior Market Editor of Harper’s Bazaar for 21 years and is currently editor-in-chief of LookOnline.com, the oldest-running online fashion publication in the world. Through the years, Kirschner made regular appearances in Bill Cunningham’s most noted columns in The New York Times, “On the Street”, and “Evening Hours.” As a noted muse of Bill Cunningham’s, Kirschner was even the subject of an entire 18-picture “On the Street” column in the Times in 2001, entitled ‘The Color of Money (In the Bank).’ Marilyn was included in the chapter, “Those Who Really Caught His Eye” as one of Bill’s 15 muses in The New York Times Tome, “Bill Cunningham: On the Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography.”
Lauren Ezersky is an internationally known style expert. For over 30 years she has covered the world of fashion and beauty, interviewing everyone from Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace to Betsey Johnson to Isaac Mizrahi to Manolo Blahnik. Ezersky got her first big break in the 1990s, when Kim Hastreiter, the founder and editor of the legendary downtown bible Paper Magazine, asked her to interview Donna Karen–and, Kim said, if she liked, she would print it! She did and she did. Opportunity knocked again when Ezersky appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show for being a shopaholic. The people who started the cable program, Behind the Velvet Ropes, asked her to be a guest on their show, and–Cinderella-moment!--the day of her appearance she was offered a fashion segment. As luck would have it–Ezersky has always been as lucky as she is plucky–she was able to interview photographer Francesco Scavullo that night, which led to an ongoing, long-term stint on the show. Ever since, she has delighted her audience with her kind-hearted yet hard-hitting interviewing technique. With her New York accent and irreverent personal style–part designer diva, part wicked angel–Ezersky, a believed figure on the Manhattan fashion scene, remains a force to be reckoned with–as incisive and brilliant as an interviewer as she is unpretentious and forthright.
Amy Fine Collins is a writer and former Special Correspondent to Vanity Fair, where for 25 years, she wrote features about fashion, art, design, culture, Hollywood, and society. She is now an Editor-at-Large of Graydon Carter’s Air Mail and a Contributing Editor to Condé Nast’s World of Interiors. An arbiter and owner of the International Best-Dressed List since 2003, she was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1994. A longtime muse to artists, photographers, and designers including Geoffrey Beene and Thom Browne, Collins is a frequently-consulted advisor and commentator on fashion. She has received three degrees in Art History from Swarthmore College and Columbia University, where she also taught for two years. Amy Fine Collins has received several journalism awards and has written or contributed to more than a dozen books. *Photo Credit: Rahi Rezvani
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