Where We Gather, Where We Become: Costume Parties in the New School Archives

A 2026 exhibition co-curated by Eunice Chan (MA History of Design and Curatorial Studies ‘27) and Eliana Greco (BFA Design History and Practice ‘29) for Mardi Gras Reboot: An Archivally Inflected Festival.

In the early 1950s, the tradition of Mardi Gras, a festival celebrated in a wide variety of ways internationally, took on a distinct life of its own at Parsons School of Design. Drawing on rituals of performance and transformation, the Mardi Gras Costume Ball offered students, alumni, and faculty a vibrant site of self-invention and queer expression, where norms were bent, reimagined, or joyfully discarded.

Through photographs, posters, films, and ephemera drawn from the New School Archives and Special Collections, the exhibition traced the rise, cancellation, and afterlives of the Mardi Gras Costume Ball at Parsons and The New School from the 1950s through the ‘80s. These materials reveal patterns of change and continuity, moments of risk and resilience, and the central role of community at our school. Set against the present moment, these materials make clear that the values animating today’s Parsons and The New School have long been danced into being.

The Early Years, 1953–1955

The first mention in the Archives of a Mardi Gras “fancy dress party” at Parsons is 1953. Organized by Parsons students, the ball was held annually for several years at hotel venues around New York City. The early years are marked by inventive costuming and playful risk-taking, reflected in photographs of expressive costumes in the Alumni Association records.

Parsons Alumni Bulletin, July 1953.

black and white photo of young adult in a costume

Mardi Gras Ball, Parsons School of Design Alumni Association Records.

Transformation and Resilience, 1958–1963

Parsons’ Mardi Gras balls continued into the late 1950s, expanding into larger venues. Whimsical posters designed by John Russo, a Parsons alumnus (1942), longtime faculty member, and Communication Design chair, exemplify a graphic style that draws on masquerade, performance, and theatrical typography.

Mardi Gras Ball, Parsons School of Design Alumni Association Records

Posters by John Russo, circa 1958, 1959, John Russo Graphic Design Work Collection.

Then, in 1960, Parsons administrators, concerned that the Mardi Gras Ball was “getting far out of control,” discontinued the ball. Despite the ball’s demise, students continued to embrace the costume party spirit, sponsoring events like the Crazy Hat Party (1962) and the Ides of March Party (1963).

black and white photo of a grecian person with a sign

Ides of March Party, 1963. Carolyn Nesbitt Wagenseller Student Work Collection.

A Lasting Legacy, 1970s–1980s

1970 marks the beginning of Parsons’ affiliation with The New School. The support of school leadership made way for student-led celebrations, including exhibitions, themed dances, and collaborative events, including a momentary return to the Mardi Gras Costume Ball in 1978, sponsored by Parsons with other art schools in New York City. Around this time, Halloween parties became popular school events, a trend that continued into the 1990s and still continues today.