Masked Culture

by Jack Kugelmass et al

A nocturnal pageant of outrageous costumes, giant puppets, and otherworldly creatures comes alive one night each year to unleash the magic and drama of Halloween into the streets of New York City. Masked Culture is a fascinating look into the history, spirit, and controversy over the city's Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. This caravan of the strange, the irreverent, and the delightful attracts not only hundreds of thousands of awe-struck spectators but also some of the city's most talented artists, designers, and performers who spend months creating their costumes and orchestrating the event. A collaboration between five photographers and an urban anthropologist, this pictorial essay is the first book about the parade. The photographs follow the organizers and participants as they prepare, parade, and revel for one glorious night. Based on interviews - some witty, some moving - the text traces the growth of the parade from a small-scale gathering to an all-city spectacle. Highlights from the interviews include New Yorkers' thoughts on the various transformations of the parade from a rite of nature to a demonstration of environmental awareness, from a carefree drag ball to an affirmation of life amid the tragedy of AIDS, and the influence of the ever-changing Greenwich Village community on the parade.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 1994