New Orleans has always been a city that dresses to be seen. From the feathered crowns of Mardi Gras Indians to the glittering floats of Carnival season, costuming here is not mere decoration; it is storytelling, resistance, and art. On April 17, 2026, Tulane University Libraries invites the community to explore that tradition through a fresh and dazzling lens with Fashioning the Queen: A Panel and Performance on Costuming, New Orleans, and the Art of Drag on the third floor of Jones Hall.

An Exhibition Come to Life

Fashioning the Queen is presented alongside Cut from a Different Cloth: Fashion Selections from Tulane Special Collections, a current exhibition that showcases the remarkable fashion history preserved in Tulane's archives. That exhibition invites visitors to consider how clothing carries memory, culture, and identity across generations. This event extends that conversation into the present day, creating a living dialogue between the archival past and contemporary performance.

Drag has always been at the intersection of fashion and storytelling. Drag artists are costume designers, seamstresses, stylists, makeup artists, and performers; often all at once and often working with limited resources and unlimited imagination.

Meet the Queens

The afternoon will feature Lexis Redd D'Ville, Vantasia Divine, and Monique Michaels-Alexander, three performers whose artistry reflects the depth and diversity of New Orleans' drag community.

The panel discussion runs from 1:00 to 1:45 PM in the Louis Prima Room, where the three queens will be in conversation, moderated by Kay P Maye, Resource & Data Analyst Librarian. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance through the event's online submission form. Topics will range from the nuts and bolts of costume design, sewing, sourcing, and constructing looks from scratch to broader questions about how New Orleans culture shapes drag fashion.

A Live Performance in the Gallery

Following the panel, guests are invited to move into the Tulane University Special Collections Exhibit Room for the main event: a live drag performance beginning at 2:00 PM.

Refreshments will be provided.

This special event is a joint collaboration between Tulane University Special Collections and Tulane University Libraries Scholarly Engagement. Free and open to all.