Gili Rappaport

Overview

Ralph’s Beach Parties is a series of large-scale, participatory public art interventions staged at NYC’s historic queer sanctuary, The People’s Beach at Jacob Riis. Co-organized with 76-year-old community anchor Ralph Hopkins, the project revives and scales his community-led fashion shows from the 1990s.

Using the original mylar runway to create the visual effect of "walking on water," these events bridge intergenerational communities to foster belonging, cultural preservation, and public visibility.

Key Strategic & Civic Impact

• Environmental Advocacy & Climate Resilience: Staged in direct response to rapid coastal erosion and the loss of historic monuments. When severe erosion impacted the original site for Ralph’s Red Hot at Riis (2024), I co-led emergency permit negotiations with the National Park Service to relocate the event, turning the runway into a live platform for public shoreline education.

• Institutional & Civic Defense: Negotiated federal permitting on protected lands at Gateway National Park to host 200+ person gatherings. Staged Ralph’s Neon Oasis (2022) as a direct community defense following the city's announcement to demolish the Neponsit Hospital building.

• Archival Publishing & Research: Co-authored They Call Me The Mayor At Riis Beach: Ralph’s Beach Parties 1994–2000 (Anthology Editions & green flash projects). Established The People’s RIISearch Group to record on-site oral histories, securing permanent placement in the CLAGS Research Archive at CUNY Graduate Center (Minna Rees Library) and Printed Matter.

Project Editions & Curatorial Highlights

• Ralph’s Red Hot at Riis (Sept 2024): Staged alongside the official book launch. Featured designers Lonnie Cisco, Studio Abioto, Kate Williams, and Lord Proverbs; performers Star & Stan; DJs Lil Ray and Greg Cee; and on-site oral history gathering with NPS support.

• Ralph’s Neon Oasis Beach Party (Sept 2022): A 5-hour intervention engaging over 200 beachgoers. Curated in partnership with Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, featuring '90s legacy designers alongside contemporary fashion, live performances, and DJs.

Press & Institutional Recognition

• National Press: Featured in The New York Times, Reuters, Elephant Magazine (interview with J Wortham), and SoFA Journal.

• Film & Exhibitions: Featured in the forthcoming documentary The People’s Beach (dir. J Wortham, premiering NYFF 2026); exhibited at Printed Matter (Decolonization, Resistance, and Solidarity), Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, and KSMoCA.

• Permanent Collections: Held in the CLAGS Research Archive (CUNY Graduate Center) and Printed Matter Permanent Collection.

"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 Hopkins

Deep gratitude to the entire Riis community and over 70 participants from Ralph’s original 1990s community who built this space across generations. May Riis last forever!