The King of Arms Art Ball (KOAAB) is a live performance event that brings together renowned figures from the ballroom, art, fashion, music, literary, activism, entertainment, and LGBTQAI+ communities. KOAAB builds off traditional ballroom competitions such as those first brought into mainstream view through the 1989 documentary Paris is Burning and recently re-popularized through the hit shows Pose and Legendary, but with a twist: all the categories are based on a specific artist’s work or a particular movement within art history and contemporary culture. The Ball eschews typical categories like ‘butch queen realness,’ ‘labels’ or ‘European runway’ — which reinforce gender binaries, capitalism, and white supremacy — and reimagines them in ways that honor pivotal Black artists such as Marlon Riggs, The Nicholas Brothers, Mickalene Thomas, David Hammons, Lorna Simpson, and Bill T. Jones. To participate, contestants must research the work of these luminary figures and then creatively dress and reimagine their work on the ballroom floor. Conceived of and produced by interdisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome, the Ball has been held annually in different cities since 2013. In the process, it has grown in popularity and attendance and has been heavily covered by the press, from mainstream outlets such as The New York Times to queer publications like them.