- I own this really sickening gown that's in this museum in Indianapolis.

Like how cool is that?

(upbeat classical music) - [Narrator] Gorgeous wigs, shocking high heels, detailed dresses, and pounds of makeup.

Am I describing a drag queen or 18th century France?

A new exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art highlights these similarities through intricate ceramic pieces by Anthony Sonnenberg, an immersive hand-painted room by Robert Horvath, and some sickening gowns, as Blair put it, by Diego Montoya.

- We are in the Gerald and Dorit Paul Galleries of Fashion and Textiles here at the IMA.

And this exhibition is called "Resplendent Dreams, Reawakening the Rococo," which is an exhibition that features three living queer artists who are all taking inspiration from the early 18th century and the Rococo period.

- [Narrator] The Rococo style was all the rage in Europe during the early 1700s, breaking away from the serious classical period in favor of extravagance and frivolity.

- You know, it's a style that hasn't always been super popular in recent years, especially with the rise of like modern art, which tends to favor more of a minimalist style, you know, geometric abstraction, that kind of thing.

So I was always delighted in its kind of maximalism and its refusal to kind of conform to modern day taste, to really celebrate something that isn't necessarily in style at the time.

- [Narrator] "Resplendent Dreams" takes Rococo style and puts it in a new light, examining the different gender standards of the period.

- In the 18th century, it was mostly men that would wear high heeled shoes.

They were kind of the first actually to wear high heeled shoes before that became popular with women.

They also were really the first to wear wigs.

And a lot of times, it was also men that were really wearing makeup as well.

And it was really, in that period, more of a symbol of social class.

So it was something that the aristocracy would do.

And I think especially in the piece in the exhibition here from Sasha Velour that has this neck ruff that is a little bit more 17th century than 18th century, but still was a very kind of like unisex, like peacocking thing that the aristocracy would've done that was not necessarily gendered as male or female.

So there's this really rich tradition of different gender norms in the 18th century that I think that drag artists and Diego really love to play with in their work.

(upbeat classical music) - [Narrator] The centerpiece of "Resplendent Dreams" is this gown here, "Rocaille", designed and created by Diego Montoya for the museum, and modeled by Indianapolis drag icon, Blair St. Clair.

(upbeat classical music ends) - Hi, I'm Blair St. Clair.

I'm a full-time artist.

I'm most known for competing on Ru Paul's "Drag Race."

So I'm a drag artist.

I'm also a theatrical wig designer.

I co-founded an Indy-based theater company called Indy Drag Theater that highlights drag artists.

And I'm still a working actor.

And that kind of like covers like a lot of the different things that I do.

It's like a little bit of everything that like all makes up artist.

(gentle classical music) For me, drag has always been this place to play with the ideas of gender.

And I think that like I was taught at a young age, like boy equals blue, doll equals girl.

You can... You can't wear these things.

You can wear these things.

You're supposed to do these things.

These are the professions you're supposed to look for.

And drag is everything besides that.

It's a place to play.

It's a place to nurture your creative energies.

- [Narrator] Blair was born and raised here in Indy, a place she says she felt nurtured by and encouraged to explore her art.

- Indy has always been important to me.

It has been the place that I've fallen, the place that I've grown, the place that I feel the most comfortable and safe in.

I've never been one of those people that have said, "I cannot wait to get out of here.

I can't wait to leave in Indiana.

I don't wanna be here."

I look around and I find like love and community all around me.

And I feel like I wanna be here.

Like I wanna pour into Indy the same way it's poured to me.

- [Narrator] For Blair, Indy has been a safe space for her to express her identity.

The "Resplendent Dreams" exhibition aims to imagine a world in which everyone feels that safety.

- That was really a guiding principle for this exhibition, is that they're all kind of imagining this different, more open, more celebratory world for queer people, and for the Rococo style, and what it's about, finding joy in things that maybe have been devalued before.

And I really wanted to stress that element.

I think a lot of history can often be, you know, very kind of trauma-centered and kind of on the, you know, traumatic aspects of our history.

But I wanted to focus in this exhibition on artists who were really in a celebratory mood and really like finding things to love and enjoy and delight them In this time period.

- [Narrator] It's an exhibition filled with whimsy.

The extravagance and impracticality of the gowns are a reminder to take life and the societal boundaries we put on ourselves a little less seriously.

- I think people should play more.

I mean, how often did we play as kids, playing dress up, or playing with our imaginary friends, or just enjoying life on life's terms and not feeling so bogged down in the heaviness of what's around us?

We should be aware.

We should be responsible.

But we should also allow ourselves to be imaginative, and to create, and to have fun.

So if your drag is trying on a new dress to wear to dinner on a date night, fierce.

Like if your drag is putting on a little makeup to go to work and you have a big meeting that's happening, work, like fierce, that's great.

Like if your drag is like getting out of town and experiencing like something new, and different, and feeling creative, and finding like that creative spark to, you know, add it to your daily life, great.

Like I feel like drag is manifested in so many different ways.

But I think it's creative energy that allows us to keep playing.

- [Narrator] The "Resplendent Dreams, Reawakening the Rococo," exhibition will close in March of 2026.

So there's plenty of time to go check it out at Newfields.

In the meantime, remember to stay playful.

(gentle classical music fades) (upbeat instrumental music) - [Announcer] For more "Across Indiana" stories, go to wfyi.org/acrossindiana.

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