Naked and unafraid: Man stands on NYC street corner in skivvies to raise cash for engagement ring

New York Post

26-04-2025

He's looking for a diamond in the buff.
A Maryland performance artist met the girl of his dreams, Alma Nicholson, seven months back, and ever since, he's been stripping down to his skivvies in public — to raise money to buy a ring and spend the rest of his life with her.
5 Ham drew stares on March 26, standing in the cold in NoHo.
Helayne Seidman
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'Alma is awesome because she does what she loves every day, training horses,' the 30-year-old known only as Ham, told The Post. 'What I love most about her is the respect she commands from her animals, and the care she gives them. I'm a farm boy at heart, and thus a sucker for a horse girl.'
Engagement rings aren't cheap, and like most unknown artists, Ham isn't exactly rolling in it.
So in January, he launched his labor of love, visiting various cities, including Berlin, London and last month, the Big Apple.
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5 Several married men have donated, telling Ham 'they feel my pain.'
Helayne Seidman
'What I've learned most from doing this social experiment is the institution of marriage is one of the most powerful in the world,' Ham said. 'A London gallery owner told me if I was asking for money to feed myself, no one would help.'
For several hours March 26, Ham stood shivering on a small box in the cold, at the corner of East Houston and Lafayette streets in NoHo, wearing nothing but his drawers and a pair of socks, just spitting distance from a large Calvin Klein underwear billboard.
He shares his Venmo information — on a sign reading 'Engagement Ring Savings Fund' — for anyone inclined to donate.
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The effort is also serious art, he insisted.
'It's a social commentary on what we are comfortable with in advertising being disconnected from what we are comfortable with in society,' Ham told The Post about his project, 'Platforms.'
5 Ham, with Alma, said he's most asked if he's trying to launch a modeling career.
Courtesy of Ham
'If people get upset I'm in my underwear, I can [nod] to my left,' said Ham, referring to the Calvin Klein ad. 'How can you be upset with me being in my underwear if there's a 50-foot tall man in his underwear across the street.'
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Ham will return to the Big Apple at the same corner from April 29 through May 4, each day from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
5 Ham will return to the Big Apple between April 29 and May 4.
Helayne Seidman
Ham said he might be able to purchase a ring this summer — and said it would be the biggest rock he can afford. 'I've been approached by a few jewelry makers who've expressed interest in using a design I've come up with that will hopefully suit Alma perfectly.'
He refused to say how much he has collected so far. 'The overwhelming majority are single dollar contributions,' he said, adding he occasionally will get a $50 or $100 bill. 'A true crowd-sourced ring!'
5 Ham said he's received donations as large as $100, but that most donors contribute $1.
Helayne Seidman
Nicholson, who trains fox hunter horses, called Ham 'a really great guy who treats me well and is very adopting of my brave spirit.' She said she fell in love with 'how bold he is in what he does.'
She knew Ham has been doing performance art on his trips, Nicholson had no idea about his impending plans.