'Linedrives and Lipstick' coming to Sandoz Center
In contrast to the depiction of women baseball as a short-lived phenomenon of the 1940s, America’s national pastime has included women players from baseball’s beginning in the 1860s. Their impact on the game and American society is brought clearly to light in “Linedrives and Lipstick: The Untold Story of Women’s Baseball,” an exhibition appearing the Sandoz Center at Chadron State College from April 6 through May 25.
“A game of physical skill and mathematical beauty, baseball beat in the hearts of young women and could scarcely wait to manifest itself,” said exhibit essayist Barbara Gregorich. “To the girls and women themselves, it was the real thing.”
Although American society in general may have looked at women’s involvement in baseball as a curiosity, “Linedrives and Lipstick” brings to life the images of women who loved the crack of the bat and the thrill of a running one-handed catch with two outs in the ninth.
Visitors to the Sandoz Center will get to know Jackie Mitchell, who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in 1931 and Sophie Kurys of the South Bend Blue Sox, who still holds the record for the most stolen bases in one season in any league -- 201 steals in 203 attempts in 1946.
Along with the opening of the exhibit, a reception will take place at the Sandoz Center and at the CSC Softball Field where the Eagles play host to Black Hills State on Wednesday, April 6, at 2 p.m. The Sandoz Center and CSC Dining Services will serve free snacks at the game.
The exhibition features more than 60 items, ranging from picture postcards, game programs, photographs, posters, and in-depth articles from mainstream magazines such as Colliers, Liberty and The Saturday Evening Post.
“The best aspect of this exhibition is how it goes beyond the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League of the 1940s, tracing women’s love of the sport going back to the mid-1800s,” said Dee Harris, director of visual arts and humanities at Mid-America Arts Alliance. “It’s much more than a history lesson. It’s a message about determination and achievement in which everyone, especially young women, will discover encouragement for their hopes and dreams.”
The exhibition is organized and toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance through its ExhibitsUSA national program. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 20 exhibitions on tour to more than 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. Mid-America is the oldest nonprofit regional arts organization in the U.S.
Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free.
Category: Campus News