Women’s Roller Derby Jams at the Museum
(May 6 through July 15, 2011)

Fast track Mamas and Roller Babes at the Dacotah Prairie Museum? Yes! The Museum featured in the Lamont Gallery, “Waiting to Skate” – a colored photography show by Dr. Judith R. Peterson.

Judith R. Peterson is a physician practicing in Sioux Falls, SD, and has been a avid photographer since her college days. Her photography has appeared in South Dakota Magazine, the Argus Leader, and many other publications. Her work has also been widely exhibited and a book of her photographic work: The Picture of Health- A View  From the Prairie with essays by Dr. Rick Holm, was featured at the South Dakota Festival of Books. Her photos have been featured by the South Dakota Medical Association in special public health issues of the South Dakota Journal of Medicine. She continues to do regular photographic assignments for South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s “On Call” public television show. Judith has specific interest in the visual arts and public health and contemporary women’s sports. To learn more about her photography, please visit:  judithrpetersonphotography.com.

Women’s Roller Derby is a sports phenomenon in the United States. It has its roots in sports entertainment and the endurance races on roller skates that were popular from the 1880s through the 1920s. A popular touring exhibition of such races began in 1935 during the Great Depression, which simulated cross-country races by professional teams. Soon after, the teams were restructured, a point-scoring system was enacted, and forms of contact were allowed, creating the basic format of contemporary derby.  Thousands of women fly yearly to Los Vegas to participate in RollerCon, an on and off skates event. Nationals this year will be held at the Philadelphia Convention Center! Derby is remarkable for being one of the few women contact sports. It is one of the few sports of all types largely organized, controlled and owned by women.

“In this exhibition, we see photography of our team, the women of the Sioux Falls ‘Roller Dollz’. We see skaters, bouts, and RollerCon. These few images can only offer a small glimpse into the colorful world of roller derby. My hope is that these images will allow you to see the aesthetics and the athleticism of women’s roller derby. Acceptable female roles in sports is one of the issues explored in the complete series of the photographs as well as the role of the abstract in the documentation of a sports activity and contest,” states Dr. Peterson.

The Lamont Gallery was filled with colorful, action shots, exotic localities, and skaters in full costume. The photography lent a feeling of summer excitement to Gallery viewing in Aberdeen.

For information on past exhibits in the Lamont Gallery, please click here