Ursuline College is giving the boys of summer a run for their money with a fall exhibit that the college hopes will hit a home run in the community. Linedrives and Lipstick: The Untold Story of Women’s Baseball opens September 1, 2010 and continues through October 20.
While movies like 1992's A League of Their Own depict women’s baseball as a short-lived wartime phenomenon, America’s national pastime has included women players since the 1860s. Linedrives and Lipstick showcases those players’ impact on the game and American society. The exhibit will feature women like Jackie Mitchell, who struck out baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in 1931, and Sophie Kurys of the South Bend Blue Sox, who holds the record for the most stolen bases in one season in any league - 201 steals in 203 attempts in 1946.
The events, which include not only the exhibit but also a scholarship gala and documentary screening, are destined to be a fall classic, says Ursuline Director of Alumnae Relations Tiffany Mushrush Mentzer, who helped bring the exhibit to Cleveland with alumnae Susan Petrone, who works for the Cleveland-based Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). “It is a perfect complement for Ursuline, since we are a women-focused college,” Mentzer says. “We’re very proud of this exhibit and the fact that many of the women featured are Cleveland natives and a lot of the pieces we’ve collected are done by women artists.”
Dee Harris, director of visual arts and humanities at Mid-America Arts Alliance, which is organizing and touring the exhibit through its ExhibitsUSA national program, says Linedrives and Lipstick delivers a powerful message. “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,” she explains.
Featured events include the exhibit, which is free and open to the public September 1 through October 20 at the College’s Wasmer Gallery. The exhibition features more than 60 items ranging from picture postcards, game programs, photographs, posters and in-depth magazine articles. Additional items are on loan from the Baseball Heritage Museum of Cleveland; Associated Press photographer Amy Sancatta; and The National Museum of Sport, IUPUI. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, noon-5 p.m. and weekends, 1:30- 4:30 p.m. The exhibit’s presenting sponsor is the Cleveland Indians. Other sponsors include Mrs. John C. Wasmer Jr.; the Lake County Captains; Key Bank; Contempo Communications and SABR.
The Linedrives and Lipstick Scholarship Gala is September 16, at 6 p.m. at Landerhaven, 6111 Landerhaven Drive, Lyndhurst. Proceeds will fund Ursuline student scholarships. Barbara Gregorich, Cleveland native and bestselling author of Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball will be the event’s moderator. She will lead a discussion by panelists Doris O’Donnell, the legendary Cleveland journalist who was voted out of an all-male press box in Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Boston; and Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, a pitcher and second baseman of the Indianapolis Clowns from 1953-55 and one of only three women to play alongside men in the Negro Leagues. They will talk about their experiences and roles in breaking down the barriers for other women in a male-dominated sport. The event also includes silent and live auctions, dinner and discussion with O’Donnell and Johnson. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available. Price is $250 per person, a table of eight is $1,800. Contact Kellie Mayle at 440-646-8375 or visit www.ursuline.edu/linedrives for more information.
On October 3, Ursuline will host a special screening of the new documentary, Girls of Summer: The WBL Sparks in Cooperstown, NY, from 2-5 p.m. in the College’s Daley Dining Hall. Director Max Tash focuses on the struggle of one women’s baseball team in a world where most people think that girls don’t belong. Included in the film is Justine Siegal, a longtime women’s baseball player and the first female to coach a men’s professional team, who will be on hand to present Girls Playing Baseball: What’s Love Got To Do with It?
“Justine is so wonderful to listen to,” says Mentzer. “To be a woman in sport and do exactly what she wanted to do, which was [to] coach, is very inspiring. This will be a great event for all ages, but especially young girls with an interest in the game.” The event cost is $10. To register, contact Mayle at 440-646-8375 or kmayle@ursuline.edu.
For more information on the exhibit and corresponding events, visit www.ursuline.edu/linedrives. View a gallery of images from the exhibit here.
