If you have already looked at a copy of the book Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like? by Jane Gottesman you
might be tempted to think there is no reason to go out of your way to see this exhibit. But believe me, whether your book’s corners are
ragged from use or whether you’ve never seen the book, it is definitely worth the trip. As exquisite as the photos are in the book, there
is nothing quite like standing face to face with weightlifter Cheryl Haworth. And when you pause before renowned basketball coach
Pat Summitt giving Chamique Holdsclaw a piece of her mind, you can almost feel Summitt’s breath on your face. And although the
Historical Society staff would frown on it, you will find yourself wanting to touch the steely muscles of Chris Evert’s forearm as she arm
wrestles with Martina Navratilova. In short, seeing these photos in the larger exhibit format renders them with an intensity that is
breathtaking, something only hinted at, in comparison, in the book. The book, of course, is valuable for its text and for allowing return
to the photos over and over again; I in no way mean to detract from the book. But your experience of it will be enriched by
encountering its photos in their true glory.
Because not only are the photos larger, but there are sometimes details that had been cropped out in the photos that Gottesman
and editor Geoffrey Biddle received for the book. In Batons Away! for instance, which shows dozens of young girls tossing their
batons into the air on Miami Beach, there is an expanse of sky you will see in the exhibit that gives the photo a grandeur and scope—
a limitlessness—that the more compact book version just can’t give. And by virtue of the photos being mounted on the wall, you stand
face to face with these girls and women—a change in perspective from looking at them lying down before you in a book that gives an
added vitality.
The exhibit experience is more, though, than a simple change in size and orientation from the book. With the book, you view the
pictures alone or maybe with a few friends or loved ones. But at the exhibit, you share the encounter with many others, get to watch
their delight or critical gaze or reverence, hear their gasps of awe, their joyous laughs, the comments that reflect moments of their own
triumphs and defeats. The reactions of the people around you can alter your own perspective or further add to your pleasure of a
particular photo. And the simple fact of seeing an entire gallery space devoted to the beauty of the active female form, in all its athletic
manifestations, is tremendously validating. The Chicago Historical Society has mounted this exhibit with a great deal of respect and
care, allowing the banners that mark the different phases of the photos—Getting Ready, Start, Action, Finish, and Aftermath—plenty of
space to unfurl and lighting the photos in a way that makes each stand out. There is also a short video to watch, and the gift shop has
copies of posters from the exhibit, as well as the book so that if you don’t already have a copy, you can buy one and take the
experience home with you to relive as often as you like.
The photos are of female athletes, yes, but the book and exhibit are about so much more. For instance, MassMutual Financial
Group and OppenheimerFunds, the corporate sponsors of the three-pronged Game Face project (which also includes an educational
program—see sidebar), did a survey titled ‘From the Locker Room to the Boardroom: A Survey on Sports in the Lives of Women
Business Executives,’ which found that 81 percent of women business executives played organized team sports growing up. Which is
to say, whether you find yourself nostalgic over the ‘Girl on Swing, Pitt Street’ (Walter Rosenblum, 1938) or grimacing with field
hockey player Tracey Fuchs as she makes ‘A Shot on the Spanish Goal’ (Bob Galbraith, 1996), you are looking at the face of
women’s success in America.
For additional information on the Game Face exhibit, go to www.chicagohistory.org or call (312) 642-4600. The museum is open
Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m.
Also see www.gamefaceonline.org.
Teach the Children:
Game Face in the Classroom
Game Face: Life Lessons across the Curriculum, for ages 10 through 13 (Game Face Productions, 2002; available free from
MassMutual Financial and OppenheimerFunds)
If you are a grade school or junior high teacher, you may have asked questions such as, ‘How do you teach children to respect
each other and be tolerant of people from different backgrounds? How do you instill in them a work ethic and a sense of responsibility
for their actions? How do you inspire them to brush off setbacks and try again, and to risk failure in the pursuit of their dreams?’ (Jane
Gottesman, Geoffrey Biddle, and Frances B. Emerson, educator’s guide, p. 1). The photo cards with images from Game Face, in
concert with the suggestions for usage, aim to help you, as the teacher, address these questions with your students.
Each educational pack comes with eight sets of 17 photo cards (5-1/2 x 7 inches) and a matching set of larger cards (11-1/2 x 14
inches) for the instructor. On the back of each student card is information about the photo and/or discussion or essay questions. For
example, a photo of gymnast Jaycie Phelps is accompanied by a quote from her saying, ‘Each person is born with a gift’ and several
questions: ‘What kinds of gifts do you think Phelps had in mind? What gift do you think she was born with? What gift were you born
with?’ The teacher’s cards, which may be held up for the class, has on the back a small copy of the photo and the same text that
accompanies the student cards. In addition, there is text that identifies the goal of that photo in the context of the classroom, the
content focus (e.g., competition, friendship, rivalry), discussion questions and definitions, and suggested writing assignments. The
materials, though, can really be focused in whatever way the teacher thinks will be most helpful to her students or according to class
subject (e.g., history, English, social studies).
Also included in the packets are 32 copies of an individual-activity take-home poster for each child and an educator’s program
guide with teaching tips, content correlations, activity pages suitable for reproduction, a list of further resources, and an order form for
two free museum-quality Game Face posters. The production quality of all of the materials is amazingly high (all student and educator
cards are suitable for framing!) and the malleability of the material makes this a perfect tool for anyone who teaches children ages 10
to 13 (or even, I would think, slightly older or younger, depending on the maturity and proficiency of your students).
To get your free educational packet (limit two per teacher), simply log on to www.massmutual.com/mmfg/about/
community_relations/involvement/game_face.html, fill out the simple application form, and fax it in (full instructions are at the Web
address given).
Exhibit photos by Yvonne Zipter, all action photos courtesy from the book and exhibit.