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Women & Motorcycling Exhibit hits the road

11 October 2000

    PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is out to dispel 
a few stereotypes with a new traveling exhibit, "Women & Motorcycling," 
that will tour selected cities starting in November. Showcasing the fact that 
women have long been a part of motorcycling's grand history, the exhibit will 
appear as part of the 2000-2001 Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows 
Presented by Toyota Trucks.

   The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum Women & Motorcycling exhibit will 
augment and accompany the AMA's traditional role as an exhibitor in the annual 
shows, appearing at 11 of the 12 events during the 2000-2001 season.

    Here's some background on the exhibit:

       When the Motorcycle Heritage Foundation opened its motorcycle museum in 
Westerville, Ohio in 1990, one of the first exhibits featured a tribute to 
women and motorcycling. The museum moved to a more spacious facility in 
Pickerington, Ohio, in 1998 and was renamed the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. 
The exhibit was updated earlier this year as part of the AMA's second Women 
& Motorcycling National Conference in July, 2000. 

       The new version was based largely on the content of the 1990 Women and 
Motorcycling Exhibit, but updated to create a more contemporary message. 
Says exhibit curator Ed Youngblood: "The first exhibit may have left the 
impression that the world of women's motorcycling was driven by a handful of 
standout personalities throughout history.  It may have overemphasized the 
'minority aspect' of women and motorcycling. We wanted to make the point that 
motorcycling today includes hundreds of thousands of women at every level of 
our sport and industry. We also wanted to do a better job of placing women's 
motorcycling events in an historical context," says co-curator and 
associate editor for American Motorcyclist magazine, Kim Barlag. "We wanted to connect women's motorcycling with the 
whole century-long women's movement."

       The new exhibit is built around three-dozen full-color, light weight 
panels that are packed with images and information. The panels include 
timelines depicting historical events from the past century, including quotes 
from famous women like Susan B. Anthony and Janis Joplin. The names of more than 
1,500 women who are currently active in various aspects of modern motorcycling 
are included on the exhibit's display panels. "We knew it would be 
impossible to mention the name of every woman who deserves to be listed," 
says Barlag. "Our intention was to create an overall impression and help 
viewers understand that women's motorcycling is about much more than a few 
heroic personalities throughout history."

       On display at each location will be two legendary motorcycles ridden by 
two very fast women: The first is Gina Bovaird's 1980 Yamaha TZ500 production 
road- racing machine. Bovaird is credited with being the first woman in the 
famous Daytona 200 motorcycle race. The other is Tammy Kirk's Harley-Davidson 
XR750 dirt track racing motorcycle. Kirk is the first woman to qualify in an 
AMA Grand National Final.

       In addition to the women featured in the first version of the exhibit, the 
stories of contemporary heroines are highlighted to bring the story into the 
21st century. Voni Glaves is depicted for her high-mileage exploits and her 
use of motorcycling to build relationships with special-needs children.  Also 
included are the stories of Gin Shear and Sue Slate, whose Pony Express Rides 
have raised more than a million dollars for breast cancer research. "It is 
very satisfying to see how our visitors respond to this exhibit," says 
museum director Mark Mederski. "There is no doubt it has met our goal to tell 
the larger story about women and motorcycling."

       Many of the pioneers exalted in the exhibit were on hand to cut the 
ribbon officially opening the exhibit on July 15, 2000. Hundreds of women 
toured the museum during the 2000 AMA Women & Motorcycling conference, and 
the exhibit was judged the most popular feature of the conference by the 
attendees.  Quotes from some of them: "The museum exhibit was first class..." "The museum was a very emotional 
experience for me..." "I am so pleased to have these women recognized for 
their contributions to the sport..." "I was moved to tears by the museum 
exhibit...I was impressed with the museum display..." 

    The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum Women & Motorcycling exhibit goes on 
tour with the 20th Anniversary Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows 
Presented by Toyota Trucks this winter. It can be seen at the following 
locations:

        Nov. 10-12, 2000 -- San Mateo County Expo Center, San Mateo, Calif. 
        Dec. 1-3, 2000 -- Stadium Exhibition Center, Seattle, Wash.
        Dec. 8-10, 2000 -- Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, Calif.
        Dec. 15-17, 2000 -- Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas. 
        Jan. 12-14, 2001 --  Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pa. 
        Jan. 26-28, 2001 -- Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, Minn.
        Feb. 2-4, 2001 -- IX Center, Cleveland, Ohio.
        Feb. 9-11, 2001 -- Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Ill.
        Feb. 16-18, 2001 -- Cobb Galleria, Atlanta, Ga. 
        Feb. 23-25, 2001 -- Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, N.Y. 
        March 23-25, 2001 -- TWA Dome at America's Center, St. Louis, Mo.

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is located alongside the AMA 
headquarters, 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, Ohio. The museum is open 
daily 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is $3. Holiday hours vary, call for 
information. AMA, AMCA members and seniors receive a $1 discount; children 
are free. 
Call (614) 856-2222 for more info or visit www.motorcyclemuseum.org