The Dominion Derby Girls invade the O. Winston Link Museum tonight.
Or more precisely, their portraits will.
Photographer Glen McClure, a Norfolk native, has created a series of saucy, kitschy and sometimes surprisingly moving portraits of the members of the Dominion Derby Girls, a group of roller derby teams based in Hampton Roads.
Women with nicknames like "T. Rex Ya Face," "Tsunami Sue," "Grand Master Crash" and "Bam Bam McCha-Cha" glare defiantly in their helmets and loudly colored team attire.
The exhibition, which has been shown at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, opens today at the Link Museum and remains on display through July 29.
Roanoke's own Star City Roller Girls will be on hand for tonight's reception, and McClure will give a talk about the show at tonight's "Beyond the Frame" interview.
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McClure, a commercial photographer, began taking on fine art projects on the side in the 1990s. His projects include the exhibition "A Random Portrait of Virginia," photos for which were taken in Roanoke. He has pieces in the Taubman Museum of Art's permanent collection.
To accompany "Dominion Derby Girls," the Link Museum will open an exhibition created by 12 girls enrolled in Lucy Addison's Community Learning Center program.
The students took part in a four-week workshop in which they were directed to hold their own photo shoots based on McClure's portraits and create alternate personas, complete with special costumes, hairstyles and makeup, that emphasize their own personal strengths.
-- Mike Allen
If you go
What: "Dominion Derby Girls: Portraits by Glen McClure"
Where: O. Winston Link Museum, downtown Roanoke
When: Tonight, 7 to 9 p.m., reception; 7:30 p.m., "Beyond the Frame" interview with McClure
How much: $5
Info: 982-5465; linkmuseum.org