Staten Island’s Wagner College New Exhibit Showcases Woman Professional Wrestlers: “Fight Like A Girl”

Woman Professional Wrestlers at Center Ring for Wagner Exhibit

Editor’s note: Also in sports, we previously covered Wagner College’s new outdoor lighting and display screen system.  The college also recently hosted an exhibit of paintings by two artists at their galleries. We also covered a new course about ethics and violence available online. 

STATEN ISLAND — Wagner College’s Union Gallery presents “Fight Like a Girl!” by photographer Nick Richardson. “Fight” is a collection of photos taken in New York and New Jersey during 2024, highlighting woman professional wrestlers in independent events.

The exhibit runs from Feb. 9 through March 6, with an opening reception 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Thursday, Feb. 13. Books of Richardson’s photographs will be for sale with all proceeds donated to Safe Horizons, a center providing emergency housing for domestic abuse victims. (The book can be pre-ordered at https://mixam.com/print-on-demand/6776fb2231840978a3b6f214.)

Taking place in venues ranging from mid-sized arenas with a few thousand spectators to a VFW hall with only a few spectators, independent wrestling allows more intimate connections between fans and wrestlers. Female wrestlers are often treated as equals to their male counterparts in terms of competing for the coveted champion’s belt. However, they are expected to perform at a higher level concerning pageantry, presentation, and interaction with fans.

Working with show promoters, Richardson photographed from ringside or from a vantage point adjacent to the fixed video camera that records the entire ring. His photographs capture the range of actions and emotions experienced by the wrestlers in the ring with surprising compositions and vivid colors, illustrating the larger-than-life personas, costumes, and athleticism.

Richardson — professor of chemistry at Wagner College— has had a long-term interest in female success in traditionally male-dominated fields, be it academic or athletic. Created using digital Nikon D5 or Z9 cameras, the colors are true to life, and he focuses on key moments in matches where a face is visible in order to highlight the emotions of that moment. The works in this exhibition are printed on handmade washi paper creating extra texture and dimension.

This is Richardson’s second solo show on the topic of independent professional wrestling. His website shows his recent wrestling photography: https://khubie.org

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Wagner College seamlessly blends professional programs with a liberal arts grounding for an experiential education that fosters well-rounded, adaptable graduates. Our verdant residential campus offers a tranquil retreat on New York City’s Staten Island. We pride ourselves on robust student support services, including personalized academic advising, comprehensive career counseling, and a wide array of wellness programs. Our students are prepared not only for professional success but also for meaningful lives through our faculty’s dedication to promoting scholarship, achievement, leadership, and citizenship.

Banner Image: Warriors of Wrestling’s New Beginnings in Brooklyn. Image Credit – Nick Richardson

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Wagner College

Wagner College prepares students for life, as well as for careers, by emphasizing scholarship, achievement, leadership, and citizenship. Wagner offers a comprehensive educational program that is anchored in the liberal arts, experiential and co-curricular learning, interculturalism, interdisciplinary studies, and service to society, and that is cultivated by a faculty dedicated to promoting individual expression, reflective practice, and integrative learning.