Women Artists in Collaboration Records

Women Artists in Collaboration was created in 1985 at Brookings, South Dakota. It started out as a small group of women who had joined together when the Brookings Women's Center sponsored a presentation by women artists. Finding the collaboration stimulating, these women continued to work together. The group was made up of "whoever was willing to contribute" and changed from year to year. Friends of the Arts and the Brookings Women's Center provided funding for the group.

Marilyn Richardson was born on May 22, 1934. She graduated from Box Elder High School in Brigham City, Utah in 1952. In 1956, she received her BA in Speech with a minor in Dance from Brigham Young University. Marilyn received her MA in 1963 from Pennsylvania State University, with a major in Theatre Arts and a minor in Arts Education.

Richardson began teaching in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation [HPER] Department on the South Dakota State University [SDSU] campus in 1964. At that time, the Frost Arena was not yet built; she taught dance courses in the old barn in whatever space was available. In 1968, she started the Annual Student Dance Concerts. In 1976, Marilyn initiated and worked to establish a dance minor through the HPER Department. The Experimental Dance Concert, which was held on the unique stage of the South Dakota Art Museum was started in 1980.

Richardson provided performance opportunities for dancers, offering experimental concerts to challenge students’ ideals of dance and art, and main stage productions that provided students with choreographic and performance experience. She developed the Motion Machine, which was a student performance company that traveled throughout the region performing at elementary schools. Not only did this offer the SDSU dancers touring and performance experience, but it also provided school children throughout the state the chance to see dance in a different and creative perspective.

Richardson provided choreographic services to SDSU theatre, taught private dance lessons, served on several local, state, and national committees, dabbled in the writing world, and toured as artist in residence and touring artist through the South Dakota Arts Council.

Marilyn Richardson retired from SDSU on May 15, 1994. She is mother of three children and wife to Jay.