About the Skateland Project
The Skateland oral history project preserves and presents the history of Buffalo’s Skateland community through photos and interviews, celebrating an important social and cultural history of Buffalo.
Background: Archive & Collaboration
In the summer of 2018, Daemen College gratefully accepted a large collection of photo collages that covered the walls of Kiddy Skateland, a roller rink on Buffalo’s East Side. The library digitized 330 collages and made 173 images available via the Daemen Digital Commons. The collages each convey a story—a birthday party, school trip, or a group of friends—and preserve a moment in time.
With the photos as inspiration, history students researched local history and interviewed skaters and others with direct experience of skating and Skateland. Journalism students then used the local histories and interviews as the basis of feature articles. This website highlights the photos and elements of the students’ and community’s stories.
This project is a collaboration of:
- Daemen College (faculty, students, librarians, and the Office of Civic Engagement)
- Community partners (WNY Library Resources Council, Open Buffalo, CEPA Gallery, and The Wash Project)
- Individual members of the local Buffalo skating community
Daemen College is one of only 25 Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) member institutions selected to receive a Humanities Research for the Public Good grant, an initiative designed to connect undergraduate researchers and colleges with community partners. The initiative promotes student research at private colleges and universities, addresses issues of public significance, and showcases the rich archival, library, and museum collections at participating institutions. Humanities Research for the Public Good is generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.