Get on Board
With the planning and development of the new Fernie Skatepark, I felt it important to celebrate and showcase the artistic aspects of skateboarding as the sport continues to grow in the Elk Valley. In order to do this, I have curated a multi-artist show that features an array of visual art on recycled skate decks. For decades skateboarding has brought together a diverse and vibrant community of people, and I want that to be reflected through the various contemporary aesthetics of the artists I have selected. Skate culture itself, has created a space to not only explore movement but a highly creative art form which continually challenges and inspires its participants. Historically, skateboarding has informed and has been informed by counter-cultures like punk music, the youth movement, hip-hop, graffiti, and more. It has continually migrated between its counter-culture roots and the forefront of popular culture since its inception and has fostered and supported both athletes and artists alike within the activity’s multiple facets.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of art within skateboarding lies in the graphics pressed onto every board. This graphic is created by artists, displayed brand-new on board shop walls, purchased by skateboarders and admired for a short time until ultimately being completely destroyed as the graphic is unable to stand up to the abuse of its user. It is in this way that the skateboard graphic becomes one of the more interesting creative displays within the culture as the artwork that makes every single board unique is also incredibly fleeting.
A motivating factor for me to curate this show is showcasing a version of this artwork on the broken-down canvases of boards that have been cast aside. I also believe there is value in displaying artistic styles that have historically been regarded as “low-brow” in a gallery setting. Upon initially designing the show, I chose to reach out to artists in the community that primarily engage in contemporary artistic styles thus I feel like they can lend themselves earnestly to a non-traditional presentation format.
I believe this show will bring in a different demographic of Fernie residents that don’t already engage with the Arts Station space and as an FDAC board member, it is important to me to continue to grow our reach in our community. Curating this show has been an honour and I look forward to the community being able to engage with these artists’ incredible work.
The skate show features the following artists: Connor Anderson, LJ Lore, Kevin Frank, Chelsea Howlett-Smith, Caroline Williams, Steph Wallace, Cami Pageau, Dan Cureton and Becca Davies
Get on Board: A Skate Deck Art Show curated by Rivka Landsberg opens at the Arts Station on September 28 with an official opening that evening from 7-9pm. It will be on display until late October.