Some 30+ years ago, when skateboarding came to Oklahoma, I bought a cheap plastic red skateboard with my babysitting money. This piece of plastic put you at risk if you rolled over a small pebble. It was rough going, and I was not rough enough. I stayed with roller-skating.
If I have any regrets about how I did not spend my youth, one would be that I did not make a stronger attempt to become a skateboarding teen-queen (which explains the pseudo-nostalgia that I feel when I watch the documentary, Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)).
I admire the young people that are maintaining skateboard culture, and doing so by instilling it with wonderfully innovative and provocative work. A couple of examples of this are provided below:
1. Apache Skateboards is a team that, according to their blog, “consists of thinkers, filmmakers,writers, photographers, skateboarders artists and designers.” Visit their sites and show them all the support that they deserve for their talent, creativity, and commitment.
2. The NMAI currently is running an exhibit entitled “Ramp it Up.”
From the NMAI website: “Ramp it Up celebrates the vibrancy, creativity, and controversy of American Indian skate culture. Skateboarding combines demanding physical exertion with design, graphic art, filmmaking, and music to produce a unique and dynamic culture.
The exhibition features rare and archival photographs and film of Native skaters as well as skatedecks from Native companies and contemporary artists.
Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America runs from June 12, 2009 to September 13, 2009 at the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, DC.”
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.