From now until May 30th, 2010, it’s possible to visit the birthplace of modern skateboarding and take in an exhibit that outlines its evolution at Santa Monica’s California Heritage Museum, which is currently presenting, “Skateboard: Evolution and Art in California.” When people think of Santa Monica, they might picture a seaside resort town, with a hundred year old famous pier and amusement park, but the city is also home to the skateboard movement, and this is exhibit will be the first of its kind to actually be shown in “Dog Town,” the name given to the Santa Monica and Ocean Park area which gave rise to skateboarding as a form of art.
The exhibit will be guest curated by legendary Z-boys, specifically Nathan Pratt, and a host of other notables in the skateboarding world, such as Chris Dawson (1966 Hobie Champ) and1980s world champ Christian Hosoi. The idea of the installation is to trace the history of the skate boards from pre-1950 to the present day, featuring the designers and artists and manufacturers of the board, as well as the riders. The exhibit follows the board from the days in which wood planks with metal skate wheels nailed to the bottom eventually became polyurethane wheels and kicktails. There will be over 275 rare boards available for viewing from some of the top collections in the world, including Jason Cohn, Ray Flores, Dale Smith/Skate Designs, Inc., Todd Huber/Skatelab Skatepark, and James Lang/South Bay Skates.
The exhibit will also include a full set of events, such as screenings of the film Dogtown and Z-Boys, Skater Dater and Rising Son: The Christian Hosoi Story, which will take place at the museum itself, an historic 1894 home, and at the downtown Santa Monica Library. Throughout the exhibit’s run there will be special guest appearances and talks and photo exhibits.
If you’re coming to the seaside to spend a few days in one of the hotels Santa Monica has throughout the area, it’s well worth it to check out the beach, the boardwalk, and the exhibit of how skateboarding as an art really began.
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