Art on Wheels

Having been a skateboarder since age ten, I have been exposed to more things than just road rash—although that seems to never go away. (In fact, West Belmont Ave added some more injuries to the list last week.) With the emergence of the X-Games and the Dew Tour, the exposure of skateboarding has shot through the roof. People are hearing the names of skateboarders and tricks more and more… and they are also being exposed to the artwork that is such a large part of the sport.

Although there have been many trends and changes with skating throughout the years, the one constant since the mid-1980s has been the level of creativity seen screened on skateboard decks. The design work, either ripped off (paying tribute?) or original, has always seemed to be a huge selling point for the consumer. Although many passersby will just dismiss it all collectively as street art, I would challenge anyone to go into a local skateboard shop (not a Target or sporting goods store) and view what is on the walls as a gallery.

The high level of exposure that skateboarding continues to have has fueled even further growth of skateboards as an art form through the launching of art shows around the world that use skateboards as canvases. Artists not even linked to the sport are drawn to the creative medium. Simultaneously, many struggling creatives have been catapulted to a successful career after designing a skateboard. Todd Francis, Barry McGee, Thomas Campbell, Jim & Jimbo Phillips, Ed Templeton, Chris Silva, Dennis McNett and Andrew Schoultz are just a few of the many names associated with designs that have covered decks in the past.

You might not be able to judge a book by its cover, but skateboards on the other hand (like paintings and sculptures) are purchased every day solely because of their “covers.” Commonly, people will purchase decks to hang as art on their walls—there are currently five on my office walls.

If you’re interested in learning more about decks as art, check out the book Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art. Written by skateboard artist, Sean Cliver, this collection of over 1000 skateboard graphics from the past 30 years is a great intro to the art form.