Good art comes in many formats, including on wheels.
For the Fourth of July weekend, River Tree Arts in Kennebunk will celebrate one of America’s most iconic symbols of youth — the skateboard — by hosting an auction of ‘boards decorated by dozens of local artists. Proceeds will help build a premier skate park in Kennebunk.
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“I like the idea of doing something for the kids that you wish someone would have done for you when you were a kid,” said artist Kelly Jo Shows, who in addition to designing a skateboard with a monkey motif also is designing the T-shirt for the event. “It’s a blast. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Shows has had plenty of practice. A skateboarder herself, she has doctored many ‘boards over the years.
The artists expressed their creativity in any number of ways. Some adorned their images right on the decks. Others changed the shape and composition of the ‘boards.
Most are designed to be ridden, but some are strictly for looks.
“Skateboard art seems like a popular thing,” said auction organizer Erin Watkinson. “I thought this was a unique idea to have art on a skateboard and then have an auction. But I have since found out that it is done all over the country.
“I ordered 50 blank ‘boards and put together a list of artists. We sent out an invitation, and just about everybody responded enthusiastically.”
The Skateboard Art Show and Auction opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. The ‘boards will be on view from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and the auction is from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday.
Tom Noble, who serves on the skate park committee, estimated there are 400 students between the ages of 6 and 18 in the Kennebunk school system who are passionate about skateboarding, Rollerblading or BMX bike riding.
And there are more than 2,000 skateboarders within a 20-mile radius of Kennebunk.
“It seems strange that these participants, for the most part, are without the facilities necessary to practice and improve,” Noble wrote in a fundraising letter. “Can you imagine a town without basketball and tennis courts? Imagine how popular football would be without a field.”
This weekend’s show and sale is a small part of the fundraising process. The larger goal is to raise $250,000. That money will be used to build a nationally recognized skateboard facility in Kennebunk that will draw skaters and their families to the town from April to November.
In addition to the ‘boards, Watkinson has received a lot of swag from the extreme sports community to auction or raffle at the event.
“I think it’s going to be a really cool event,” she said. “Everybody seems to be into the art. The artists really outdid themselves. Some of them just blew my mind with what they came up with.
“And the kids seem to be into it. They appreciate what we are doing.”
Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at:
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