A live and local example of the creative partnership between art and skate culture is realized in “The Skate Deck Art Show,” a collaborative exhibit brought to life by the Dubuque Area Arts Collective and Olliewood Action Sports. Over 100 artists, skaters and non-skaters alike, across all ages, channeled their energy into creating original works of art on skate decks.
skateboarding
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Legendary pro skater, punk rocker and Des Moines local Mike Vallely is living his teenage dream
Growing up in New Jersey in the 1970s and ’80s, Mike Vallely was, of course, aware of skateboarding. But it didn’t seem approachable. Popular culture presented it as something made for Californians with nice tans and well-built bodies who wanted to show off and do handstands on their boards. So Vallely didn’t pay it much […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
‘The next generation’ of Iowa skaters are carving out a community in the nation’s largest skatepark
On any sunny afternoon, the Lauridsen Skatepark in downtown Des Moines is filled with locals and out-of-towners, amateurs and pros, teens and 20-somethings. And right along with them, you’ll find the Subsect Kids Skate Crew, a group of skaters who are among the youngest at the park. “They really found and created their own space […]
Posted inCommunity/News
As Iowa skate culture swells, Skate DSM is giving away 500 skateboards and helmets to local kids
Students pre-K through 8th grade can nab a free, brand-new skateboard and helmet through a new initiative from Skate DSM. “One of the biggest goals of Skate DSM is to really get more kids on skateboards,” said organization president Norm Sterzenbach. “The Get on Board Project is literally getting more kids on skateboards.” The Get […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Amid a flourishing Iowa skate culture, locals look to improve the Iowa City skatepark
Jeff Keyser fondly remembers he and his friends riding their skateboards past the Iowa City skatepark as it was being built back in 2002. Keyser was in middle school at the time and had already been skateboarding for a few years. He got into skating in the late ’90s after he and his brother got […]
