Though plans for the proposed Roc City Skatepark have met a series of frustrating hiccups over the past decade, the board is far from ready to give up its efforts. This weekend, you can learn about the status of its plans while you check out some rad art from the personal collections of five prominent members of the Rochester skateboard community.
On Saturday, August 13, from 6 p.m. to midnight, The Friends of the Roc City Skatepark will present "Hoarders of Cool: 30 Years of Skateboard Obsession" at the Art Museum of Rochester. The space is packed to the brim with art-laden boards from the collections of the skatepark board members Alan Presutti (board president), Erich Lehman (Wall\Therapy curator), Aaron Costa (owner of Krudco. Skateshop), and guests Erik Miller (owner of Old Skull Skateboards) and Arthur Lew (owner of Rochester's original skateshop, Samurai Skates).
During the opening, board members will present an update on recent progress in working with the City of Rochester to make a free public cement skate park a reality inside the city limits. The hundreds of boards, T-shirts, stickers, collectibles, original artwork, and other ephemera lining the walls spans 30 years of history, offering a survey of the unique aesthetic of skateboard culture.
"My own obsession with skateboards and t-shirt graphics ultimately lead me down the path to finding my career in the graphic arts, as well as later projects like 1975 Gallery and Wall\Therapy," Lehman says. "I owe so much of my adventures and success in life to the skateboarding's influence. It helped teach me to look at the world in a drastically different way, and that mindset applies to all aspects of life. We all want to share this other side of skateboarding with our community, and share some pretty exciting news about the skatepark effort."
The event will also feature the release of a special limited-edition Roc City Skatepark board with graphics by artist and designer Don Pendleton, and a raffle with items donated by skate companies such as VANS, Sleep, Powell, Santa Cruz, Shut, Coal, and others. Food by skater-owned company Joey's Gourmet Hot Dogs will be available for purchase.
If you can't make it Saturday night, catch the show on Sunday, August 14, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., during which time mimosas will be offered for purchase.
