Good Wood: The Art of Skateboards
Andrew Davis (from AWWSWEET, a curating agency) has done it again: his second skateboard art show has made it all the way from Detroit to the Brooklyn-based art space, Third Ward. Inspired by the documentary feature film Beautiful Losers, which focuses on the subcultures of skateboarding and graffiti, Good Wood brings together 45 different artists who’ve designed a stunning selection of decks. Styles range from collage, graffiti, acrylic, oil, ink, silkscreen and photography to sculpture. Some of the big players in the show include Chuck Anderson, Nathan Fox, Leo Espinosa, and myself, amongst many others.
Davis, the originator and curator of the exhibition, recently graduated from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies with a major in illustration. His first Good Wood show debuted exactly a year ago. I caught up with Andrew at the gallery yesterday to find out more about how this came about: “I thought of it because I saw that many artists were making their names through skateboarding; it also gave me a good excuse to reach out to artists I admired and establish a solid network for future shows I plan to curate.” Davis provided the canvas — the decks — and the artists provided the work, which made artists more receptive to his proposal. This year’s version of Good Wood continues that trend.
Stop by the opening at Third Ward this Saturday, July 26, between 7 pm and midnight, where you can check out some short films by Josh Stewart, dance to DJ Brion Isaacs’s music, have a drink or two, and buy a deck to help a good cause. The show will be up until August 10th.
Tagged: Brooklyn galleries, Skateboarding, skateboards
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New York’s 71 Irving Place Cafe
71 is the kind of place which is small enough to miss, but once you see it, you realize everyone somehow knows about it. It’s set three steps down from the sidewalk level, and it’s always packed, except for week late nights and mid-mornings. Even though their service is not the friendliest — like any other spot in New York that’s too cool for school — 71 has a noticeably loyal clientele. Lots of writers hang out with their computers, while photographers check out the scene, and artists meet up with their reps. Besides hot and cold drinks, including their own coffee, they also offer a great selection of pastries, sandwiches and my friend Nicolas’ favorite chicken soup ever.
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