"There's something people just love about the skateboard as a free and expressive canvas," says American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Colorado president Elysia Sryiac, surveying more than 300 decks submitted for Saturday's 5th annual Bordo Bello art show and auction at Redline Gallery. "This will be our largest show to date, with contributions from an amazing amount of really great local talent as well as a lot of decks that came in nationally that look really great, and I never cease to be surprised and amazed at how unique and creative each and every artist's approach to the skateboard can be."
See also: - Slide show: Skateboard Art at Bordo Bello - Skateboard vs. Deer at Buffalo Bill Downhill Bloodspill on Lookout Mountain - Ernie Torres for Real Skateboards: Pushing Colorado Since Day One - Go Skateboarding Day: 303 ways to skate down a set of stairs
Artists in this year's show chose from one of three skateboard shapes from Englewood-based BoardPusher Custom Skateboards -- the standard "popsicle stick", a 70s-inspired cruiser deck, or an 80s inspired "old-school" board -- then had the option to have their designs professionally printed by BoardPusher or to create hand-decorated boards or, well, to do pretty much anything they wanted to them. Sryiac says this year's boards range from multimedia extravaganzas to boards that would fit right in at any local skate shop.
"Our collaboration with BoardPusher has really brought the level up from good to awesome over the last few years we've been working with them because we're now able to offer professionally-printed high-quality skate decks as a deliverable," Sryiac says. "A lot of these are boards you could go right out and skate on if you wanted to."To reinforce the point that skateboard art isn't just for hanging on the walls of a gallery, Sryiac says this year's show will feature halfpipe demos in the gallery and an interactive workshop sponsored by BoardPusher and Plutonium Paint, where visitors can customize sheets of griptape for their skateboards with spray paint and stencils.
With more than 300 featured decks in the show, there's a decent chance you could get a board for a reasonable enough price that you might actually want to skate it. Bordo Bello's also a great opportunity to buy one-of-a-kind work from your favorite artists, and to discover some new favorites, Sryiac says.
"The auction is a silent auction with decks starting anywhere from $30-$50, and for most of the decks you have to be on-site to bid," Sryiac says. "Some of the decks from our national artists will be on eBay from Friday through Sunday, so there's also an ability for anyone anywhere to participate."This year's show will be open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 6, at Redline Gallery, 2350 Arapahoe Street. Proceeds from ticket sales ($15 in advance at BordoBello.com or $20 at the door) and from the auction will benefit AIGA Colorado mentorship programs including the "Giving Voice" program at VSA Colorado/Access Gallery, the Robert Taylor AIGA Scholarship Fund for young designers, and new AIGA Colorado programming.
See more decks on the next page.
