DOWNHILL FROM HERE

Mesh Gallery Presents: “Downhill from Here”

Vintage Skateboard Art circa 1983-1993

January 7, 2013 – March 1, 2013, A free, live punk rock show celebrating skate culture will be held on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at MESH. Doors open at 10AM for viewing, music will begin at 4PM. Swing by and enjoy vintage skateboard art & classic 80s punk rock. There will be an opportunity to purchase selected works.

Vintage skateboards have become increasingly rare and collectible as art objects with prices reaching into the thousands of dollars. These skateboards began life, decades ago, as pieces of professional sports equipment manufactured for the purpose of being degraded and inevitably destroyed by their rider, if they were being used properly. The survivors have become extremely sought after and valuable.

This was not an era of mass manufacturing. Each skateboard deck was adorned with hand-pulled silk screen designs. The same graphic could appear to vary wildly from deck to deck depending on which color combinations or “colorway” the screen printer used to print the graphic. Some designs utilized as many as 12 spot colors and are considered high-craft examples of the screen printing medium.

Over 2 years in the making, “Downhill from Here” is a celebration of these sophisticated silk screen designs and the subculture of skateboarding. The exhibit will feature decks displaying all levels of use, from mint condition still in original shrink-wrap to totally thrashed.

We’ve amassed an amazing collection featuring designs from Phillips Studios, Vernon Courtlandt Johnson, Bernie Tostenson, Mark Gonzales, Wes Humpston, Sean Cliver & Marc McKee to name a few. Rarely has such a show been assembled on the east coast.

The reception will feature three punk rock performances in a musical homage to 1980’s skateboarding culture. Performers include “Children in Heat” a Misfits cover band, local Morganton punk rock trio ”The Chain Link Stains”, and “The Critters” who will perform a one-off punk set for this special occasion. On Saturday, January 12, 2013 doors open at 10AM for viewing, music will begin at 4PM. Swing by and enjoy vintage skateboard art & classic 80s punk rock. There will be an opportunity to purchase selected works. As always, events at MESH are free and open to the public.

Contributors to “Downhill from Here” include Robert K. Brown, Eliot Lytle & PUSH Skateshop & Gallery in Asheville, NC.

Mesh Gallery

114-B West Union Street

Mor­gan­ton, NC 28655

www.meshgallery.com

Date/Time
Date(s) - 01/12/2013
10:00 am - 9:00 pm

Location
MESH GALLERY