By Juliana Hoft
Staff Writer
The ability to display art in a gallery is a unique opportunity that few have the chance to experience.
Mira Costa art students will get the special opportunity to participate in “An Art Show to Benefit Skatepark-PV” at Zask Gallery in Palos Verdes. The nonprofit event was organized in order to raise money to help build a skate park on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
“It is great that the Costa art students are helping to give back to kids in the community,” junior Lauren Watts said. “It will be a cool place for kids to hang out.”
The art show will open on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and will remain open for two weeks. Opening night will consist of live music, art demonstrations and a silent auction.
“I thought that since skateboarding is something of interest to young people, this project would be a great opportunity in which we could include high school students,” Advanced Placement art studio and ceramics teacher Peggy Zask said.
Zask is the owner and curator of Zask Gallery. She is teaming up with Skatepark-PV to help provide a safe and inviting place for children to practice their sports.
“I started with a blank skate deck then used white primer, colored spray paint stencils, and then laid sticker print over stencil work,” junior Clay Burkhalter said. “It is one of my favorite skateboarding pictures of Jay Adams, which was my favorite of the Z-Boys skateboarders.”
She selected Burkhalter and junior Tess Barnhill as well as students from different schools, to have their artwork displayed. The students were then told to create something with a skateboard theme.
“I invited students of other schools to submit works of art in the theme of skate culture to get a wide range of perspectives and to get everyone involved,” Zask said.
Zask assigned her students to capture the movement and rough street aesthetic inspired by live models and the documentary “Dog town and Z Boys.” They were to use cardboard and mixed media as well to create a variety of dimensional work.
“Everyone is welcome and invited,” Zask said. “The opening is a free and a fun thing to do for all ages on a Saturday night. It is located in Promenade on the Peninsula, which is the shopping mall that has an ice skating rink in PV.”
Two other art teachers from Costa are participating in the event as well. Katherine Martin, an art and ceramics teacher, had her students design templates of skate decks using markers to create intricate, colorful symmetrical designs.
Jon Reichardt, also a ceramics and art teacher, had his students respond to the phrase, “Skateboarding is Illegal,” and tried to get them to interpret that into a drawing or painting.
“I think the event is a great idea.,” Burkhalter said. “I am also really interested in seeing the other submissions and if the event follows through.”
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