Cracked Pavement

FEATURED ARTISTS: Oskar Barrett, Aaron Christensen, Kevin Horn, Jeremy Lindvig, Max Mateikis, Jeremiah Munn, Jamie Owens, Ben Petersen, Alex Sveda, Dylan Strait and more.

Driven by a handful of small skate shops, a plethora of independent skateboard films, thrilling private indoor ramps, and most importantly, packs of friends, the Twin Cities skateboarding community is convincing in its sincerity and unapologetic for its candidness. The obstacles that keep the Minnesota skateboarding scene somewhat unknown are the same factors that spur an earnest, DIY-forward, creative community.

With the X-Games once again taking Minneapolis by storm, it is important to recognize the traditionally remote nature of Twin Cities skateboarding. In contrast to coastal metros, Minneapolis and St. Paul rarely receive branding dollars, billboards, or national ad campaigns. Aside from the few local skate shop owners and the occasional sponsored skater, in the Twin Cities, the skating industry can appear almost as a mirage, vicariously felt through Instagram feeds and the pages of Thrasher Magazine.

It is easy to understand why the Twin Cities does not receive more widespread acclaim in the skating world. For at least four months out of the year, a slippery, frigid, white fluff carpets the city streets. Due to the inevitable clockwork of freezing and thawing in cold weather, many acclaimed skate spots are no longer feasible because of ever cracking pavement, with the ones remaining skatable arguably less than ideal. Thanks to geographic destiny, any Twin Cities-based curious skaters or companies would have to cross the Dakotas, Illinois, or Wisconsin to reach refuge from the snow. The likely reason for the current outsider interest in Minneapolis is due to a controversial building of the US Bank Stadium, which muddles the excitement around national attention. When it comes to skateboarding in the Twin Cities, nothing is easy, but no skater will ever tell you that.

Cracked Pavement is an exhibition featuring a mere handful of the independent creative minds cultivated within the skateboard scene. Dylan Strait preserves grotesque 80s skate punk traditions, creating line intensive ink-wash illustrations of decaying faces, empty beer cans, and rotting flesh. Kevin Horn utilizes an in-depth understanding of capturing light, shadow and motion, bringing a commercial industry skill set and fine art nuance to skateboard photography. Jeremy Lindvig recalls skateboards of his youth by painstakingly restoring vintage decks through countless hours of repairing wood and layered silk screening. Many different mediums, methods and means are used to produce the artwork exhibited, all speaking to and celebrating the vibrancy of the Twin Cities skateboarding community.