Skateboarding has become a worldwide sport, as evidenced by its entrance into Olympic competition in 2020.  Initially inspired by surfing, skateboarding began in the 1950s in Southern California and has grown exponentially in the past seventy years; it is estimated that there are 85 million skateboarders worldwide. Over the years, skaters have formed their own subcultures, including skateboarding techniques and styles, artwork, clothing, language, and music.

Across the Americas, Native youth have embraced skateboarding and formed their own unique communities. With more than forty skateparks on or near Indian Reservations, skateboarding has been embraced by Native communities and provides a creative platform for youth to express themselves through cruising, street riding and transition skating.  It is a self-empowering practice that reinforces community, cultural heritage, and physical fitness.

Native Skate explores the importance of skateboarding in Indigenous communities through art, documentary footage, and community engagement. The exhibition will focus on several Indigenous skate communities on their homelands, visualizing how skateboarding has impacted the skaters’ lives. These communities include the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (A’aniiih and Nakoda), Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (Oglala Lakota), Warm Springs Indian Reservation (Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute), and the all-female ImillaSkate collective located in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The exhibition will also explore how many Native artists use skate decks as a medium for cultural identity and self-expression.