Skatepark Art Show and Conceptual Design Unveiling
Last night we opened our skate-art exhibit at the Ann Arbor Art Center (AAAC). The exhibit includes the more than 50 skate decks that were created by artists from across the country. The decks will stay at the AAAC for two weeks. Big thanks to Marsha Chamberlin and Josie Bockelman at the AAAC for making the event so perfect!
All of the skate decks in the exhibit were part of our 2nd Annual Skate Art Show held on May 15 at the Vault of Midnight. Liz and Curtis Sullivan worked tirelessly over the past year to find artists, send them decks, and prepare their shop for the hundreds of people who came to see the show. Malcolm Tulip was the MC and auctioneer for the evening. The auction pulled in over $9,000.00 in donations, with skate decks going from $25.00 to $1,000.00! Thanks to everyone who came out to make the event a big success. We can’t wait ‘til next year!
Here are some pix from the 2nd Annual Skate Art Show: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brablec/sets/72157623950397431/
Last night’s opening at the AAAC also included our biggest milestone yet as we work toward the building of a free, permanent, concrete skatepark in Ann Arbor. A few dozen skatepark supporters gathered ‘round as we unveiled the conceptual design for the skatepark! Legendary skatepark designer Wally Hollyday created the concept after having two meetings with the public at Slauson Middle School (one in October, 2009, the other in April of this year. This conceptual design will stay with the skate-art exhibit, so that the public can check it out first-hand. Don’t miss it!
We’re super excited about the concept for the skatepark, but what we’re most happy about is the great support we’ve gotten from the Washtenaw County community. At the many public meetings and events we’ve had over the past three years, the community has come out and supported us, and we’re grateful for that. The support we’ve gotten from City/County officials and staff has been amazing. THANK YOU ALL!
The next steps in the skatepark process are big and bigger. The first is working with the city staff to finalize the RFP to find the company that will design and build the Ann Arbor Skatepark. This is a big task, for sure. We’re lucky to have such great support from the Park Advisory Commision, City Council, and Washtenaw County Parks Commission. We’ll be sure to give updates as the RFP process moves forward in the coming summer months.
Now that we’ve garnered support from the community, secured the location for the skatepark with the approval of the Ann Arbor City Council, and developed the conceptual design, the final big step is fundraising. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the hundreds of donors that have come out to support us by buying t-shirts, stickers, decks at our art shows, and by making donations on Crowdrise and directly to the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. As these donations continue to come in, we’re working hard to secure larger scale donations, including talking to potential donors who wish to have all, or portions of the skatepark named for them. As you may have heard, the Washtenaw County Parks Commission has authorized $400,000 in matching funds for the skatepark. Every dollar we raise gets doubled! We all need to keep up the good work to make the skatepark a reality for Washtenaw County!
Don’t forget that there are many ways to keep up to date on what we’re up to, as well as help out financially. Check them out!
For staying up to date, be sure to visit these links:
http://www.a2skatepark.org
http://www.twitter.com/a2skatepark
http://www.facebook.com/a2skatepark
Sign up for our email list here:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/a2skatepark/
To help out financially, please visit these links, or contact Jim Reische, our fundraising chair at jreische@a2skatepark.org
http://www.crowdrise.com/a2skatepark
http://www.a2skatepark.org/donate
Thanks again for your continued support! We couldn’t have done this without you!
Trevor Staples
Chair, Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark
Trevor@a2skatepark.org