Sidewalk Surf through Hermosa Skateboarding History with Boards Across Hermosa

The 3rd annual city-wide art installation is more than an art display, it’s an art and history walk! This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Hermosa Beach Skate Park, and Boards Across Hermosa pays tribute to Hermosa’s unique role in the history of skateboarding.

Using skateboards as the canvas, 50 artists have created one of a kind art that are featured alongside a factoid of Hermosa skateboarding history provided by the Hermosa Beach Historical Society - all curated by local skating legend Cindy Whitehead. Boards are placed in 50 storefronts, creating a walking path along Pier and Hermosa Avenues, so that participants can start at The Source Cafe on Pier Avenue, continue down and turnaround at Hermosa Brewing Company, curve around at Guisado’s, and finish up at The Bike Shop, creating a fun and fascinating way to experience Hermosa Beach.

The skate art is up for auction with sales benefitting the Hermosa Beach Chamber Foundation and Indivisible Arts, a Hermosa non-profit a South Bay 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to cultivating creativity, consciousness, and connection through the arts. The exhibit and auction comes to a close on April 20 at Indivisible Art’s State of the Art fundraising gala.

Artists range from professionals whose works sell for tens of thousands of dollars to Hermosa Valley art students just discovering their talent.

Skateboards have a meaningful history in Hermosa Beach. Skateboarding Hall of Fame icons, manufacturers, and innovators all started their careers here in Hermosa Beach, and in 1963, the first skateboarding competition was held at Hermosa’s Pier Avenue School (now the Hermosa Beach Community Center). Academy Award nominated Skaterdater (1966), the first skateboarding film ever made and nationally distributed by United Artists, was shot entirely in the South Bay. Today, skateboarding is a preferred mode of transportation in Hermosa, with skaters a constant sight in the street, the Strand, and parking structures throughout Hermosa.

Katy Jenssen: I left my heart in Hermosa!