Skater culture
Skate boarding has its origins in 1950’s California. Surfers were looking for something to do while the waves were low and so attached roller skates to wooden boards and took their hobby inland. Throughout the 60's and 70's skate boarding's popularity rose and fell as innovations in design and safety concerns grew and shrunk the sport respectively. During the 70's the invention of urethane wheels and new skateboarding tricks such as the "ollie" laid the foundations for skateboarding to achieve widespread popularity. During this time Skateboarding was more of a hobby or sport than a subculture, like soccer or bicycling is today. The scene was for the most part laid back, most likely a legacy of the surfer culture that spawned skateboarding in the first place.
During the 1980's however, things changed. Skateboarding collided with punk and both were irrevocably changed. Through the efforts of pioneers like skater Steve Olson and early skate-punk rock bands JFA and the Big Boys, the sport developed the aggressive, disestablishmentarian character we know today. A certain fashion, music and ethos began to be associated with the sport. For its part skating had a defining influence on California's unique brand of Punk. Major punk rockers from the era including Black Flag's Gregg Ginn acknowledge that skaters injected the Californian punk scene with even greater physical energy. Skaters even invented the mosh pit, least according Steve Alba (a pioneering skater).
This is where zines come in. As previously stated zines are one of the preferred media for countercultural movements and had been a part of the punk scene since its inception. As skateboarding began to absorb elements of punk, zines came along with it.
Since the 80's skateboarding and skate culture has firmly entered the mainstream with skate-punk bands like Blink-182 and Greenday achieveing popular success. The X-games features skateboarding prominently and attracts millions of viewers annually.Tony Hawk has become a household name as a skateboarder. Moreover videogame developers and clothing lines like Vans and Hurley make millions off skateboarding culture every year.
Although Skateboarding has been adopted into the mainstream, the punk subculture remains visible if one is prepared to look for it. Under the corporate veneer, outisider, dissident skater punk lives on across the country in concerts, skate parks and zines like those exhibited here.
Sources:
Butz,Konstantin. "Skate Punk: The Californian Safety Pin." Huck. Published: 17th March, 2011, accessed May 14th 2017.
"The Evolution Of Skateboarding – A History From Sidewalk Surfing To Superstardom." Skateboarding magazine.com. Published: Marth 5th, 2013 , accessed May 14th 2017.