Artists breathe new life into busted skateboards to boost Edmonds nonprofit

Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 20, 2023

EDMONDS — Tattooer Bruce Rivera is no stranger to drawing on unconventional canvases. It’s a fascination stemming from his youth spray-painting graffiti on “all kinds of random stuff that you wouldn’t find in an art store.”

Now, he wants to instill that passion in others.

Rivera’s “All Decks on Hand” pop-up show — running Thursday through Saturday at the Graphite Arts Center, 202 Main St. in Edmonds — features one-of-a-kind art pieces designed by more than 60 local artists, each made from damaged skateboard decks.

All boards come courtesy of one of Rivera’s clients, a skate enthusiast who pooled together worn out and, in some cases, fully busted skate decks to donate for the exhibition. Each artist was given total freedom to do whatever they wanted with one board. The end result is one’s trash becoming someone else’s treasure.

“You skate hard, you’re going to break one. And then what do you do with it?” Rivera said. “We chose to make it into art, give it a second life.”

All art is up for sale in a silent auction. Bidding starts at $200, with each additional bid at $20 increments. Funds raised will go toward the participants and Rivera’s new nonprofit called Salvage Arts.

The organization’s purpose is to promote the “recycled art movement.” Rivera envisions this as free workshops, classes and demonstrations on eco-friendly art practices with an emphasis on repurposing discarded objects into art such as bowling pins, spray-paint cans, fire extinguishers and street signs.

“It clicked in me that that’s something I enjoy doing, something that’s beneficial for the environment, something that a lot of other artists do,” Rivera said. “So why not focus on that and go all in?”

This art show is the first one Rivera, 38, of Edmonds, has ever organized on his own, but he’s been an art enthusiast all his life. Growing up in New Mexico, all Rivera wanted to do was draw and write graffiti, “even to a fault, most would say.” He eventually fell into tattooing, as he wanted to make art for a living and “tattoos pay the bills.”

Rivera moved from Arizona to Washington about five years ago so he could work at Slave to the Needle Tattoo in Seattle, plus he wanted to escape the southwestern heat, saying he’s “done with the desert, need some trees and some rain.”

Rivera has had the idea for Salvage Arts since he moved north, and originally registered it as an LLC in 2021. It’s only in the past year that he’s had the time to fully develop his idea, transition to nonprofit status and plan a show to kick-start the project.

The participants in “All Decks on Hand” are a mix of artists associated with Graphite Arts Center as well as Seattle-area tattoo artists such as Aaron Bell (Slave to the Needle Tattoo), Vyvyn Lazonga (Madame Lazonga’s Tattoo), Damon Conklin (Supergenius Tattoo) and Archie Bronson (Blood Orange Tattoo).

At first, Rivera planned to include only a few dozen friends in the show, but that number quickly ballooned. It got to the point where he had to cap submissions to make the show more manageable. He said the amount of support was both daunting and humbling.

“It’s hard to get a bunch of tattooers together to do anything collectively,” Rivera said. “It’s a pretty tall order. So I’m really surprised by the outpouring of interest.”

Rivera said his first show is a proof of concept. The plan is to use it as an example to get people on board for future shows focusing on other discarded objects that can be turned into art. Each of these shows would have a beneficiary, with the money going toward charities focused on environmental issues.

And don’t worry if you miss this weekend’s pop-up. In August, Rivera will host a monthlong “sister show” at the same venue. This installation will also feature art made from recycled skateboards, but from a select-few artists.

As for this weekend’s show, bidding starts when the exhibit opens for a sneak peek 5-8 p.m. Thursday for the Art Walk Edmonds gallery showcase. Visitors can stop by from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Bidding closes Saturday night. Any purchased art can be picked up at the center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and Monday.

Rivera hopes everyone who can will stop by to see the art in-person, but bidding can also be done online. For more information, go to besalvage.com.

“I want to keep them all,” Rivera said about the art. “I’m going to have a hard time not bidding myself.”

Eric Schucht: 425-339-3477; eric.schucht@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EricSchucht.