Mike Giles and Annie Lam had an idea: how can we inspire people to think about their first skateboard and what it meant to them, all while helping kids living in poverty? To most skaters, that first deck was a very important moment in their lives, just like many “firsts” are. Through this general statement they felt compelled to help those who perhaps wouldn’t have the chance to experience such a moment, and founded the Contributor Foundation & launched a campaign to give skateboards to underprivileged kids across Canada. The idea is genius, as anyone who’s ever skate a spot, waited their turn to drop in, or just hung out at a local skatepark can tell you of the camaraderie and friendships built through skating. Their first event, “Smile On Your Brother” is set to launch this summer. It’s a traveling art show co-curated by Bob Kronbauer, bringing together contemporary artists influenced by the skateboard industry and getting them to use a deck as their canvas. So far the list of contributing artists is impressive: Parra, Arkitip, Chris Pastras, Oli Van Roost (Bruxe), Cody Hudson, Omen, Andrew Groves, Todd Francis, Chris Nieratko, and many more. We’ll be keeping a very close eye on this and will keep you up to date when dates are announced.
All of us here at LH are extremely pleased to announce our involvement in the Smile On Your Brother Skate Art show for the Contributor Foundation. We will be designing a deck for the show, which will be traveling to galleries across Canada this Summer, to finally be auctioned off online to raise funds to go towards donating 100 skateboards to disadvantaged youth across Canada in 2009/2010. We’ll be keeping you up-to-date on this event, and giving you a first look at our deck soon.
For more information on how to donate or get involved, visit www.wearecontributors.com.
In the meantime, check out a few teasers from some of the artists (after the jump) or donate to the cause.
Andrew Pommier
Jim Datz
Mel Kadel
Travis Millard
Andrew Groves
Mike Giles
Omen
