What do artists and skaters have in common?

Cities can be more playful and inclusive through public art if skaters and artists work together.
Skaters trying tricks on sculptures designed by Dr Sanné Mestrom. A skater trying to skate a rail outdoors on a sunny day.

Contemporary urban sports such as skateboarding, parkour and roller skating have a long-rooted history in youth subcultures that defied societal norms. These cultures provide a safe haven for those excluded from the ‘mainstream’ with the city becoming their playground. The global popularity that urban sports now enjoys and inclusion in professional competitions shouldn’t be taken for granted.

So what do artists and skaters have in common? The desire and power to transform public spaces to encourage connection and social cohesion, say Dr SannĂ© Mestrom, Senior Lecturer in Visual Arts at Sydney College of the Arts and Dr Indigo Willing, skateboarder, sociologist and Visiting Fellow in the Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre at the University of Sydney.

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Celina Lei is the Diversity and Inclusion Editor at ArtsHub. She acquired her M.A in Art, Law and Business in New York with a B.A. in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Most recently, Celina was one of three Australian participants in DFAT’s the Future of Leadership program. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne. Instagram @lleizy_