Photos courtesy of Dew Tour. Outdoor Lounge rendering of Eric Trine Studio, Amigo Modern design.
While it’s not always expected for a large, multi-day festival to incorporate the talent of the local community into its programming, Dew Tour certainly raises the bar by showcasing the skills of local artists and designers for all attendees to enjoy, visitors and natives alike.
And, yes, the athletes are certainly the main draw of the tour—Dew Tour is most known for its summer and winter skateboard competitions—however, Art Director Scott Seiver stated it’s the culture and creators that add life to the sport and the event.
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“One of our main goals at Dew Tour is to integrate the local community as much as we can – makers, creators, drivers of the local culture – that makes Long Beach what it is,” Seiver said in a statement.
From activations implemented by renowned designers to live art competitions (see Secret Walls) Long Beach and greater Los Angeles artists add an unparalleled vibrancy to the sporting event’s festivities, to take place June 28 – July 1 outdoors at the Long Beach Convention Center, Dew Tour announced today.
To start, Dew Tour organizers will be bringing in about 250 Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) high schoolers under Dew Tour Future Innovators, a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM)-based program created last year in collaboration with the district. LBUSD students gain early access to the venue before it opens to the public and are introduced to participating athletes and speakers.
Two aspects of the program include School Walls, where members of the Secret Walls team aim to inform students of the negative impact of vandalism, by providing a spectated, legal space for them to illustrate. Long Beach dance instructor, Steve “Zulu Gremlin” Roybal of Homeland Cultural Center will also teach high schoolers a choreographed street-dancing routine.
For the second consecutive year, the tour’s livestream on-air host set will be designed, built and furnished by local artist Eric Trine and studio. His recently launched brand, Amigo Modern, and team have also designed and built the entire outdoor lounge area, to be located at Dew Tour on the Green at the Rainbow Lagoon.
Following four years of fostering Eric Trine Studio, Trine officially launched Amigo Modern in May, which not only showcases his and his studio’s creations, but the works of other local makers, as well as those from the greater Los Angeles area and worldwide. Attendees can expect to use the colorful custom tables, chairs and couches during the free event.
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Not to be missed is “the world’s largest live art event,” Secret Walls, where for the past 12 years artists around the world have been pitted against each other in a timed contest of artistic prowess. Each team is given one white wall, black markers or acrylic paint, to compete in a 90-minute illustration battle; when time’s up, the crowd decides the winner. Secret Walls will be held on Friday, June 29 at 5:00PM.
An art show series, Love + Guts, started by legendary skateboarders Pat Ngoho, Lance Mountain and Steve Olson in 2005 connecting the parallels between skateboarding and art, will be on view at Dew Tour throughout the weekend, while two Love + Guts jam sessions will feature a group of eight legendary skateboarders Saturday and Sunday.
Art by Luke Pelletier.
Lastly, Dew Tour Long Beach’s logo, venue signage and branding features artwork by Los Angeles-based artist Luke Pelletier, whose work “blurs the lines between celebrating and condemning a culture that agrees to be taken advantage of while equally taking advantage of other cultures” and “is filled with personal anecdotes, dark humor, both dualities and contradictions,” according to Dew Tour’s announcement.
“We strive to include as much of the local community as we can; not only to give back, but to truly showcase their knowledge and love for their city,” Seiver stated. “In more ways than one, the community gives back to Dew Tour just as much as we do them.”
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For more information, including the schedule, athlete lineup and more, visit Dew Tour’s website here. Dew Tour is free and open to the public each day of the event, June 28 – July 1 and is located outdoors at the Long Beach Convention Center.