This Friday April 6th is the opening for With Much Haste a show featuring work by skaters/artists from Portland as well as Mickeal Broth and Barf from Born Ugly out of Richmond, Virginia. Check it out at Commonwealth Skateboarding (1425 SE 20th Ave.) Opening reception Friday, April 6 from 6-9 p.m. The show runs through April at least.

The Lost Bowl in Richmond, VA is trying to wrap things up with a Kickstarter project that they are very, very close to getting, but time is running out. Head on over an give them a boost if you are so inclined. Back this project: Do it here, now.

I got an envelope from Born Ugly with issue number nine and a Snakebeast comic from contributor James Callahan, courtesy of his collaboration with Carhartt, who has also released some Snakebeast decks, one that looks like it came straight out of Aaron Murray’s quiver. If you love Born Ugly, you won’t be disappointed with issue 9. As for Snakebeast, I gotta say I wasn’t into it at first but I about midway through it I started coming around. By the time it was over I wanted more. It’s short one and only a one off I believe. Maybe it will stoke James to make it a series. Check out the decks after the jump.

Stands for Artisphere in AAA magazine. I’d leave at a link to the article, but they won’t let you read it unless you are in the right zip code, and I’ve tried some logical guesses, but apparently there is some advantage to not letting people read something just because they don’t live near there. Sheesh, what a misguided strategy. You can still read it if you really want to look beyond CSS tricks, or you can read it here after the jump. Artisphere is the joint that had the Skateboard Side Effects show. The image above is Lia Halloran’s Dark Skate Backyard. She’s got a body of these long exposure with light trails made by skateboarders that I swore was on S&A somewhere before, but I can’t find it. – Thanks to Andrew Wahl for the tip.

Well, it’s already been kickstarted, it needs to be finished. This is a backyard bowl in Richmond, Virginia. The builders are looking for money to essentially fill the rest of the yard with concrete. Their motivation, besides the obvious, is the total lack of skateparks in Richmond. People pledge donations that are held in escrow on the condition that the $5,500 goal is met before time runs out. Visit the kickstart page to watch the video and learn more.

Born Ugly #8 is out. More of the same quality stuff you’ve come to expect. There’s an nterview with Washington DC skater/photog Shaun Gregoire, an interview Rob Lee from with Richmond Virginia (no it’s not the Dukes of Hazard car…) and a feature on the Kingshighway DIY spot in Saint Louis. My favorite thing in this issue is the graphic (seen above, without the Super 8 MOtel logo) that you can photocopy (or download) for use as a t-shirt design for your own DIY spot fundraiser. The C.R.E.T.E. (Clandestine Revitalization and Enhancement of Transitionless Environments) design comes with excellent instructions, 2A being the best; If you know how to screenprint already then why are you reading this? Just go do it. It just so happens that Sauce zine has already made some, so you can get yours if you want to help as yet unnamed Porltand DIY spots.

If the current crop of serious artists who also happen to be skaters continues grow, the art historians are going to have to invent a new term for this type of art. Is there a term for postmodern examination of a specific act and the related, revered artifact, shared by one large tribe? (Feel free to call it Kilwagism, if you need to.) Cynthia Connolly is curating a show called Skateboard Side Effects at a place called Artisphere in Alringtopn Virginia. The image above is Richard Vosseller’s ‘Physical Manipulations of Structural Surfaces – A Homage to Skating.’ A videotape of a closed session is on display in the gallery. No word on what else is there, but admission is free. If any of our East Coast readers attend, give us an update. UPDATE: Pictures up on Born Ugly. Art by Tim Bearse, Rick Charnoski and Coan Buddy Nichols, Sean Greene, Richard Vossler, Lia Halloran, Ben Ashworth, and Mickael B. And yes, that ramp structure is actually skateable. UPDATE 2: Added video of the art being (gasp!) skated. [Photo: Jay Westcott] – Thanks to Kelly Robertson for the tip.

Alright this is the second in a row – VERT is back. When I was in my skate hay-day I would spend part of the summers in Virginia Beach. There were about 6 city ramps in that town in the mid-80’s. Mt. Trashmore was the tallest and the first. I heard FUD (a.k.a. John Fudala) actually designed it. It was always a heavy session after 5 o’clock every night. Every session was a jam format and he who did not bail won the right to ride the whole ramp. My friend Bone Man and I came up with a plan to get runs after 5 pm – when one of us was going to fall, we would avoid falling in front of each other and make our bodies as big as we could on the flat to take up space so no one could drop in. This plan rarely worked. Mt. Trashmore produced great riders, everyone from Scary Larry to the Guitierrez trio (all three of which still ride). There were many more that were always nice and fun to watch skate. While there for my brief visit, I pulled up to the ramp where Allen Midget and Henry were…

From the organizers: The past two years people of Williamsburg have started a tradition of Tommy Karafa Skate Day. This is a yearly skate contest to honor our friend and neighbor Tommy Karafa who passed in a tragic car accident two years ago in Williamsburg, VA. This contest is to serve as a remembrance of him, as all profits go toward the Tommy Karafa scholarship fund to help underprivileged youths attend college. His father runs the fund and helps students with paying for the ever rising costs of furthering their education. Last year we had a great turnout of over 150 in attendance, with 30 participants in the contest. This year we hope to double that number by teaming up with Anti-Gravity Skateshop in Newport News, VA to bring the premier contest to the Peninsula. 1st prize is a $1000! I believe that’s more than the entire purse for this year’s Oregon Trifecta! Anti-Gravity Skatepark 371 Chatham Dr. Newport News, VA 23602 757-890-8040

Here’s a couple of shots of another private indoor spot in Virginia known as the Cardinal Sins. I’m not sure how the name applies to this spot. Maybe some of the sinners will chime in. – Thanks to Chip Atkins for the pics