Rhodes Skate Park
Connection, community, hard work
An ode to the freeway underpass where it was strategically built to give skaters a place of their own, an ode to the tireless work and organization of Glen Rhodes, an ode to the connected community of the Boise Skateboard Association, their vision and their passion.
Connected lines and paths form the background aesthetic that ties everything together here. Its namesake, ‘Rhodes Skate Park’, rises from a rocky bed, imbued with the seemingly random connections that give it its strength. The Finch Tower by Stephanie Inman and the Sector Seventeen murals further incorporate these social and spatial vertices. It is the underlying story of Rhodes Skate Park, and perhaps skate parks in general. Community connections, hard work, and perseverance against societal scrutiny.
-
Trademark Design and Fabrication was commissioned by Boise Arts and History, to collaborate with other selected artists and imbue the new park with public art. We had the pleasure of designing and building the monumental title piece, as well as descriptive environmental signage for the park, and the donor recognition wall which details the people, corporations, and community that made this place possible.
-
History :
1992, there was nowhere for kids to skate. They were chased away from local business and out of downtown Boise. A societal nuisance. Glen Rhodes took it upon himself to champion the creation of Rhodes Park as a place for kids to go. He donated his time to pour concrete, install fencing and coordinate construction five days a week for two years.
2005, members of the skate community and local business owners rally together to give the park a major upgrade. Thus spawned the BSA (Boise Skateboard Association). 10 years of raising funds and awareness leads to a generous donation from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation which allows for construction and completion of a modern skate park.
2015 The Boise Arts and History Program, in collaboration with BSA, commissions artists and designers to create public art incorporated into the new park.
Services
Public Art
Donor Recognition Wall
Environmental Signage
Collaborators
Stephanie Inman
Sector Seventeen
Partners
Location
Boise ID
