By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) –
Converse CONS Project: Toronto. (Photo: Daniel Gerichter/Aesthetic Magazine Toronto)
Skate culture has long since vanquished the stereotype of mohawk-topped criminals to become a thriving, multibillion dollar industry. Modern skateboarding has crossed cultural boundaries and influenced scores of bright-eyed kids to become athletes, artists and musicians – in some cases, all of the above.
And while many have advocated for it, few organizations have put their money where their mouths are the way Converse has. This past weekend, the CONS project came to Toronto’s Queen West area. Organizers envision the CONS Project as a series of workshops intent on further empowering a new generation through skate, art and music. In Saturday’s workshop, the day’s focus was on teaching carpentry and woodworking skills, using tools and raw materials and building weather-resistant skate structures that would eventually be donated to Dufferin Grove park. Converse’s Wes Loates says that the workshop is focused on ramp-building and skate structures, but they’re also teaching the students how to build the fundamentals of ramps from wedge, ledge to transition. “The CONS project is really a creative workshop that gives kids opportunities through the arts and skateboarding”, says Loates. “It’s focused on skateboarding, but it encompasses all of street culture.”
Though it got its start in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, the CONS project has since expanded to include Toronto and Boston. The key to the project’s success thus far has been the involvement of local communities, which has included local artists, musicians and skaters. Loates was particularly excited about Toronto’s crop, “Today we’ve got Nick Moore from Vancouver, guys like Joe Yates and Taylor Johnston – Rob Poyner and Gord Hardie and Rob Lane from Blue Tile Lounge. I’m just so glad we were able to get these guys in to work with young people and teach them about building skate structures because these guys are some of the most creative, dedicated ambassadors the culture has.”
Future workshops will encompass topics such as filming skate videos, studio recording, designing skate decks and DIY projects. In 2015, the initiative envisions bringing each city’s skate community together for collaborative music and art exhibitions. Saturday’s exhibition brought about 40 kids from all over Toronto to learn from Poyner, Hardie and host Evan Rissi. The day’s events signified how far a distance there is between modern skatecuture, and the antiquated image of self-destructive, eighties skate punks. Loates says that skateboarding has become more accepted than in decades past. “Acceptance isn’t just a local thing – it’s a global thing. I think if there was once a stigma about skateboarding, it’s long gone now.”
In terms of Toronto’s own skate culture, Loates recognizes the city’s increasing demand for viable skate structures. “We’re revamping Dufferin Grove park. It’s an outdoor skate facility for hockey and ice skating during the winter and a skate park during the summer. Every summer, they have to re-do it, because they’re not using weather-treated materials to build the ramps and structures. The stuff gets depleted in less than a month. These structures we’re building today are going to last for years.”
And insofar as the day’s soundtrack went, the old notion of skate culture being represented by bands like Pennywise, GOB or Anthrax seems to be just as toothless. The CONS Project has also been releasing EP’s with tracks by some of their ambassadors, which include hip hop artists like Flatbush Zombies and Black Milk.CONS Vol. 2, the most recent EP, included “Now or Never” a collaboration between Black Milk and local jazzy hip hop band Badbadnotgood. “Every one of these projects is about immersing ourselves in the culture that embraces us and contributing in all aspects”, says Loates.
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