Where We At?!: A Moment in Durham Skateboarding (Reception)

We haven’t made it by the new tattoo shop on Geer Street yet, but it looks to be going for an unusually gentle vibe, starting with the polite name and simple rose logo. Choice Tattoo’s mission statement centers on safety and comfort, and in a photo, its bright, airy interior suggests an art gallery or a hair salon more than a tattoo parlor. But it’s getting an infusion of gritty energy with Where We At?!: A Moment in Durham Skateboarding, an exhibit by Greg Weaver II, in collaboration with The Center of Documentary Studies and Manifest Skate Shop. If you’ve been anywhere near the skatepark downtown, you know the Bull City has a booming skate scene (industry bible Thrasher published a Durham photo spread just a few months ago), one powered by skaters of color who are drawing their lines on the chaotic canvas of gentrification construction. Weaver documents this charged, vibrant moment in Durham skating from the thick of it, via photos, videos, and a new zine about Southern skating, Skillet. After this opening-night reception, which features remarks by Weaver at 7:00 p.m. and a video premiere at 8:00 p.m., the exhibit keeps grinding through July twenty-first.