'Un-skateable' artwork on display

Boxcar Books and Youth Mural Arts after-school program at Rhino's Youth Center & All-Ages Music Club are working together to put on an art display of old, unusable skateboards.\nEach month, Boxcar Books, 310A S. Washington St., a volunteer-run and nonprofit organization, displays art from individuals and organizations from all around Bloomington. This month, old skateboards from kids who meet from 3 to 6 p.m. every Friday in the Youth Mural Arts program at Rhino's, headed by coordinator Hannah Shuler, will be the focus of the exhibition. \nStarted in 1996, the mural program includes other projects such as painting on the walls in the alley behind Rhino's and creating murals on plywood that will be displayed in People's Park, Sunflower Cooperative Daycare and Community Kitchen of Monroe County. \n"Students can't just do this on their own time, though, because if police come, there will be no one here to back them up and let (the police) know the students are allowed to be doing it. They must do it at the program," Shuler said.\nRhino's offers other free programs as an outlet for teens such as youth radio and youth journalism, generally for teenagers 13 to 18. The two-year-old project involves painting old skateboards donated by Rise Skateboard Shop that are "un-skatable" and broken. \n"There are no themes for the boards. It's just a skateboard art show," Shuler said. "Hopefully, over time, more kids will want to do it and become interested. It's a good outlet for kids." \nShuler has been with the murals program at Rhino's for two and a half years after taking over the position from the previous coordinator. The young members of the program paint many variations of art on the boards. \n"I like to paint Native American, lost childhood and just native pictures," said 10-year-old Aaron Stahlman, whose skateboard is currently on display at the bookstore.\nSparky Taylor, assistant for the art program at Boxcar Books and a volunteer at Rhino's, said the store is a great place for the boards to be displayed. \n"Anyone can have a display here. You just have to book it a year ahead of time, which is the only downside," Taylor said. "There are no qualifications or age requirements. All you have to do is come in, write your name down, and we'll get in touch with the Art Coordinator at the store, Brooke Murphy."\nThe skateboards display at Boxcar Books is going on until Nov. 28.