Skate park seeks graffiti makeover

Graffiti — Liberty's skate park is holding a competition for graffiti artists to repaint the park.

If your hobbies include skateboarding, graffiti and the desire to legally deface a skate park, then you may have lucked out.

Liberty Mountain Skate Park is hosting a contest for student graffiti artists to give its facility an urban makeover. Artwork must be submitted by March 30, and the park’s employees will judge the pieces. Up to 10 winners will be selected to repaint the walls and ramps of the park.

“We’re going to paint everything white, then have (artists) come in,” skate park supervisor Justin Damer said. “The beginning of next semester is when they’re actually going to paint the place.”

The contest will be open exclusively to Liberty University students, according to employee Claudia SoriaGalvarro.

“We wanted to make it a more formal thing, where students get to submit it and then have recognition for it,” SoriaGalvarro said.

Submitted pieces must follow Liberty Way guidelines and possess an urban, skateboard-culture feel, according to the staff.

The plan to revive the skate park’s artwork has been in the works for six months, according to Damer.

“When I first started working here, I kept mentioning it to my manager,” Damer said, “and he finally caved in…and Jerry (Falwell Jr.) finally approved it.”

The graffiti currently inhabiting the walls of the skate park varies from quotes to random pictures. The skate park staff said they are seeking art that compliments skate culture.

“Half of this stuff doesn’t make sense,” Damer said in regards to the current artwork.
Senior Ryan Feister, a skateboard enthusiast who visits the skate park weekly, said that new artwork “would be appreciated.”

“It’s definitely very unorganized. There’s just a bunch of random stuff everywhere,” Feister said. “I think the whole contest thing is a good idea because it would be nice to have bigger stuff that actually looks good instead of just random spray paint everywhere.”

For more information on the Liberty Mountain Skate Park, including admission fees, hours and contact information, visit www.liberty.edu/skatepark.

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