A tattoo artist and mourning mother: two people’s dreams come together and create an opportunity for community involvement.
Artists, skateboarders, and volunteers spent the whole day painting every inch of a skate park with graffiti.
Blake Baldwin Skate Park, located inside Andrews Park, was the site of a public art project called “CRE8 ‘n’ SK8”. The project was directed by Andy Jacobs, local tattoo artist; and Sara Kaplan, owner of Native Roots Market.
“I came up with the idea in collaboration with Sara. The original concept was just to have somewhere to paint” said Jacobs. “I don’t skate and I don’t bike, I paint. The reason I’m here is because I wanted to paint a venue.”
Local artists accompanying Andy Jacobs were Derek Vosten, Erik McCullough, Mark Vass, Dylan Bradway, Jesse Williams, John Babbitt, Dusty Gilpin, Todd Renshaw, and Eric Baker.
What started out as an artist searching for a canvas blossomed into a public art project. Community volunteers were encouraged to come help paint the park, no matter their age or skill level.
This was a rare and special opportunity for graffiti artists to express themselves guilt-free. Nick Morales, 22, was one of the amateur artists who came to paint. “If it’s legal, why not come out and have fun with it?” said Morales.
Blake Baldwin Skate Park was named in honor of a teen boy who was killed in a car accident in March 2000. Blake’s passion was skateboarding, and until the time of his death, he had diligently worked towards the opening of a skate park in the community.
In December 2000, Blake’s mother, Rhonda Baldwin, heard that a skate park was finally approved to be opened in Norman. “I told myself that I would get that named after him if its the last thing I do” she said.
After raising $20,000 through letter writing campaigns, that is exactly what Rhonda did. Ever since the official naming of Blake Baldwin Skate Park in 2002, Rhonda has been devoted to embellishing this skate park for the Norman community.
Rhonda’s cause has been drawn to the attention of local celebrities. Edmond native and world-renown BMX rider Matt Hoffman has big plans for the skate park.
“He is in love with this location. He and a skate park designer from Colorado planned a 25,000 square foot competition park to be added” said Rhonda.
Rhonda said that her future plans for the park do not stop there. “I want to have outdoor misters, iron gates, and music piped in. I also want to work on the memorial part of the park for Blake, that is my next project.”
To contribute to the Blake Baldwin Skate Park cause, email Rhonda at rhondab@ou.edu
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