In celebration of International Women's Day, HHF Coach, Jae Leanne, held their first event of the year at Vans Space 198 on March 28th. This jam was open to all women and lgbtqia+ identifying skaters with an emphasis on bipoc skaters. This session was in collaboration with CAMBA and BKLYN_YAS in an effort to expand the world of skate resources for the non traditional scene. On March 16th, Real Skateboard Pro and Olympian, Zion Wright, released his first pro model shoe - "The Zahba." HHF skaters got to meet and skate with Zion in celebration of his new shoe at Vans Space 198.
HHF Director of Programs, Mame Bonsu and HHF Director of Creative Careers, Kava Vasquez, spoke with News 12 on the work the Harold Hunter Foundation has done for skateboarders in NYC. Video courtesy of News 12 On March 11, Bronx Girls Skate and Bronx Brewery collaborated to release "The Slappy" Sour Rice IPA brewed with Hibiscus and Mango and a limited edition burger - The Shred Burger. The burger is available until the end of March and the beer will be available until supplies last.
Taking place in the capital city of Santo Domingo from February 23 - February 25, 2023, HHF Director of Creative Careers, Kava Vasquez, went to the Dominican Republic to co-organize + co-host the country's first ever skateboarding and arts festival. The goal of the festival was to showcase the past, present, and future of Dominican skateboarding.
The festival began on Thursday 2/23/2023 with "Caras Del Skate", a photography exhibition by Ricardo Blandino featuring portraits and media documenting the past 20 years of skateboarding in DR at ModaFoca Gallery from 7-11pm. Several portraits in the exhibition are of NYC-based Dominican skaters such as Carlo Carrezzano, Mario Cairo, and Luis Torrentino who for over a decade have maintained strong relationships with skaters on the island and helped establish the Dominican Republic's presence in skateboarding globally. On Friday 2/24, Bronx Girls Skate sponsored a film screening of Puerto Rican skate short "See Ya L8R" at EatWise RD 7-11pm. This film - which takes place between Washington Heights, NYC and San Juan, Puerto Rico - shares the story of a Nyuorican skater named Julia who reconnects with her homeland of Puerto Rico by joining a local queer and femme skate crew. Although HHF/BXGS hosted 2 of See Ya L8R's first international screenings in July 2022, this will be the first screening in a fellow Caribbean nation. In addition, this film lends important visibility to women and queer skaters in the Latin Caribbean as well as in the Puerto Rican diaspora in NYC - representation that's virtually non-existent in mainstream media both in and outside of skateboarding. On Saturday 2/25, local Dominican skate groups and NYC-based skaters and organizations hosted a skate pop-up at Plaza Simon Bolivar 1-5pm. There was a community skate jam (open to all ages and genders) and product giveaways. For #BlackFuturesMonth, HHF partnered with EHR (@environmentalhoodrestoration) to present "Black Skaters Matter", a film screening, community conversation, and skate jam designed to center and uplift black skateboarders. "This event was meant to celebrate Black Joy...I want to make sure that every skater here tonight gets their flower" - Kava, HHF Lead Video of jam session by @skrrt.nyc
On February 5th, the Harold Hunter Foundation held a Skater's Vigil to honor Tyre Nichols on @ Tompkins Square Park from 3-5 pm. A few days prior, Patrick Kigongo, the Acting Chair for HHF issued this statement in response to the killing of Tyre Nichols by police.
Rest in Power #TyreNichols On January 11, 2023 @Fotografiska.newyork & @David_Lachapelle were gracious enough to host HHF for a pop-up photo exhibit for our Creative Careers division. After our amazing workshop with David 6 weeks ago he & his staff issued our young photographers a challenge to create their own images that would be showcased at our own HHF exhibit during the last week of his museum wide “make Believe” show Fotografiska NY. Our talented artists rose to the occasion & submitted some great work that we exhibited during a spectacular evening of lots of great art & energy. We can not thank David & the Fotografiska staff enough for all of their support! 🎥 & 🎞 = #MichaelFurnari Our second collaboration with Crenshaw Skate Club is now available on the CSC website. This new drop features tees and hoodies with iconic Harold imagery shot by Charlie Samuels in NYC. Available in limited quantities, all profits from the collaboration will be donated to the Harold Hunter Foundation. As CSC founder Tobey McIntosh puts it, “We’re excited to continue our partnership with the Harold Hunter Foundation to help empower skaters all over the world. We really love HHF and the initiatives it supports. As black skaters, Harold Hunter is someone that we all see as a very important figure. We’re proud to be collaborating with HHF again.” Lifestyle photos courtesy of Tim Hans. On Friday 11/11/2022, HHF partnered with photographer David LaChapelle to host an Artist Talk and Gallery Walkthrough to celebrate LaChapelle's historic takeover of Fotografiska Museum in Manhattan. Featuring more than 150 works created between 1984 and 2022, LaChapelle's Fotografiska takeover - titled "make BELIEVE" - is the artist's most comprehensive exhibition to date. HHF Creative Director Ray Mendez joined forces with HHF Creative Careers Program Manager Kava Garcia Vasquez to invite over 25 skateboarders, artists, and community members, most of whom are 17-30 years old and currently enrolled in our Fall 2022 workforce readiness programs. It was an honor to have David personally guide our group through 40 years of his artwork during his first New York museum solo show and largest-ever US exhibition. We enjoyed hearing his impactful insights about finding inspiration, honoring your craft, thinking beyond trends, staying true to your artistic vision, advice for creatives, and more. Thank you so much David LaChapelle, Johnny Byrne, and Fotografiska Museum for this amazing opportunity to connect skateboarders with art and history! On Saturday, September 24th, 2022, HHF joined forces with NYC Bridgerunners, Nike, Zen Wtr, and Sweet Chick to host our 15th annual Bridgerun! It was an amazing and active evening filled with art, community, and positivity. Check out our event recap video to see how this flash mob of runners, skaters, and rollers took over the Lower East Side to honor the memory of the late Harold Hunter and to raise money for HHF programs. For those who are new to HHF, you might be wondering: what does running have to do with skateboarding? How and when did HHF get involved with Bridgerunners? To learn more, we recommend reading this Bandit Running recap article about Harold Hunter Bridgerun XV written by Michael Venutolo-Mantovani, quoted below. Skaters have always been a part of [Michael] Saes’s Bridgerunners, which very much started out as a collection of what he calls “non-running runner.” And too this day, the group welcomes anyone and everyone to run with them. Whether seasoned runners or green athletes, couriers, cyclists, and, of course, skateboarders, all have always been encouraged to join the Bridgerunners. In 2007, one of Saes’s fellow runners—a local skater and fireman named Mike Hernandez—told Saes about the work the Harold Hunter Foundation was doing. Thanks again to everyone who joined and supported this year's Bridgerun. See you again at Bridgerun XVI in 2023! |
Harold Hunter FoundationThe Harold Hunter Foundation (HHF) is a grassroots, community-based organization that provides support, opportunity, and advocacy for skateboarders in NYC and beyond. Archives
March 2023
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