ROCK & ROLL
June 15–August 4, 2002
Curated by Robert Perine, Michael Fee
Oceanside Museum of Art proudly presents Rock & Roll, an exhibition that explores the fine art of hand painted guitars and skateboards and includes vintage advertisements and contemporary logos. This collection utilizes guitar bodies and skateboard decks as an alternative to traditional canvases and sculpture. Designs include portraits, abstraction, outsider art, faux finishes and pop culture imagery.
Two curators are working together to combine these unconventional art forms. Robert Perine, the graphic artist for Fender guitar ad campaigns in the 60s, is creating the "rock" half of Rock & Roll. Michael Fee is handling the "roll' half of the exhibit, working with the Southern California skateboard industry and the designers of some classic skateboard decks.
Robert Perine says, it's not surprising that some guitarists have personalized their instruments, given that a musician's instrument is his voice and he becomes attached to it, preserving it, keeping it in good condition, letting it mellow over time. The addition of decoration, highly crafted inlays and the guitarist's signature reminds us that visual art seems to be closely related to music and, in many ways, enhances it.
Talking with skateboard artists from the area, Michael Fee has discovered that skateboarding and the appreciation for a superb ride appeals to people from all professional and economic backgrounds. That the ride should look good and carry a message just adds to the experience. "This exhibition presents art that has never gotten you so far or sounded so good!" says Fee.