Before it was an Olympic sport and a global Hip Hop phenomenon, skateboarding was just another feel-good West Coast thing. It was invented in the 1950s by California surfers who wanted to ride waves while on land. They became known as “asphalt surfers,” and often the boards were made with local materials picked up off the ground. The skateboard wasn’t born from an industry; it was created by individuals in their own respective styles. As the movement grew, a board’s wear and tear was a badge of pride. A new exhibition at Craft in America presents skateboards as constructed objects of artistic expression, and celebrates the history of handmade boards. —Maggie Turner