Digital Residency
Black History Month Snowboarding Meetup
On February 26 2022, Takeover Skateboarding organized an all-black snowboarding meetup on the occasion of Black History Month.
The inaugural Digital Residency Recipients are Takeover Skateboarding, a BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & 2S, and women centred movement led by Ryme Lahcene, Taylor Lee, and the BIPOC community in “Vancouver,” the ancestral, unceded (stolen) territories of the Sḵwwú7mesh (Squamish), səliilətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəəm (Musqueam) peoples.
Takeover Skateboarding creates safe spaces for those who have historically been and are currently marginalized and underrepresented within skateboarding. They aim to offer and encourage peer learning and support in skateboarding and beyond. Fostering play as an act of resistance, Takeover uses skating and art as vehicles for radical conversations and movements. They encourage BIPOC youth to engage in fun and radical joy, and offer young people space and safety to explore their own identities and interests. Through community donations, Takeover is able to make boards, gear, and clothing accessible to those with less income security. They have offered art and educational workshops, as well as skateboarding meetups for marginalized skaters to explore and learn in a safe and encouraging environment.
Highlighting the creativity and talent of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ & Two-Spirit young artists while paying them for their knowledge, time and skillsets, Takeover prioritizes and emphasizes circular and connection-based education. Valuing lived experiences and imbedded knowledge above all else, Takeover reiterates in its programs that sharing embodied knowledge should never go uncompensated. They have hosted several highly attended community events, presented group exhibitions, set up safe ride and community funds, published zines, worked with the Vancouver Art Gallery, been featured in the Globe and Mail, and more.