Hunter Guttensohn

Hunter Guttensohn

Hometown: Montgomery, Alabama

Ginger Boards

Passion and love for skateboarding, art, and Christianity are the reasons behind this project. Since a very young age, I was always fascinated by the tricks that professional skateboarders were able to do. I loved seeing them flip their boards in a manner that quickly displayed the graphics from underneath the board. It was almost hypnotizing. Due to my love for being outside and trying new things, skateboarding came natural to me. More recently, I started thinking about the artwork on my skateboard deck. Most of the time the artwork was fairly PG, but there were other times I wanted something that would represent my personality as well as my love for Christ. This led me to designing my own skateboard graphics under the name Ginger Boards. I design boards for myself and others to reflect a walk with Christ in order to create a custom skateboard graphic that was both pleasing to look at and relevant to their story.

Skateboarding has been a slightly unappreciated art since its birth in the late 60’s. When buying a skateboard, most people, do not realize that there have been hours upon hours of work put into each artwork. Although it is true that most skateboards are created for purchase, not many customers know where their money is going or who they are supporting. Ginger Boards is a nonprofit ministry that looks to spread the love of Christ. Throughout the process of creating these graphics, I have developed a deep respect for both the skateboard designers, as well as those who choose to ride the actual skateboards.

There are no rules for what can go on the bottom of a skateboard. Knowing this has helped me to be confident using an aesthetically pleasing or fun graphic. Honestly, I would not want to create anything so uniform and organized that would take the attention from each individual board. We are all unique and special, and I feel that my boards do a great job in representing that fact.¬¬¬ Alabama tends to focus more on the mainstream sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. As a child who was not gifted in any of these sports, I felt skateboarding not only gave me the outlet to not only find something I was good at, but it also helped me find who I am as a person. To help mainstream the pastime of skateboarding in Troy Alabama, Ginger Boards looks to raise money for a skatepark through the means of selling boards, fundraising, and in-kind donations. A skatepark would help the children, teens, and adults of Troy burn off energy, express themselves, and create community.