Tempe History Museum’s local skateboarding exhibit closes soon

It might seem strange to think of skateboarding as a historical topic, but the truth is that metro Phoenix is a place where the wheels have spun for a very long time.

To celebrate that tradition, Tempe History Museum’s current exhibit, “Dry Surf: Local Skateboarding History,” has been on display since May. The lineup includes photos and artifacts, including an impressive collection of boards from throughout the years.

Now, “Dry Surf” is in its final weeks; it closes Saturday, Jan. 31.

Senior Curator of Collections Josh Roffler is not a skateboarder, but grew up in the neighborhood near the museum and attended McClintock High School, so he understands the importance of skateboarding to generations of Valley residents.

“We had been really interested for a number of years in trying to take on this topic informally. I had been trying to get to know some skaters and get to know the (skateboarding) community a little bit, but what really kicked it off was we did a showing of the ‘High Rollers’ film here at the museum (in 2023). We had a free showing for the public, a skate demo and had (longtime East Valley band) Fat Gray Cat play. It was a super-successful event, so we decided we had to do more with this,” he says.

“High Rollers: The Golden Age of Arizona Skateboarding” is a documentary that debuted in March 2020. One of the people involved in helping set up the High Rollers event back in March 2023 was Rob Locker from AZPX Skateboards. Locker, who was once a New Times’ Best of Phoenix recipient for Best Skateboarding Advocate, has been helping the Phoenix area skateboarding scene grow and be recognized for three decades. He was more than happy to help Roffler work on finding artifacts for the “Dry Surf” installation.

“It’s been amazing. I’m very humbled and just the fact that they asked me to help was an honor. I was already a kind of skate history ‘nerdist,’ if you would say, and I’ve been posting Arizona skateboarding history stuff on the AZPX website, looking for other dudes who had content that they wanted to share. This was right up my alley, plus I went to art school at Arizona State University and we curated art shows during my time there, so when Josh came to me, I was all over it,” Locker says.

A look at the exhibit reveals that Roffler and Locker have put together an impressive display for skateboarding enthusiasts and curious citizens to thoroughly enjoy. Since the May opening, the museum has continued to roll out fresh additions to the exhibit, including exclusive photography exhibits and performances from some of the Valley’s legendary skate punk bands.

The early Phoenix skate scene became known for pipe-riding in the mid-1970s, when the Central Arizona Project cement pipes were being laid at various places around the city.

The popularity of skateboarding in the Valley continues today, lengthening the tradition that began decades ago.

“The story is vast. Every generation of Arizona skateboarding has had a long and storied history,” Locker says.

Roffler agrees.

“We’ve learned it’s way too big of a story to tell in the space we have, but we think we are going to be able to give people a great impression of what skating in Arizona is all about and a great feeling,” he says. “We think that skaters, when they come in, will be able to connect with things they recognize, and we also think the people who don’t skate will be able to understand this part of their community a lot better than they did before.”

“Dry Surf: Local Skateboarding History”: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday until Jan. 31. Tempe History Museum, 809 E. Southern Ave., Tempe. Admission is free.