100 custom skate decks transformed into original artworks by global artists. Proceeds go to building new skateparks in rural Montana communities.
On May 31, 2025, the Adler/Smith Gallery in Santa Monica, California, is throwin’ down Middle of Nowhere—a one-of-a-kind art show sparked by Charles R. Adler, co-founder of the gallery and longtime player with both the Vitalogy Foundation and Eddie Vedder’s EB Research Partnership.
Wanting to jump in and back Jeff Ament’s charity work, Adler pitched the idea of an all-skateboard art show to support Montana Pool Service, the nonprofit Ament kicked off back in 2005.
Ament – Pearl Jam’s bassist, lifelong skate and art junkie, and all-around champion of grassroots action – was instantly stoked. What came next was a collab where skate decks become full-on art canvases and tools for real-world change.
Founded by Montanan Jeff Ament in 2005, Montana Pool Service has organized and helped build over 40 world-class concrete skateparks in rural and Native communities across Montana and the Dakotas, with five brand-new parks breaking ground this summer.
“Skateboards and art go together like peanut butter and chocolate—or corn nuts and PBR,” Ament told LA Weekly. “I’m so stoked to have so many pioneers, artists, and legends from the skate art world involved in this killer night, backing more concrete for the most isolated skaters out in the middle of nowhere.”
The show, open to the public from 5 to 9 p.m., features 100 skateboard decks sent to artists across the globe – from Japan to Peru, Thailand, England, Sweden, Switzerland, and beyond. These boards have been turned into one-of-a-kind pieces by legends like Craig Stecyk, Yusuke Hanai, Wes Humpston, Stacy Peralta, Thomas Campbell – and of course, Ament himself. All decks will be auctioned online, with proceeds going directly to MPS.
As a bonus, dream-pop duo Soft Palms will perform live during the event.
Don’t sleep on this show, folks – this is pure gold for skate rats, art heads, and anyone who knows the stoke of fresh concrete. Get there, get hyped, and show some love. 🛹🔥
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
montanapoolservice.com
Adler/Smith Gallery, 1636 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Saturday, May 31, 2025, 5:00–9:00 p.m.
Instagram: @adlersmithgallery
Website: adlersmithgallery.com
Born in Reggio Emilia in 1980. He created pearljamonline.it in 2001 and wrote the first edition of “Pearl Jam Evolution” in 2009 along with his wife Daria. Since 2022, he is behind 2 podcasts: “Pearl Jam dalla A alla Z” and “Fuori Orario Not Another Podcast”. He has collaborated with Barracuda Style, HvsR, Rolling Stone, Rockol and Il Fatto Quotidiano. He continues relentlessly to try to find “beautiful melodies that say terrible things”.
Favorite song: Present Tense
Favorite album: No Code
Favorite bands/artists other than PJ: Tom Waits, Soundgarden, Ramones, Bruce Springsteen, IDLES, Fontaines D.C., The Murder Capital, Dead Kennedys, Mark Lanegan, Cat Power, R.E.M.