Original Z-BOY Nathan Pratt is guest curating “DOGTOWN and the Legendary Z-BOYS ” an exhibition of iconic, as well as never seen before, surfboards, skateboards, artifacts, film, and photography illustrating the cultural and historical significance of the legendary Z-Boys and the Dogtown surf/skate movement.

Considered the Founding Fathers of modern skateboarding, the Z-Boys were mostly a group of teenage surfers from the wrong side of the tracks in South Santa Monica and Venice in the ‘70’s. Formally the Zephyr Competition Team, but better known as the Z-Boys, they founded a skateboard team with a driving, low-slung, aggressive surf style and rebel attitude that set the aesthetic and ethos for modern youth culture.

Featuring boards, photography and art by Kevin Ancell, Warren Bolster, Chris Cahill, Cris Dawson, Shepard Fairey, Anthony Friedkin, Glen Friedman, Jeff Ho, Wes Humpston, Lance Mountain, Aaron Murray, Peggy Oki, Nathan Pratt, Bart Saric, Doug Smith, C. R. Stecyk, and Sean Valentine among others. 

We would like to acknowledge the SKATEBOARDING HALL OF FAME for generously becoming one of the major lenders of boards and memorabilia to this exhibit.

The story of the Z-Boys has been told in feature films, award winning documentaries and multiple books. But this is the first time the Z-Boys themselves are going into their archives to share stories and artifacts that have never been seen by the public before. DOGTOWN and the Legendary Z-BOYS is a view from the inside looking out.