An artist and his craft. Photo: Smithsonian
Whatever your opinions of his policy, it’s pretty cool to have a Hawaiian-raised occasional surfer posting up in the Oval Office as President of the United States, throwing the ever-so-often shaka for good measure. And it’s even cooler when big-time institutions outside of the traditional surf-heavy stretches of the ol’ red, white, and blue recognize surf as not only a sun-tanned sport and vacation activity, but a true subsection of the nation’s cultural totem pole. The Smithsonian is doing just that as it invites Tom “Pohaku” Stone to be an artist-in-residence, a residency that will take him to Washington, D.C. this May (the Surfboard carving and Hawaiian sled presentation on the 20th) and Southern California later in June. This brings the number of museums exhibiting his wooden surfboards up to six, including ones in Africa, Europe, and elsewhere in the United States. Stone plans to give demonstrations on shaping by using blank boards in order to exhibit how modern surfing has evolved.
Stone was also recently featured on BBC documentary series Human Planet in the “Oceans” episode.
