‘Surf Craft’ (originally exhibited at San Diego’s Mingei International Museum) chronicles the evolution of surfboard design featuring American makers and shapers of all kinds of wave-riding boards. It explains how meticulous handcraftmanship can inform modern high volume commercially-made surf craft. Read more below about this seminal exhibit.

About ‘Surf Craft’

According to a review by the Los Angeles Times, “Surf historian Richard Kenvin has assembled an amazing collection of boards from the early 20th century to the present. Even if you don’t know anything about surfboards, these marvels of wood, fiberglass and foam stand on their own as works of art.”

“Other surfing [exhibitions] are more based on nostalgia,” says Kenvin, who surfs and has been researching surfboards for a dozen years.“This is more the craft story.”

“We are so excited that LongHouse Reserve will be the first to feature this remarkable exhibition after it leaves San Diego,” said Wendy Van Deusen, LHR curator. “It’s eye-opening – some of the boards are like paintings or sculptures yet they are functional too. The exhibition allows you to see beauty in an object that you haven’t really thought about before. It will appeal to everyone whether or not they have an interest in surfing.

“Surfboards are beautiful to the eye – my customers love seeing them and understanding their history,” said project collaborator Lars Svanberg, owner of Wainscott-based Main Beach Surf+Sport, “But this exhibition will appeal to anyone who appreciates craft….It’s the soul of the pieces people will relate to in this exhibition.”