Jessamine County students turn skateboards into personal art

A visiting artist is giving students a unique lesson before a public art show.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 1:06am

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A bold, colorful silkscreen-style illustration featuring a repeated graphic element from a skateboard, such as a wheel or truck, in a vibrant neon color palette, capturing the energy and creativity of the student skateboard art exhibition.A public exhibition of student-designed skateboard art showcases the creative talents and unique perspectives of young artists in Jessamine County.Nicholasville Today

Students across Jessamine County, Kentucky are designing art that reflects their own interests and personalities on skateboards this week as part of a workshop led by professional artist Mark Rivard. The students' work will be featured at a public 'Varial' skateboard art exhibition on Friday, April 3.

Why it matters

The skateboard art workshop provides students with an opportunity for creative self-expression and hands-on learning of real-world skills like public exhibition and dealing with the possibility of failure. The program aims to show students that they can offer something unique and learn valuable lessons beyond just creating a cool artwork.

The details

Mark Rivard, a professional artist who turned a serious injury into a career starting with skateboard art, is leading the workshop. He owns a skateboard company and has access to a lot of markers, which he started using to speak at schools and develop a curriculum around an 'experiential learning platform' of having students design art on skateboards. For the Jessamine County students, it's a chance to create art on their own terms and show off their hard work at the upcoming public exhibition.

  • The skateboard art workshop is taking place this week in Jessamine County.
  • The 'Varial' skateboard art exhibition featuring the students' work will be held on Friday, April 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The players

Mark Rivard

A professional artist who owns a skateboard company and is leading the skateboard art workshop for Jessamine County students.

Aryeh Qaiser

A fifth grade student designing a Hawaiian-themed hibiscus flower art piece on a skateboard.

Solo Pike

A fifth grade student who appreciates being able to create art on his own terms in the workshop.

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What they’re saying

“I'm doing a hibiscus flower. It's kind of Hawaiian-themed. It's really cute. I got my inspiration from 'Lilo and Stitch' because I saw all those flowers in there.”

— Aryeh Qaiser, Fifth grade student

“It's nice to be able to do what I want instead of like, people telling me, like, you have to do this type of art because I like the things that I want to.”

— Solo Pike, Fifth grade student

“I'm going to feel really satisfied because I worked really hard and it's going to look so good.”

— Aryeh Qaiser, Fifth grade student

“In this program, we're showing students how to put their best foot forward. With a public exhibition, we have a chance at real failure. You know, if this exhibition doesn't go well, that's a failure. So we put students in that position, and we learn real-world skills with that. But I think beyond making a cool piece of artwork, they walk away with the sense that they can offer something extremely unique. And hopefully they learned something.”

— Mark Rivard, Professional artist and workshop leader

What’s next

The students' skateboard art will be featured at the 'Varial' public exhibition on Friday, April 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the City Limits Events and Entertainment Center in Nicholasville.

The takeaway

This skateboard art workshop provides Jessamine County students with a unique opportunity for creative self-expression and hands-on learning of valuable real-world skills like public exhibition and dealing with the possibility of failure. Beyond just creating cool artwork, the program aims to show students that they can offer something truly unique and learn important lessons.