Skateboard art is getting big props for its role in California culture this weekend: The California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica opens its new Skateboard Evolution & Art exhibit on Saturday.

Here's the full press release via California Heritage Museum:

The California Heritage Museum is proud to present SKATEBOARD: Evolution and Art in California. The show opens to the general public on Saturday, November 14, 2009 and continues through Sunday, May 30, 2010.

Guest curated by legendary Z-boy Nathan Pratt in conjunction with museum staff curator Michael Trotter and advisory committee members Jeff Ho, Skip Engblom (Zephyr co-founders), Cris Dawson (1966 Hobie Champ), Z-Boys Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, and 1980 s world champion Christian Hosoi, the exhibition traces the evolution of boards from pre-1950 to the present showcasing the riders, designers, artists, and manufacturers that created the California phenomenon known as the skateboard. From the first planks of wood with metal roller skate wheels nailed to the bottom to the modern polyurethane wheels and kicktails, the boards have rocketed the skaters to greater heights of performance and style while taking sidewalk surfing from a homegrown activity to a worldwide cultural phenomenon.

More than 275 rare boards from the world s finest collections including Jason Cohn, Dale Smith/Skate Designs Inc., Todd Huber/Skatelab Skatepark, Ray Flores, James Lang/South Bay Skates.

Additional lenders included are Kevin Anderson/Model Worm, Art Brewer, Terry Campion, Cris Dawson, Deluxe Distribution, Earl, Skip Engblom, Craig Fineman, Wayne and Donna Gunter/Surfing Cowboys, Mike Horelick/Tunnel Skateboards, Chuck Katx, Mike Kolar, Gordon McClelland, Jim McDowell/RIPWynn City Skates, Marc McKee, Aaron Murray, James O Mahoney/Santa Barbara Surfing Museum, Nathan Pratt, Mark Richards/Val Surf, Ronnie/Animal House, Steve Salyer/Pastures of Heaven, Gabriel Steptoe, Joel Tudor, Wentzle Ruml IV, Cary B. Weiss, Z-BOY Archive, and Z-CULT Skates. Photographs and art by C.R. Stecyk III, Glen E. Friedman, Craig Fineman, Wynn Miller, Kevin Ancell, Wes Humpston and more document the movement and its personalities.

This is the first exhibition of the California skate movement to be shown in Dog Town , the Santa Monica/Ocean Park area where modern skateboarding was born and the skate became an art form. The California Heritage Museum is located in the vortex at Main Street and Ocean Park Boulevard.

A full series of events, including film screenings of Dogtown and Z-Boys, Skater Dater and Rising Son: The Christian Hosoi Story, will take place at the museum and the downtown Santa Monica Library. Talks, photo exhibits, special guest appearances and autograph sessions will take place throughout the exhibit run into 2010.

Opening November 14, 2009

My FUEL.TV colleague Carlton Curtis is up today with a sweet slideshow from the new Casa Surf project at La Casa del Camino in Laguna Beach, CA, including this shot from the Etnies Suite.

Via FUEL.TV:

Talk about "extreme" makeovers. Orange County's Riviera Magazine invited ten SoCal surf-and-skate brands to imagine what their dream room would look like the results of which can now be found at the Riviera Design Series' "Casa Surf Project". It's a novel concept, really: Brands like Quiksilver, Billabong, and Etnies have already conquered the apparel game, so why not spruce up the place where we end up after a day of ripping? Home sweet home.

Looks like Zoo York is giving up the game of pretending Chaz Ortiz isn't a pro, after winning the 2008 Dew Tour and little events like the... uh... PlayStation Pro, and then holding his own for another year of pro competition all over the place in 2009.

Peep this new ZY ad: Chaz Ortiz is Officially Down.

Remember that bit last week about how well Chris Cole is managing to balance a core skateboarding life with more commercial contest pursuits like the collecting of X Games Gold and Dew Cups?

Click over to The Berrics for the most recent dose of that other side of Chris Cole: He's The Berrics' newest Battle Commander as of today, and his BC part is the sickness you've come to expect from Cole and from The Berrics, for that matter.

Props to Luan Oliveira: The Brazilian skater took down the Volcom Damn Am contest this weekend in Costa Mesa, beating out Clint Walker and Tommy Werner for the top spot. Results below, but for the full report click through to Skatepark of Tampa

Street Finals
1. Luan Oliveira
2. Clint Walker
3.Tommy Werner
4. Felipe Gustavo
5. Brodie Penrod
6. Timmy Knuth
7. Louie Lopez
8. Chase Webb
9. Felipe Ortiz
10. CJ Dixon
11. Derek Elmendorf
12. Rob Maatman

Street Best Trick

1. Clint walker
gap to backlip shuvit, 5-0 across and down kickflip out
2. Aaron collier backside bigspin boardslide on pyramid
3. Dylan witkin foot gap to noseblunt
4. Chris mendes kickflip backside tailslide bigspin out
5. Kechaud Johnson foot gap to frontside smith on the pyramid rail