Behind the doors of the Kootenay School of the Arts, one student has been busy coming up with a way to help the community’s pursuit of an outdoor skate park.
Alexis Mainland moved to Nelson from White Rock to study KSA in January after travelling through Europe.
“Being in Europe inspired me,” said Mainland. “All of the metal work was so beautiful. I found an opportunity there and did some apprenticeships.”
But now Mainland has found inspiration outside the churches and historical buildings and is looking to something smaller.
“We had to do belt buckles in class,” she said. “My friend suggested doing a skateboard truck for him so I just sort of took it from there.”
To create the skateboards on the belt buckles, Mainland has been using Tech Decks which are miniature skateboards used with fingers instead of feet.
“My friend mailed me some of his Tech Decks, and then one of the guys at Tribute suggested I go through the high school,” said Mainland. “Everyone has just being helping and coming up with ideas. Nelson is a funny little town.”
Equipped with five or six belt buckle designs Mainland hopes create as many as she can before Sk8 Fest and will sell them to help raise money for the skate park.
“I believe that there should be a skate park here and skateboarding is my favourite sport so I would like to see there be a skate park here,” said Mainland. “It seems like the whole community is really coming together for this and I wanted to be part of it.”
She will be continuing to produce the buckles after Sk8 Fest to raise as much as she can for the skate park.
Sk8 Fest is on February 24 at 6 p.m. at Selkirk College’s Mary Hall.
Mainland’s jewelry can be found on her tumblr site which is alexismainland.tumblr.com/