Poe mill _ A Skateboarding retrospective

‘Poe Mill: a skateboarding retrospective’ (2024 / ongoing) is a public arts initiative commemorating the Poe Mill DIY skatepark and celebrating the skaters who have found refuge beneath its stately towers.

The photographs represented are my own work, but exist only as a fraction of the rich expanse of artwork and media documenting Poe’s 20+ year history as Greenville’s only ‘public’ skatepark.

This project exists to be a unified voice for this community and to shine a light on the importance of skateboarding in peoples’ lives.

poe mill towers landscape sunrise
People walking through a flooded park during a heavy rainstorm, with some holding umbrellas and others without covering, and submerged park benches and pathways in the water.
Young skateboarder performing an aerial trick on a ramp in an outdoor skate park with trees and a clear sky in the background.
A young man with curly hair sitting on the ground at an outdoor skate park during the day. He is smiling and wearing a white t-shirt and black pants. There is a skateboard lying on the ground in front of him, and various items including a book and a
People playing basketball outdoors near a chain-link fence, with graffiti on a concrete barrier, leafless trees, power lines, and a clear sky in the background.
Skateboarder performing an aerial trick over a graffiti-covered concrete ramp in an outdoor skatepark, with trees and a blue sky with clouds in the background.
A person wearing a red t-shirt with a bicycle graphic skateboarding on a concrete ledge outdoors during cloudy weather.
Two girls standing on a skate park with graffiti on concrete ramps, one wearing a blue cap and the other an orange cap, during sunset.
A group of six young adults sitting on a bench outdoors, with some drinking water and others chatting, surrounded by greenery and trees, under a partly cloudy sky.
A person skateboarding in an outdoor skatepark covered with colorful graffiti, wearing a beige cap, black pants, and sneakers, mid-air jump with arms extended.
People hang out at an outdoor skate park, with one person sitting on the ground and another standing with a skateboard. A third person is skateboarding in the background, and the setting includes greenery and utility poles.
A young man with a skateboard standing on a graffiti-covered skatepark ramp, wearing a black
Black and white photo of two tall industrial smokestacks rising above trees, with graffiti-covered structures and people in the foreground, and faint overcast sky in the background.
A graffiti-covered skate ramp with the word 'SAVIN' painted in large white letters on a dark background. In the background, there is an old, weathered brick building with a sign reading 'W.G. McGEE General Office' and a person skateboarding on the ra
A partially demolished brick wall with graffiti art. The wall has a painted sign reading "Houses, Polos, Capadria" with an arrow, and is surrounded by debris, including bricks and a fallen spray paint can on the ground. In the background, leafless tr
A person crouched next to a skateboard on the ground outdoors, with a concrete surface and graffiti behind them.
Skateboarder in black clothing and cap performing a grind on a rail at an urban skate park, with graffiti-covered ramps and an old brick building in the background.
A shirtless skateboarder crouches near graffiti-covered concrete ledge in an empty skate park, with trees, utility poles, and a weathered building in the background.
A skatepark with graffiti on the ramps, surrounded by trees, with two young skaters practicing.
Piles of sacks of high-strength concrete mix stacked at a construction site, with a graffiti-covered wall in the background and construction tools leaning against the sacks.
A young man is mid-air performing a skateboard trick at a skatepark while others watch, and a filmer records the scene with a camera.
Blurry black and white photo of a person riding a motorcycle at high speed, with motion blur in the background.
A skateboarder in dark clothing and a brown cap performs a trick on a concrete edge in an outdoor skate park during dusk.
A man skateboarding on a graffiti-covered concrete ramp at an outdoor skate park, with a large green tree and cloudy sky in the background.
A person standing with a bicycle next to a concrete skate park feature in an outdoor skate park with sunlight creating lens flares.
A person skateboarding on a sloped surface outdoors, with mountains and industrial chimneys in the background, black and white photograph.

poe mill _ ICONs

A young person with long hair wearing a gray beanie hat, a tie-dye t-shirt, baggy jeans with rolled cuffs, and white sneakers, holding a skateboard, standing outdoors on a sunny day near a skatepark with graffiti on nearby structures and trees in the
A young woman with long dark hair, tattoos on her arms and legs, wearing a black graphic t-shirt, roller skates, and colorful socks, standing on an outdoor concrete surface with green bushes and an overcast sky in the background.
A young man with dreadlocks wearing a black hoodie, light blue jeans, and white sneakers stands on a skateboard on an outdoor basketball court, with graffiti art on a wall behind him and a leafless tree in the background.
A young man with long blond hair, wearing a gray baseball cap, black T-shirt, and white pants, holding a skateboard with a colorful graffiti design, standing outdoors on a concrete skatepark with trees and a blue sky in the background.
A young man standing outdoors holding a skateboard, wearing a white T-shirt, patterned pants, and white sneakers, with trees and bushes in the background and a clear blue sky.
A man in black clothing and black sneakers holding a skateboard at a skate park during daytime.
Young man with curly hair skateboarding outdoors on a sunny day, wearing a white graphic t-shirt, white pants, and pink sneakers, with graffiti-covered barriers and green trees in the background.
A group of four people, a man and three girls, standing together outdoors on a sports court, with skateboards and scooters. The man wears a striped orange shirt and a black bucket hat. The girl on the left has long dark hair, is wearing a blue tie-dy
A young woman with blonde hair and freckles standing on a skateboarding ramp, wearing a blue cap, a grey sports bra, and dark pants, holding a yellow skateboard with black grip tape on a concrete surface with colorful chalk drawings.
A shirtless young man with tattoos, curly hair, and a backward cap, standing on a skateboard in an outdoor skate park with colorful graffiti on the walls and a large leafy green tree in the background.
A man standing outdoors holding a skateboard, with one prosthetic leg. He wears a black cap, sunglasses on his head, a dark polo shirt, and shorts. The background features trees and an overcast sky.
A young man standing on a skate park with a skateboard, holding a stick, surrounded by graffiti and chalk drawings on the ground, with trees and a blue sky in the background.
A young man standing on a skateboarding ramp outdoors holds a skateboard with one hand. He has messy hair, a slight beard, and is wearing a white T-shirt with a red drawing and text, black pants, and beige sneakers. The background includes trees, pow
A young woman with tattoos, wearing a white crop top, black skirt, knee pads, and roller skates, poses with her hand on her hip outdoors on a concrete surface with painted lines, greenery, and a chimney in the background under a clear blue sky.
A young person with curly hair and a slight smile, wearing a black Carrie T-shirt, black shorts, and high-top sneakers, standing on a skatepark with a skateboard, in front of leafy green trees.
A skateboarder in a baseball cap is performing a trick on a skate park with graffiti-covered walls in the background. The image is overlaid with a digital drawing of a volcano erupting, with smoke and lava.

flyer design by sara lannigan.

Exhibition Walkthrough, Woodbine Studio and gallery (May 2024)

(Use headphones for immersive audio.)

Additional artists / contributors _ May 2024 exhibition

  • daniel culpepper

  • chris dant

  • Tyler dimery

  • bryan duffy

  • finn duffy

  • Elizabeth Kabakjian

  • robby mccauley

  • mike hogan

  • travis holder

  • trevor harding

  • michael ray marks

  • nick pike

  • celina odeh

  • david ordonez

  • sullivan richard

Video by will keown.

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