# American Culture Skateboards Paul McCarthy x The Skate Room Uses Images Only Americans Understand By Erin Fox | Published 2015-03-29 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paul-mccarthy-x-the-skate-room References: [theskateroom](https://theskateroom.com/project/paul-mccarthy-props-skateroom/) & [art21.org](http://www.art21.org/artists/paul-mccarthy) The Paul McCarthy x The Skate Room collection aims to finance the building of Skateistan's first skate school in Africa, starting in Johannesburg. Skateistan uses 'the hook' of [skateboarding to connect vulnerable youth](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/saved-by-skateboarding) to educational and leadership opportunities. This South Africa skate school will serve as a regional training hub for youth development projects and will help bridge the gap between socio-economic differences in the country. The American artist uses typical American imagery in the Paul McCarthy x The Skate Room collection. Using [Disney](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/disney-creator-ambassador-program) characters, B-movies, soap operas and comics to drive his artwork, the artist often refers to his style of art as "painting as action." He is a critical analyst of the mass media and his perception of a consumer-driven American society and its hypocrisy, double standards and repression. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.3/10 - Popularity: 59% | Activity: 61% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Skateboarding for Social Change:** The use of skateboarding as a tool for connecting vulnerable youth to educational and leadership opportunities is a disruptive innovation in the social impact space. - **Cultural Brand Collaborations:** Partnerships between artists and brands, like the Paul McCarthy x The Skate Room collection, are creating innovative ways to fund social initiatives and promote cultural awareness. - **Art Inspired by Mass Media Critiques:** Artwork that uses typical American imagery to critique consumer-driven American society presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the art and media industries. ### Where This Applies - **Social Impact:** The use of skateboarding as a means of youth development presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the social impact sector. - **Branding and Marketing:** Collaborations between artists and brands to create unique product collections offer disruptive innovation opportunities in the branding and marketing industry. - **Art and Media:** Artwork that critiques mass media and consumer culture presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the art and media industries. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Pop Art Skateboard Capsules](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-skateroom-1.md) - [Skateboarding Heritage Collection](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/united-through-skateboarding.md) - [Skateboard-Inspired Stamp Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/skateboard-inspired-stamp-collection.md) - [Unity-Promoting Family Skate Decks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/family-skate.md) - [Skateable Pyramid Art Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/playlab.md) - [Anniversary-Celebrating Arty Skateboard Decks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/stevie-williams1.md) - [Social Change-Promoting Skateboarding Programs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/saved-by-skateboarding.md) - [Psychedelic Skateboard Decks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/new-psychedelia.md) - [Airbrushed Americana Capsule](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/acidic-americana.md)