The Board Art Benefit, a project that first began last October and is designed to bring leading artists and shapers together to create original works of art utilizing surfboards for the purpose of raising support for SurfAid International, had its first 2012 event last Saturday, January 21st in Solana Beach, CA.

The event, held at the Aaron Chang Ocean Art Gallery, had 15 surfboards decorated by esteemed surf artists on display. Art patrons and artists alike crowded the sidewalks of Cedros Avenue to view the works of art, which included thrusters, alaias, single fins, retro shapes and more; each piece a collaboration between shaper and artist. In addition, a blank longboard was transformed into a board art collective over the course of the evening, as each artist contributed with their own live, in-house painting.

The aim of the Board Art Benefit is to provide a great venue for the participating artists to showcase their work, to provide the public with a great chance to see collections of amazing hand-crafted board art in one place, and to support SurfAid International.

The finished boards will later be auctioned, with the final live auction of the finished boards tentatively scheduled for sometime during the summer of 2012.

The Board Art Benefit is an artist-driven project, and is not directly affiliated with SurfAid International, but funds raised will directly support SurfAid’s humanitarian efforts on the Mentawai and Nias islands in Indonesia.

Want to get involved? Check out some of the ways here: http://boardartbenefit.com/get-on-board.