SURFING FLORIDA: A Photographic History
A traveling exhibition from Florida Atlantic University that documents the history of Florida surfing and surf culture in all its international dimensions.
Surfing Florida: A Photographic History comes at a time when surfers throughout the world are beginning to seriously document this vital sport and lifestyle through books, museums and surfing history organizations. While Florida is part of this movement, it is also challenged by its reputation for lackluster surf. Yet, because of the inconsistent surf, surfers from Florida share an insatiable hunger for waves and an aggressive approach to the sport that has resulted in an incredible number of world titles for Florida’s competitive surfers and a deep cultural history. Surfing Florida seeks to foster the movement to archive and document Florida surf history through collaboration, association and contributions from all corners of Florida’s statewide surfing community.
This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Florida Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Konica Minolta is providing technical and production support for a Surfing Florida book.
• • • • •
Surfing Florida: A Photographic History presents the history of Florida surfing through contributions from more than 50 photographers, over 100 surfers, several “story talkers” and six “surf scholars.” The traveling exhibition is comprised of Exhibition Panels, Photographer’s Portfolios and Media Stations. Each participating venue is encouraged to embellish the traveling exhibition with surfboards and other surfing artifacts andmemorabilia through collaboration with their region’s surf community. During the exhibition’s presentation at FAU, a series of Public Programs will be presented by “surf scholars” on a variety of themes such as coastal environmentalism and surf music. The speakers will be available to participating venues. This project has been developed by W. Rod Faulds, Director University Galleries, FAU and Paul Aho, a Florida-born surfer, artist and educator who serves as the project curator.
• • • • •
Outline of Exhibition Panels
Introduction & Historical Overview
Creates a context for the project at large with a brief formative history of surfing internationally including ritual, sport, movies, music, fashion, drugs and culture.
SECTION ONE:
Unlikely Origins
1932 -33: Virginia Beach lifeguards & Tom Blake in Miami; Blake with his revolutionary hollow board.
1934 -1941: Whitman brothers of Bal Harbour are local beneficiaries; Whitmans surf in Daytona Beach connecting with the other Florida pioneer surfer, Gauldin Reed.
World War II: Florida surfing goes into remission.
Coastal & Maritime History (Mark Long, UCF)
Creating the “Sunshine State” (Fred Fejes, FAU)
SECTION TWO:
Rebirth & the Boom – The Regions
Florida is slow to re-embrace surfing after the war, but by 1960, the boom hits Florida. This coincides with the growth in coastal communities, particularly in Cocoa Beach and Miami. Each region has its own pioneers and special wave or waves.
• Miami & Broward Counties
• Palm Beaches & the Treasure Coast
• The Space Coast
• Daytona & New Smyrna Beach
• Northern Florida: Ormond, Flagler and Jacksonville Beach
• The Panhandle: Pensacola, Panama City, Destin and Fort Walton Beach
• The Southern Gulf: Sarasota, Venice, Naples
SECTION THREE:
Florida’s Contribution to the World of Surfing
Even before its popularization surfing was global - Australia, California, Hawaii, the entire world - Florida surfers have always been there.
Travel and Wanderlust: Its Origins in Florida
Lewis Graves, Jackie Grayson, Hunter Joslin, Bruce Valuzzi and Mike Tabeling; Carol Holland’s Surf Express
Shapers & the Surfboard Industry
Early Miami, Daytona, Cocoa Beach, Major Players, Nomad, Quiet Flight, Natural Art, Oceanside, Fox, etc.; Surf Expo
Expatriates: From Here to There
G-Land and Cloud Nine Story; Bruce Hansel, Roger Kincaid, Brad McCann, Balzerac, Bobby Owens, Doug Deal, Dylan, Josie and Barbie Graves, Kenneth Hurlburt, Pete Lege, Greg Mungall, Pat Mulhern, Bob Rotherman, Marc Seibman, Mike Tabeling, Spyder Wright, Rick Yeomans, Greg Loehr, Darrin Auger
Religion & Surfing’s Spiritual Core
(Bron Taylor, UF)
Environmentalism (Tom Ankerson, UF)
Contests: Professionalism and the Commodification of the Sport
Gary Propper; Mimi Munro; Freida Zamba; Lisa Andersen; Kelly Slater; The Hobgoods; The Lopez Brothers; Benefits: NKF, Tommy Tant, Skin Cancer, History of East Coast Circuit
Memorial Paddle-Outs and Remembrance
Remembering those who have passed.
• • • • •
Portfolios by acclaimed surf photographers and lesser known lensmens are interspersed between the Exhibition Panels.
• • • • •
Media Stations
Aspects of Florida’s surf history and culture as well as international surf culture will be related through Media Stations containing existing film, video, music and interviews with historic surfers. Surfing Florida’s Media Stations will present a wide
variety of media in an interactive format to allow viewers to discover or remember aspects of surf culture and Florida surf history. Media Stations will be designed to allow visitors to view several brief excerpts of films or other media, while also allowing
motivated viewers to explore deeper content through full-length versions of selected media.
Surf Films
Hollywood Films:
Beginning with Gidget (1959) Hollywood has never quite gotten surfing right; nevertheless, the popularity of surfing as a leisure activity and pastime was seminally impacted via Hollywood films.
Classic Surf Documentaries:
The short board revolution of the late 60s and 70s coincides exactly with the worldwide counter-culture revolution. This era’s hard-core documentary surf films set the tone for several decades of surf films and later surf videos.
Oral History Interviews:
In association with the University of Central Florida’s RICHES Program and the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum, several Florida surfing legends have been interviewed. Interview excerpts and full interviews will be available.
Historical Surf Documentaries and Vintage 8mm Footage:
In recent years filmmakers like Will Lucas and Carl Flamm have explored east coast surf history by compiling vintage footage and contemporary interviews. This section will also contain raw historical footage from several sources.
Surf Music: FAU Associate Professor of Music and ethnomusicologist, James E. Cunningham, has researched Florida surf bands. His compilation CD of these wide-ranging bands from country twang to punk/surf rock will be available to exhibition visitors.
