Art Chantry

Raised in Tacoma, Washington, Art Chantry worked in Seattle for nearly three decades. Over the years he managed to produce a body of work that, however unorthodox, still rivals some of the best graphic design in the world. With a slew of design awards under his belt, his work has made an impression on the world and has been exhibited by some of the most prestigious museums and galleries: the Louvre, The Smithsonian, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to name a few. In 1993 The Seattle Art Museum honored him with a one-man retrospective of his work and in the summer of 2003 PS1, in association with the Museum of Modern Art, did the same. His work has been published in hundreds of books and magazines and in 2001 Chronicle Books published the monograph of his work, Some People Can’t Surf, written by Julie Lasky. In fact, there is even a book about Chantry’s work published in China and written entirely in Chinese.

While living it up in Seattle, Art managed to carve out a style that took hold of the popular underground music scene in the early 1990’s. Dubbed “grunge” by culture mavens, it actually was a look developed at an alternative newsweekly named The Rocket, where Art began as art director in 1984 and continued to be involved off and on for over ten years. During that time, the magazine became a virtual hub on the wheel of Seattle’s music and culture scene. Soon his ideas extended beyond The Rocket to the fledgling record label, Sub Pop, where it became history. His ideas found further nuance in his work for the garage rock record label, Estrus Records, where his style found a perfect home.

Through his work with the staff of The Rocket and the classes he taught at the School of Visual Concepts, Art influenced an entire generation of young graphic designers in the northwest, and eventually across the county. He has lectured extensively and traveled to present his work all over the world. He has contributed writings to a number of books about graphic design, and his own book, Instant Litter, Concert Posters from Seattle Punk Culture, is considered a classic in it’s field. Today his hard-edge scrappy look can be seen everywhere from punk rock record covers to corporate annual reports…and now on snowboards. Ride is proud to partner with a fellow northwest native on the second in a series of three limited DH2 boards.


Click here to see the full artist series program and keep an eye on the countdown for the release of the DH 2.3 coming November 15th.

Click Here to locate a DH2 retailer!

Art Chantry's Related Products