Unity at the Initiative: a multi-site visual exhibition and at-home experience centering art by and for Queer and Trans Artists of Color. I am:_____ is a blog series to get to know our partners.

Kirby Reiko McKenzie grew up skating the streets of Philadelphia back in the 90’s, quit for a good long time, and resumed 7 years ago while living in Oakland, California. Excited by the quickly expanding women and queer skate community, she spent as much time as possible enmeshed in it--taking skate road trips and frequenting Bay area spots with friends. She helped organize skate meetups with Skate Like A Girl, SF and documented what she could of the west coast’s women and queer skate community through 35mm film--her website skatecrush.com is an archive of those times. She moved back to Philadelphia in 2017 and currently teaches fine woodworking at NextFab, a local maker space, and spends her weekends learning auto mechanics and making furniture and clothes for friends.

"I have an art degree but I just make things out of wood and fabric for myself and friends. I used to spend a lot of time capturing women and queer skaters on 35mm, but now I have a day job---I teach fine woodworking and occasionally take furniture commissions."

Finish this sentence with a word or two: I am a:_______

Adult, maybe?

What's the most half-baked hobby you took on since the COVID-19 shutdown?

Popping the pimples I get from wearing a mask

What are you binge-watching?

Great British Baking Show

What's the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

Last week I was working on my car and I accidentally squatted over a can of brake cleaner and it shot up my butt.

If you were to create a signature skate move, what would the move involve/look like?

Kickflips under my desk while my hand twirls a pencil

Anything you'd like to share with the world?