Theodore Ward Barrow, also known as Ted Barrow, is an American

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

, writer, professor,

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

critic,

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

persona, lecturer, and skateboarder.

Creative practice

This Old Ledge

Barrow hosts, researches, and produces a series of videos on

Thrasher Magazine Thrasher is an American skateboarding media brand founded in January 1981 by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello, who also founded Independent Truck Company, and officially launched as a skateboard magazine. Since the 1990s, Thrasher has expanded i ...

's Youtube Channel, title
This Old Ledge
that explore the built and cultural history of past and present skate spots. Unlike other videos, that list tricks chronologically, This Old Ledge considers architectural and urban history as factors that impact the history of skateboarding, illustrated by archival photos and video clips.

Feedback TS

Barrow ran a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account about skateboarding and culture
@feedback_ts
Barrow built his following critiquing submitted video clips from skaters skating in

skate parks A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, quarter pipes, ...

. Feedback TS was no longer accepting clips but has returned to his critiques, also posting on his stories about works of art. @feedback_ts was terminated by Instagram in late 2020.

Writing

In addition to posting his writing and thoughts on

instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

via the Feedback TS account, Barrow writes about a range of topics including skateboarding history, art history, and the relationship between the two. Barrow often uses the stories feature in Instagram to reach his audience. Barrow has contributed writing to a variety of publications including

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Jenkem Jenkem is a purported inhalant and hallucinogen created from fermented human waste. In the mid-1990s, it was reported to be a popular street drug among Zambian youth, created by placing feces and urine in a bottle or a bucket, sealing it with a ...

, Skateism,

Transworld Skateboarding ''Transworld Skateboarding'' (''TWS'') is an international magazine on skateboarding that was based in Carlsbad, California, United States. The publication also ran an accompanying website and video production company. In February 2019, the pub ...

, Smithsonian Associates,

Bucknell University Press Bucknell University Press is a university press associated with Bucknell University, located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The press was founded in 1968 and is currently a member of the Association of University Presses, to which it was admitted in ...

, and the

Boscobel House Boscobel House () is a Grade II* listed building in the parish of Boscobel in Shropshire. It has been, at various times, a farmhouse, a hunting lodge, and a holiday home; but it is most famous for its role in the escape of Charles II after the ...

. In 2019, Barrow released a zine, titled " Man Proposes God Disposes," and a guest deck both with StrangeLove skateboards.

On skateparks

One avenue of Barrow's critical discourse analyzes the changing use of skateparks, highlighting a generational shift between skateboarders raised on the pre-built terrain of skateparks and those raised before the proliferation of skateparks. Barrow explains that "skateparks have always been designed to contain an activity that is about roaming, and often dangerous, or at least unlawful trespassing... As skateparks themselves have proliferated, they have become more central to that idea of performance, both fashionable and athletic”

Public speaking

In 2019, the '' Brooklyn Patch'' reached out to Barrow for his opinions on the

Tompkins Square Park Tompkins Square Park is a public park in the Alphabet City portion of East Village, Manhattan, New York City. The square-shaped park, bounded on the north by East 10th Street, on the east by Avenue B, on the south by East 7th Street, and o ...

turfing controversy. Also in 2019, Barrow spoke at the Pushing Boarder conference in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

during the ''Tech Will Save Us'' panel. Additionally, Barrow moderated a panel titled: ''What We Do is Secret: The Challenge of Writing about Skateboarding,'' at the 2018 Pushing Boarders conference held in London.

Teaching career

Barrow has taught at Baruch, City College, the

College of Staten Island The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a public university in Staten Island, New York, United States. It is one of the 11 four-year senior colleges within the City University of New York system. Programs in the liberal arts and sciences and pro ...

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

, and

Barnard Barnard is a surname of Old English origin, derived from the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon given name "Beornheard". It is composed of two elements: "Beorn," meaning "young warrior" or "bear," and "heard," meaning "hardy," "brave," or "strong." In some ...

Pre-College.

References

External links

SHARK TALE: Resurfacing Winslow Homer’s most elusive painting by Ted Barrow - July 2022 - Artforum

Brutally Honest Reviews Of Your Best Instagram Clips With Ted Barrow (Episode 1)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, Theodore American skateboarders Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Brooklyn College faculty