From the very onset of this event, which set out to celebrate the most unique type of canvas – the human body – it was clear to those involved that it was a huge step forward for the tattoo industry, which is why I couldn’t resist the opportunity to attend.
The evening began with a short discourse and book promotion by the very talented and charming Kip Fulbeck. Kip has recently published the book Permanence: Tattoo Portraits, which highlights people with interesting (not necessarily artful) tattoos and their accompanying stories. Kip sought out the most meaningful or touching stories he could find and put them all together in his book. Later that evening, he did a book signing.
After Kip’s talk, there was a panel discussion, which was moderated by Bob Baxter, editor of Skin & Ink magazine. The panelists were Ms. Jacci Gresham, Lyle Tuttle and Zulu. Baxter posed questions to each of the panelists on issues such as body art on dark skin, the growth in tattoo popularity and issues of discrimination.
Ms. Jacci, in her true southern style, gave her humorous and no-nonsense outlook on tattoo popularity when she stated that it has gotten to the point where "even people who don't want a tattoo want a tattoo!"
Zulu, whose words were carefully considered and as refined as his stately appearance, offered his insightful theory that people are "reaching into the past" and are connecting with religions and cultures with deep roots because the new age way of living just isn't giving our lives the meaning and significance we crave. He himself was once a graphic designer but gave it up because "it wasn't feeding [his] soul."
While Ms. Jacci and Zulu privided us with thoughtful and calculated answers to the questions posed, Lyle Tuttle was the one who kept the conversation light and humorous - albeit controversial when he stunned attendees with the statement that "tattooing is not an artform." This comment - which came not long after his questionable advice to "go buy a kit" if you're wanting to step into the body art industry - was met with a collective dropping of jaws by many in the audience, including myself. Fortunately, Ms. Jacci spoke up against Tuttle's claim and reminded him that here and now, tattooing certainly is an artform and that this is not ancient Samoa or Borneo, which he had been referring to. Maybe that is why Lyle Tuttle also said that he retired from tattooing "to save what little reputation [he has] left."
After the panel discussion, everyone crowded into the Fox Court room for the tattoo runway show, which unfortunately was a bit of a mess due to severe mishandling by a BMA curator. The runway itself was nice, but the show was rushed and there was no individual showcasing of tattoos. Many of the models were off the stage before we could even see their art. The music was too loud and the curator's announcements of which shop each group of models was representing was drowned out. This was surpising seeing as how models were required to be at the show 4 hours in advance to rehearse taking a 10 second walk down a runway platform. Spectators also had to vie for the best spot to stand, which resulted in a bit of pushing and shoving, due to the absence of any chairs. Knowing the effort that the models put into this part of the event, I was disappointed that it didn't allow them to shine as it should have.
Another slight disappointment was the lack of quality local shops being represented. Unfortunately, that is what happens when someone unfamiliar with the industry is in charge of such an event. With over 20 shops in the immediate area, I'm sure more high quality studios comparable to Dragon Moon could have been chosen to participate.
But, very few momumental events in history went off without a hitch and the Baltimore Ink show did accomplish what it set out to do, and that was to show tattoos as a true art form. The fact that the museum authorities recognized this and invited us to share time and space amongst other examples of fine art was tantamount to Neil Armstrong's first landing on the moon. Okay, maybe it wasn't that big, but it was definitely one giant leap for tattooed kind.
