When the word “artist” comes to mind, many imagine a paintbrush, sketchbooks, paint palettes, maybe even a sculptor with a block of clay. The conventional idea of what we imagine an “artist’ is usually does not include a tattoo gun, held by someone with a sleeve of a variety of different tattoos. The work of tattooists, and respect for their profession is marginalized and hindered by stigmas of the tattoo world and its association with counter-culturists of modern society, beginning in the early 1960’s. The tattoo world has come a long way since its prohibition in 1961, evolving from a symbol of nonconformity and rebellion, to a well respected and internationally recognized craftsmanship, with an extensive process of education and training behind it, unbeknownst to most people outside of the industry.

Just under 20 years ago, getting a tattoo was illegal after policy makers and government officials outlawed its practice in 1961. To the public, the reason for its prohibition was regarding health concerns, declaring practice to be “unsanitary” after disclosing statistics correlating tattooing to a minor Hepatitis breakout, later revealed to be incorrect findings two different and unrelated circumstances. The government strived to keep tattoos out of modern-day society, afraid tattooing would mainstream society and corrupt the youth into a lifestyle of degeneracy.

Wesley Wood, owner of New York City’s own Sacred Heart Tattoo Parlor, and its sister company Unimax Tattoo and Supply Co. is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the tattoo industry in the world, ranked as number 31 out of 100 according to VanishingTattoo.com.

Wood was at the forefront of the legalization of tattooing, legendary contributor and has impacted the safety of how tattooing is practiced today. “Wes Wood (www.unimaxsupply.com) was the man New York City looked to for creating the foundation for the new health codes that ultimately repealed the thirty-six-year ban on tattooing (based on the city’s erroneous claim that there had been a hepatitis outbreak linked to tattooing).” (Source: The Vanishing Tattoo). “We’ve made a big impact in the world of tattooing by the needles we’ve developed and the first people to bring out commercially produced equipment. We’ve introduced a big palette of inks and we’ve done a lot working with the legalization of tattooing as representatives for all tattooists.” In 1997, Wes Wood and fellow policy advocates: L.E.S. City Councilwoman Kathryn Freed, and Clayton Patterson worked successfully to make tattooing once again legal in NYC. (Source: Clayton Patterson, Wikipedia)

His start in the profession emerged from his experience in making the tools and supplies involved in standard tattooing after getting his first tattoo, a passion that captured his heart nearly 40 years ago, a feeling which he describes as “tattoo fever”. Tattooing was a recently developed trend at the beginning of Wood’s career, which prompted him to fight for its legalization, where he, along with Councilwoman Kathryn Freed and Clayton Patterson, championed the re-legalization of the tattoo trade to help establish tattooing as a recognized and legitimate art form. “It used to be a big fear. We were illegal in New York at the time. It was really a big battle for the whole tattoo world. We had to fight against the bureaucracy of health departments and legal aspects. They kind of went kicking and screaming. Nobody wanted anything legalized in tattooing. But we had a demand and we got our rights.”

Because of tattooing’s reputation of being affiliated to rebels and troublemakers of the law, those who have worked arduously to perfect the art of tattooing do not receive the respect they deserve from mainstream society, compared to ,artists in other fields of art such as painting, sculpting, graphic design. Tattooists spend years studying “conventional” art such as honing their drawing skills, then must learn how to apply those skills onto skin, and finally apply their skills as an apprentice working in a tattoo parlor. Our culture overlooks and undermines the intensive studying and the variety of training that go towards finessing their craft, no different than the work that goes into all other mediums of art. Just like a painter uses a canvas, the canvas for a tattooist is someone’s skin, and their work is even more valued because someone will be wearing a tattooist’s work for the rest of his or her life.

Tattooing has grown in popularity, and is being increasingly accepted into society. While tattoos may not have been socially acceptable as recent as one decade ago, more and more successful individuals in the world are continuing to prove that a mark on their skin does not tarnish their character. Andy Bautista, one of the resident artists at Sacred Heart Tattoo, has been practicing art over the last 25 years, transitioning into the art world after his first tattoo, a similar story as Wood. “The biggest difference with tattooing now from 30 years ago is that its become more mainstream. Before, you didn’t really see working people with tattoos. The only people that were known to have them were sailors and criminals. You could either get it in prison, or oversees somewhere.” Now, Andy’s clientele is much more diverse. Society has begun to adapt tattooing as a more acceptable trend, unlike in recent years, those with tattoos faced difficulty in the job market and were stigmatized. “I’ve tattooed 70 year old ladies. It’s really become big in society now.”

With tattoos continuing to become more acceptable and common in the Western cultures norm, tattooing as a practice is becoming more and more reputable an artistic discipline. A growing number of art schools around the country and world are recognizing tattooing as a viable career option. Tattooing has developed from a DIY skin branding tradition into the sophisticated art form it is today, involving: advancements in tattoo technology and equipment to allow a variety of different methods of tattooing, as well as expanding on different art styles. Tattoo artists are versatile in the different methods of their practice, with styles including: metal tubing, rake and striking, tattooing machine, stick-and-poke, etc…, as well as being well versed in illustrating in different art styles as seen in art on traditional mediums (ie. Paper, canvas), as well as art forms adapted from tattoo styles such as: classical tattoos, contemporary, portraiture, religious tattoos, Japanese traditional, photo realism, etc… involve studying and specializing. Kevin Wilson, an associate with Wes Wood for the past 18 years, now runs Sacred Heart Tattoo, as well as the Sacred Gallery, a room in the studio that features paintings that Kevin curates and collects to display. “What people often forget is that tattooing has been a tradition for over a century. We [Western society] just adopted the traditions of branding and inking from other cultures, mainly in Asia. Tattooing is more of a style and an accessory here [Western society], but inking on the other side of the globe is done as part of a ritual or cultural ceremony. If you had a tattoo, that was sacred. Much more meaningful than the customs in America.”, he laughs. ” They [tattooing] could’ve been done as a rite of passage in some places, or sometimes done as a punishment in others. I read that in some places, if people committed really serious and heinous crimes back then, and maybe even now, like raping someone, murder, or sinning in a very religiously affiliated society, they would be branded their crime for everyone to see the rest of their life.”

Each method of tattooing, and all styles of illustration require training and specializing, which is the aspect of tattooing that is not portrayed and publicized in the media, unlike what is frequently seen on television and in movies, which are usually tattoos as a bad decision or as a result of intoxication and mind altering states. Tattooing has boomed as an entire industry, with its own world with its own culture. Each year, all around the country and the world, thousands of the tattoo trade’s most significant people gather to hold conventions to meet fellow artists and to display masterpieces exhibiting in latest innovations in tattooing technology and artistic style. Although the field of tattooing is recent, it has made tremendous strides in a short amount of time.

Being part of a constantly evolving society, we should respect our roots and acknowledge tradition, while also making room for the updated and growing norms of our culture. Tattooists have faced prejudice from society for decades, just because of the medium their work is done on. Tattooing may have originated from certain micro-cultures of society that had its own stigmas and social issues. However, we should not let the past blind us from appreciating the progress it has made to become the legitimate branch in the art world it is today, and see the true value of artistic pieces done by tattooists that is the result of dedication and tremendous effort, equivalent to the work put in by traditional artists.

In the 17 years since the ban on tattoo practice was lifted from New York State, hundreds of parlors can be found in Manhattan alone, and even more throughout the other four boroughs. Parlors can differentiate in how professionally they run their business and each parlor’s own style and flavor that sets them apart from the surplus of tattoo parlors in New York today. While some parlors are known for its grit, and honor their  sex, drugs, and rock and roll ancestry, while others operate strictly around expert tattooing and traditional art. But all are possible today to support freedom of expression, and demonstrating the freedom to make decisions for our own bodies as autonomous and free-thinking beings

 

 

Presentation/Slideshow:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G4vdeO2tdzWPTKMA-6mI_YsYjBhk_KDfCKTN7sDnymE/edit?usp=sharing

 

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