➤ OPENING RECEPTION: August 2, 2024 during Art By Night, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
➤ CLOSING RECEPTION AND PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD: Friday, August 16, 2024
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Tattoo’s rich traditional and potentially spiritual nature, has long been recognized as a form of folk art. However, the skill and artistry of talented tattooists like Charles “Coco” Bayron - featured on the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage website - elevates tattooing to the realm of fine arts.
As Coco aptly puts it, "I think [skin is] the same as canvas. I always say, ‘my canvases walk away from me.’” Coco’s natural talent and learned skill enable his work to traverse the boundary between fine art and folk art, embodying both simultaneously. Once primarily associated with sailors, carnival workers, and inmates, tattooing now holds a prominent place in major museum exhibitions.
At Art on 1st, and wherever we go in the community, we have observed many people with tattoos that are so beautifully rendered that they could be considered fine art. We honor the artistic nature of tattoo as recognized by the Smithsonian’s Folk Life Center, by exhibiting the works of local and regional artists in our new show, The Art of Tattoo.