Valentine’s & Black History
It’s February, month of Black History, Valentine’s Day and New Flash - see below! We are also looking forward to the next convention, The New England Tattoo Expo at Mohegan Sun! It’s always a good time, but this year will be Casey’s first time! If you are in the area, come out and see her, talk to her, get tattooed by her! Caroline, Casey are taking appointments now!
“Anytime you do anything, it should be an artform.” – Jacci Gresham, AART Accent TattooMake it stand out
Originally a design engineer from Flint, MI, Jacci Gresham moved to New Orleans in search of work and wound up becoming a tattoo artist. She and friend, Ali Singh, opened Aart Accent Tattoos & Body Piercing in 1976. At the time, she was one of only five women tattooing in the US and the only one in New Orleans. She is the first black female tattoo artist in America and was honored as a Pioneer of Female Tattoo Artists in 2011.
In the 1970s and before, women were not accepted in tattoo shops unless they were dating/married to one of the artists. So, when Jacci opened her tiny shop, only the 3rd shop in New Orleans, with no experience and no tattoos on her body, you’d have thought it was destined to fail. But it was the other two shops that wound up closing, making hers the oldest continuous tattoo shop in New Orleans and it is still open today!
In an interview with Sabrina Stone in Very Local, Jacci spoke about the art of tattooing.
“When I first started tattooing, artists didn’t seem to be too enthusiastic about the art part. They were enthusiastic about making the money. A rose would be red and green and that was it. When I got into business, I put about five colors into a rose. I would highlight it with pink and a little yellow in the center. The stem would be green highlighted with yellow. Tattooing is, can be, should be, an artform. Anytime you do anything, it should be an artform.”
And about how female artists are changing the industry.
“A lot of times, being a woman and you’re working with guys (or even other women), they’ll be picky. They’ll do unnecessary picking, not adding creative thoughts. Back then, women didn’t tattoo too often, and in my experience, women are more caring, they’re more particular. They want to get it right, so it’s changing things. In the era that I came through, half the people, they just did tattooing for money.”
Read the article here. https://www.verylocal.com/the-oldest-tattoo-shop-in-louisiana-is-in-new-orleans-and-operated-by-tattooing-legend-jacci-gresham/5944/
THE PITTIE PROJECT’S GOAL IS TO GET INTO COMMUNITIES AND OFFER SUPPORT AND EDUCATION TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF BULLY BREEDS IN THE SHELTER.
Radiant Energy has submitted a $150 gift certificate to the Pittie Project’s Love for Pitties Valentine’s Day Bash. While this event is sold out, we will be donating gift certificates to other charities throughout the year! In the mean time, you can donate directly through their website. https://www.thepittie.com/
