Seminars are a good thing. Especially at a tattoo event. Being able to interact, one-on-one, with artists of the caliber of Jack Rudy, Guy Aitchison, Deano Cook, Brian Everett and Bob Tyrell helps to satisfy our thirst for knowledge. What a great opportunity to spend quality time, live and in person, with world-renowned leaders and teachers from the worldwide tattoo community.

Plus, there's symposiums with archivists such as C.W. Eldridge from the Tattoo Archive. Chuck delivers seminars about historic artists from the convention city. His slide shows are a sheer delight, letting us match faces with the names we've heard for years. And then there was Green Bay, Wisconsin, with Capt. Don Leslie, talking about his life in the Carney, complete with fire eating and swallowing a couple of swords.

Lyle Tuttle has given seminars for years. His workshops on the care and feeding of tattoo machines are a highpoint at many a tattoo gathering. And, aside from imparting a vast amount of technical knowledge, Lyle is one of the great storytellers in the business. That alone is worth the price of admission.

SKIN&INK also does seminars. Photographer Bernard Clark and I show tattooists and shop owners how to get in the Readers' Gallery or one of our artist features. The fact is, most photos are rejected because the images aren't very good, not because of the quality of the work. Bernard shows them how to use a camera and I talk about how the selection process works. After all, getting featured in SKIN&INK is great publicity.

Perhaps promoters should look at seminars as a way to attract more paying customers and elevate the art form, all at the same time. Instead of live music with its minimum entertainment value (most booth-holders hate the raucous noise), how about replacing the no-name bands with seminars? What about a big-screen slide show on the stages where they hold the contests? You've got a perfect captive audience. Everyone, especially first-timers, would love a well-orchestrated live or video presentation about the world of tattoo. Just think, images of artists working the event and their work, mixed with old-timers from the area's past. We'd all love to see that.

For the more esoteric seminars, the ones for artists, instead of prime time, how about scheduling them before the weekend? Let's face it, if an event is successful, the artists are tattooing. There's no time to attend a seminar. So, how about a day of just seminars, like they do at Nationals? Or, follow the example of Sage's Mesa, Arizona show, by presenting an after-hours seminar, when the doors are closed for the night. His presentation teaming Jack Rudy and Bob Tyrrell packed the room with artists who would have otherwise been busy.

Its important to be aware. If artists and collectors want to keep attuned to this ever-expanding industry, they need all the information they can get. That includes both technique and history. Want to attract more people through the gate? Promote seminars as part of the weekend's entertainment. Include them in the flyers, list them on your website, post a billboard by the ticket window, make announcements over the P.A. Come on, come all!

Take a lesson from Capt. Don. If the event in the main hall is the circus, the seminars are the sideshow. Considering our history, it's a very fitting idea.

Bob Baxter
Editor in Chief

baxter@skin&ink.com
www.skinandink.com