This festival will be both a Living Art Gallery and Community Festival.
People are here for the love of Hot Rods-Kustom Cars, Live Music, Burlesque, Art Show, 20’s-50’s Fashion, and of course the World Renowned Tattoo Convention; taking place on the floor of the Municipal Auditorium. 280 of the best tattoo artists in the world will be on hand from 30 States and 25 Countries representing all the tattoo styles; where a car show and music become an integral part of the event, mingling with the artistic expressions of the artists at work. Pinups clad in corsets, Classic Cats with Pompadours, Mohawks, fashion Mullets with full sleeves and back pieces. Not only is the breathtaking view of the Capitol building; built in 1859, a majestic sight sitting atop the hill, mixed among the amazing Nashville skyline, its quite a task to take in all at once.
Besides taking advantage of the festival to get a tattoo from a great artist, the organizers are very attentive to the entertainment of all those who chose to spend three days in the tattoo scenario – 5 stages will showcase the weekends bands, cabaret shows, tattoo contest, and pin-up pageant while the Bicentennial Mall will be decorated with America’s finest Iron dressed in period perfect style. Tattoos will stand out not only on skin but also on canvases, paper and photos, through an exhibition able to give an enhanced artistic value to the exhibition.
We hope you have a wonderful experience at this year’s 1st annual Ink-N-Iron Festival-Nashville.
OUR HISTORY
With the success of the 2003 Long Beach Tattoo Convention – the second to be held aboard the Queen Mary – it propelled Long Beach to a central position in the tattoo world. The throngs of visitors that have come aboard the Queen Mary since then, sends a very clear message on the extent of the event which will be even better and more enthralling this year. It couldn’t be otherwise, considering that Long Beach was the tattoo cultural engine of the West Coast, the center around which technique and trends evolved. Long Beach was the home of Bert Grimm’s World Famous Tattoo, the longest operating tattoo shop in America 1927-2003. From this tiny shop on the Nu Pike in Long Beach Bert Grimm fostered a culture that influenced today’s godfathers of the American Tattoo industry; names like Ed Hardy, Bob Roberts, Lyle Tuttle, Col. Todd, Bob Shaw, and Phil Simms to name a few. Bert Grimm’s was a place where, if you knew the right guy you could obtain the most sacred of tools; the tattoo machine, these pieces of equipment were not available to just anyone. In marrying the city’s tattoo history with a 1930’s luxury ship the Queen Mary, with her WWII service history, there couldn’t be a more perfect setting to perform this sacred art form. The idea of organizing a tattoo convention in Long Beach stems from the desire to pay a tribute to the great tattoo art tradition. This tradition contributed to spread this art all over the world, pulling it out of the Middle Ages. We feature 280 artists from many different States and Countries representing all the tattoo styles pricking away with their machines in an exciting atmosphere, where a car show and music become an integral part of the event, mingling with the artistic expressions of the artists at work. Tattoos can be a passion and an art form, for most people a very popular fashion trend, which exploded a few years ago thanks to advertisements, fashion and music bands which use tattoo icons for messages that underline the freedom of choice of each individual. This festival is an event that draws lots of different visitors, something very few events can boast. Many love tattoos and travel around the world to take part in tattoo conventions, because it is a time in which this art is experienced on one’s own skin and, it is difficult not to be affected by the unique atmosphere that makes tattoos a very familiar and easy form of art.
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