By Clayton Patterson
Edited by Monica Uszerowicz
In 1961 a law was passed making it illegal for an artist to tattoo in New York City. In February 1997, that law was overturned and it was once again legal to tattoo in N.Y.C. New York was considered the art capital of the world, so why not have it be the home of one of the best international tattoo conventions in the world?
The man with the vision and who made this happen is Steve Bonge. In the mid-1970s, Steve worked as a tattoo artist and was one of the first professional photographers to have tattoo photographers published in magazines. He later became the official photographer for the new International Tattoo Magazine, soon known as the leading intelligent tattoo magazine. Steve is an original member of the elite Beatniks Car Club. He has major tattoo coverage on his own body, done by leading artists. He was a guest artist at the first Wildstyle and Tattoo Messe show in Austria and continues to be an invited guest.
His ambition was to create one of the world’s best tattoo conventions.
Butch Garcia, Steve’s business partner, has put together large events — like an arm-wrestling competition — and ran his own business for many years. Wes Wood, the third partner, runs an international tattoo supply company, as well as a couple of tattoo shops. Steve also asked me to come on board and help organize the event.
Three months after tattooing became legal in N.Y.C., in May 1997, the first International New York City Tattoo Convention was held at the world-famous Roseland Ballroom, near the heart of Times Square.
Many of the best artists in the business wanted in. A short list: Bill Salmon and Juni from Diamond Club in San Francisco; Bob Roberts of Hollywood; Frank Weber from Berlin; Mr. Shamada, the eminent Japanese tattoo scholar, brought the Japanese masters; and there were various artists from England, France, Belgium, Italy, Brazil, Iceland, Austria and America. The official T-shirt was designed by one of the most revered names in tattooing, Mr. Jack Rudy, who was also an artist at the convention. Elsa Rensaa created the poster and ad artwork. The show also featured renowned piercers Betta from Austria and Bert from Newark.
Merchandise vendors were carefully chosen. There was Unimax, which offers a wide selection of books and other tattoo-related ephemera. Andy Gore brought his sideshow memorabilia and horror-themed silk-screened shirts. Village Comics brought in hard-to-find action figures, books and specialty items. Jack Jiang offered all kinds of art-related goods from China. Then there were the handcrafted silver jewelry artists, a high-end piercing supply shop, a vendor featuring a stocked selection of original tattoo flash (sample tattoo designs).
You also have the opportunity to purchase, and get signed, one of the latest books; a number of the writers and artists tend to be in attendance.
Then there are the stage shows. There are performers who can spellbind an audience, such as Johnny Fox, Lucky Rich Diamond, Circus Amok bearded lady Jennifer Miller, Kiva the Diva, Stephanie and Keith of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. And there is what the audience lives for: the tattoo contests.
Of course, tattooed people show up in droves. There is never a shortage of amazing tattoo art to be seen on human bodies.
Since this is a family show, and many of the people attending are regular working people, Steve strives to keep the entry price affordable.
We are photography friendly, you can eat at reasonable prices, there is no pressure to buy or to move on. It’s as good a deal as you can find in N.Y.C.
This year’s show dates are Fri., May 13 (4 p.m. to midnight); Sat., May 14 (noon to midnight); and Sun., May 15 (noon to 8 p.m.). A one-day ticket is $20; two-day unlimited access, $35; three-day unlimited access, $50. Tickets available only at Roseland, 239 W. 52nd St., only on day of show.
