agosto 14, 2026, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm,
Instructor: TBA
Age & Skill Level:
Location: PVA Porter Building, 280 Main Street
Alan Govenar began work on this film in 1980 while finishing his acclaimed documentary Stoney Knows How. Tattoo Uprising features some of the most extraordinary people of the tattoo world: including Ed Hardy, Stoney St. Clair, Cynthia Witkin, Calamity Jane, and more, as well as an unforgettable appearance by filmmaker Werner Herzog, who allows a rare glimpse at his Ed Hardy tattoo. The film was shot in part by the late legendary filmmaker Les Blank, who also appears on camera.
From antiquity to the present, Tattoo Uprising reveals the artistic and historical roots of today’s tattoo explosion.
“Writer/director Alan Govenar makes skillful use of vintage clips and personal archival footage in order to educate modern day viewers about classic tattoo styles, pioneering artists, and the deeply rooted cultural background and continuing evolution of tattooing in terms of being both an art form as well as a means of personal expression.”
~C.L. Illsley, Montreal Rampage
“Tattoo Uprising offers an eye-opening look at a practice that was once scorned and relegated to a few outliers of society, to a full-fledged industry that is all but ubiquitous in today’s day and age.”
~ Tanja M. Laden, High Times
About the Exhibit: Body Marking: art, ritual & story
Curator: Roberta Valdez
Juried by: Mary Altier (Photographer), Abraham Garduño (Freedom Tattoo) & Roberta Valdez
Exhibit Dates: August 4 – September 19, 2026
Body Marking: art, ritual & story invites audiences to explore the timeless and global practice of marking the body as a form of personal expression, cultural identity, and sacred ritual. This exhibit brings together the work of tattoo artists, painters, photographers, ceramicists, and other creatives whose work is inspired by the practice of body mark ing. This exhibit becomes a space for reflection, dialogue, and celebration of the universal human desire to inscribe meaning onto the body.
Upcoming Exhibition Related Events:
Saturday, August 15, | 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tattoo hiSTORIES | Daat Kraus, Jonah Levin, Britton McFetridge
Saturday, August 22 | 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Women and Body Marking | Sarah Rafferty, Marlo Kaleookalani Lualemana
Saturday, August 29 | 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Photographing Marked Bodies | Mary Altier, Mark Overgaard, Brenda Leach
Saturday, September 12 | 1:00pm -3:00pm
The Henna Artist (Trilogy) | Author Talk: Alka Joshi