Think you have the best tattoo in Boston?
Then the Boston Tattoo Convention is the place for you.
Ms. Boston Ink Winner Talks Tattoo
2012 Ms. Boston Ink Winner opens up about tattoos.
Do you have the best tattoo in the Bay State? Perhaps you could be crowned Miss or Mister Boston Ink 2015.
The competition is just one part of this weekend’s Boston Tattoo Convention, running from Friday through Sunday at the Boston Back Bay Sheraton Hotel.
In the convention’s 14 years, it has become Boston’s premiere event for tattoo collectors. Seminars and events includes burlesque shows, live music, and a freaky sideshow called Dr. Bones’ Circus of Marvels.
The contests, however, are where Boston’s most tattooed can show off their art.
The Miss Boston Ink competition began in 2012 as a pageant of sorts, in which the winner was selected based on body art, personality, and the stories behind tattoos. The Mister Ink competition kicked off last year.
“It’s for people who are serious collectors, who’ve spent and dedicated their time to getting a really significant amount of themselves tattooed,’’ says convention producer Natan Alexander. “Usually they’ll have a pretty cool story behind it, about what their journey to becoming heavily tattooed has been about, what the personal meaning is behind it.’’
The pageant judges include seasoned tattooed artists, makeup artists and stylists, last year’s winners, and photographers. Besides bragging rights, the winner of the Miss Ink competition receives a number of prizes, including a two- to four-page spread in Inked Girls Magazine.
“It’s a way for people to celebrate their collection and tell their stories,’’ says Alexander. “It’s a really fun way for people to see what’s possible and meet some people who are really committed to being tattooed.’’
But the competition doesn’t end with the pageants. Titles will be awarded for different individual tattoos as well, featuring different sizes, colors and styles. There’s even a mustache and beard competition.
For those with less of a competitive edge, the convention is a place to get inked and discover. More than 200 artists will visit from as far away as Italy and China, so tattoo lovers will have rare opportunities to explore the work of the most-renowned artist in the field.
Alexander says the convention is family friendly, though you need to be at least 18 to be tattooed in Massachusetts.
It’s also an open-minded crowd, he says. Some attendees don’t even have tattoos.
“Some people are just curious,’’ he says. “One of the great things about the convention is that if you’re considering getting tattooed, there’s the ability to see the artwork of so many different people under one roof.’’
Tickets for the Boston Tattoo Convention are available on the convention’s website, or at the door of the event. Single-day passes start at $25 and three-day passes start at $45.
Video by Lauren Foley and Andy Robinson
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