Tattoo artists preserve old traditions at Carolina Tattoo and Arts Gathering

The Carolina Tattoo Gathering was held on the last weekend of August, spanning From Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. Artists from all over the region and country gathered in downtown Lenoir to take part in an effort to keep alive the tradition of tattooing.

And 2024’s gathering marked the ninth year of the annual convention, in which 60 artists with varying styles and specialties attended by invitation only to showcase their work and tattoo new clients live. Many artists worked nonstop for hours on end, splitting their time between sketching new designs and working on clients. Entry to the gathering cost $15 per day or $30 for the weekend, and the costs of individual tattoos were decided between the artists and clients.

Outside the event, 40 vendors had set up tents or booths to showcase their wares. Around 2,500 people attended over the course of the weekend, according to organizer Chris Hollifield. Organizers for the event said that this showing, unconventional for a relatively small tattoo convention, was a result of the love and care put in by Hollifield to make this into more of a reunion, something that a network of people were all passionate about preserving.

Hollifield said that times have changed. Where in the past tattoos were symbols that carried social stigma, in the present they are more popular. In some ways, it is easier to ask why someone doesn’t have tattoos than why they do. This transition has led to tattooing being a more marketable art form, and the industry has commercialized as a result.

Organizers and tattooers at the convention expressed frustration with many modern conventions for lacking the soul that these gatherings used to. With the commercialization came a habit of stripping the art of its artistry, claimed tattooers at the convention.

“It’s to tap back into the spirit of classic tattooing created by the old pioneers,” said Holifield. “It takes more work to do this kind of show. There are people coming from all over. It’s not about making money, it’s about keeping alive what’s kept me alive. It’s what we used to do.”

Holifield went on to say that “the people that come here are the show. They respect what we do because that’s who we are. They could have done anything. Tattooing is a sacrifice you make to be an artist of the rest of your life.”

Artists from all over the country showed up for the gathering, including from Buffalo, Dallas, Bristol, New Haven, Orlando, Albequreqey, Chicago. In the past, attending artists have come from Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Japan.

Josh from Josh Does Tattoos in Buffalo said that he became involved in the group as he worked with a traveling tattoo team called Ink Alliance. Of the gathering, he said, “This make this into a tattoo reunion. It’s fun to see some of the different ones from the area.”

Hope Higgins, an artist with the Bristol Tattoo Company in Tennessee, attended the convention for the third time. “It’s definitely a smaller convention, like a family reunion. Clients have gotten cool designs. Everyone has gotten something tat I wanted to do,” she said.

Toward the end of each day of the gathering, a meal was prepared for the artists to enjoy together, like a family, and daily friendly competitions were held for artists in different categories, including realistic black and grey, traditional, fine lines, tattoo of the day and best overall. The winners received prizes of pig ears that were tattooed by some of the participating artists.

Hollifield wanted to give special attention to the convention staff, who he described as “one of the biggest parts of the show that make it possible,” and thank them for the volunteer work they put in to ensure it ran smoothly.