Cape May MAC tattoo exhibit opens in the Carroll Gallery
CAPE MAY — For many people, tattoos are a part of the modern-day social fabric, and they are becoming more widely accepted, celebrated and recognized as a form of art.
Cape May MAC (Museums + Arts + Culture) is embracing both its Victorian heritage and modern existence with a new, visually engaging exhibit in the Caroll Gallery at the Emlen Physick Estate.
“Tattoos: Modern Expression and Ancient Art” had a well-attended opening April 11. The exhibit, which explores the art, history and self-expression of tattooing, will be on display at 1048 Washington St. through Nov. 2. Admission to the exhibit is free.
MAC Board of Trustees President Janet Coupland thanked the public for attending the newest exhibit, which is a unique and fascinating look at an artistic phenomenon that has been part of world culture for centuries.
“This exhibit will be here through the fall, so we’d like you to come back and bring your friends and family, and take the house tour,” Coupland said. “Thank you to the exhibit team, the maintenance team and exhibit designer Steven Olszewski for working your magic once again.”
Exhibit focus
The exhibit covers the history of tattooing, with a focus specifically on the contemporary community of Cape May. The focus is two-fold: Mary Pat Myers of M.P. Myers Photography Studio composed several portrait photos of area residents and their tattoo stories, which are featured prominently in the exhibit. The other focus presents decorated display mannequins with a variety of historic and traditional tattoo designs made by tattoo artists from Perigee Moon Tattoo in West Cape May.
“I think the whole exhibit will be very interesting with the history of tattoos, and seeing the local people, because everyone knows everyone down here,” Myers said. “It adds another interesting element to the whole exhibit.”
MAC reached out to area residents in February to collect tattoo stories for the exhibit. The individuals featured are from all walks of life, with different backgrounds and, of course, unique tattoos. The subjects include Janis Washington White, Mindy Silver and daughter Dorit Cohen, Anthony Marino, Tracy Vega, Matt Reeves, Scott Rosell-Takayama and Steven Olszewski.
The exhibit’s guest book features quotes from residents who also submitted their tattoo stories for consideration.
The featured portraits are in the center of the exhibit, allowing the viewer to take in each portrait one at a time. The thoughtful layout allows for self-paced viewing, with a tasteful number of historically sourced photos amid the written information on the walls.
The exhibit’s history of tattoos spans from the 17th century through the modern age. There is a focus on the Victorians, who were not strangers to tattoos. Many were tattooed, including the nephew of renowned Victorian architect Frank Furness, who designed the Physick house. Other vignettes in the exhibit include sailors’ tattoos, Jerusalem Cross tattoos, tattoo machine patents and tattoo supply price lists.
MAC’s exhibits hit the sweet spot of just enough information to consume without becoming overwhelmed.
Exhibit preparation
MAC Director and CEO Jody Alessandrine said exhibits are planned more than a year in advance, and other than tattoo conventions, there have not been any tattoo-related displays or events in the area.
The exhibit is proof that the acceptance of tattoos in the modern-day United States workforce is changing. According to the Pew Research Center, 32% of Americans have tattoos, and 22% have more than one.
“You are hard-hard pressed to find people below the age of 60 who don’t have some kind of tattoo,” Alessandrine said. “It’s become more socially acceptable.”
Visitors who enjoy the annual Physick Estate house tour will note that works of art from around the world are a focus this year.
Alessandrine said that when MAC updates the house tour, there is a degree of correspondence and relation with the gallery exhibit.
“Even if you’ve been to the Physick Estate once, it’s an evolution, everything is always changing,” he said. “Every year there is something new, so please take advantage of it. Thanks to the partnership with Cape May City, there’s going to be even greater things happening here in the future.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
