Point 79: Conference Announcement
Category Conference
Point 79: BPA: Jewelry Exhibit
The Body Piercing Archive
The Body Piercing Archive will celebrate another first at this year’s conference; we are so excited to have an exhibit booth on the Expo floor.
Yes, we will have jewelry—LOTS of it! However, none of it is for sale. The exhibit will consist of steel and titanium jewelry, merchandise, and advertising from past and present manufacturers. Everything we have was released prior to 2007. This provides ten years of history to allow for a distinct perspective of the past.
This exhibit has been a labor of love over this last year. Many emails, Facebook messages, and phone calls have been exchanged. There was even an awesome day trip to LA to visit a jewelry legend! The outpouring of love for this project has been overwhelming with so many companies sending items. Many private collectors have also stepped forward, offering to bring items to Vegas or ship them to me, so I can include them in the exhibit. All of this, for the love of the jewelry and education. For us, the importance of body jewelry styles and innovations cannot be overstated. The jewelry defines much of how we view ourselves as piercers and how the world perceives body piercing.
This jewelry exhibit is just the start. Over time, we expect to grow, develop, and expand this concept into other materials with harder to find items and obscure companies. That being said, we can’t do it without your help. Maybe you have a box from the shop that you haven’t looked in for years? Perhaps you know a shop owner that is also a hoarder? This is where we find historic gold (literally and figuratively). So, please visit the Expo floor booth, ask us questions, give us feedback. This is your history! This is your exhibit.
Point 79: The Mentor Program
APP Mentor Program Coordinator
If you have ever attended the annual APP Conference, then you know it can be an overwhelming experience; especially if it is only your first or second year attending. To make this transition into becoming a seasoned Conference goer simpler, there is the Mentor Program.
So what exactly is the Mentor Program? It is an amazing outreach system created in 2009 by Ryan Ouellette. Essentially, the idea was to build small families that can work together as a group and lean on each other for support during the APP Conference. We have seen incredible progress and have had wonderful feedback when it comes to this program, and we look forward to continuing this process for years to come.
Our mentors are experienced Conference goers who want to ensure that our new attendees have an outstanding time. To pair mentors and mentees, we use a survey system conducted by the Mentor Team to create groups based on similar interests, areas of knowledge, and class schedule needs. These small groups—consisting of a mentor and three to four mentees—assist and encourage each other while providing a more welcoming environment to the Conference experience as a whole. Mentors are here to provide support if you become overwhelmed, require a little reassurance, or want assistance with your class schedule. They can even give you advice on where to find the tastiest tacos or a delicious vegan donut. It is essential to take full advantage of this opportunity! Many mentors and mentees develop connections with each other that can last for years!
If you plan on attending Conference for the first time and have questions that you would like answered, need help selecting your classes, or you would simply like to have a friend before arriving in Vegas, then the APP Mentor Program is here to help! If you are a first or second year attendee and would like assis- tance from a mentor chosen specifically for you, please email mentors@safepiercing.org with MENTEE in the subject line. Be sure to include your name, telephone number, and other contact information in the email. There is technically no deadline to sign up as a mentee, but the earlier you enroll the more you will get out of the program! We are thrilled that you have decided to come to Conference this year and we cannot wait to meet you.
We genuinely want each and every one of our new attendees to get the most out of their Conference experience and hope that what the Mentor Program offers makes this possible. If you have any questions about the Mentor Program, becoming a mentor, or being a mentee at Conference, please do not hesitate to contact Cale or anyone else on the Mentor Team. The 2017 Mentor Team includes Cale Belford, Ryan Ouellette, Billy Wood Jr., and Will VonDoome
Point 79: What a Year Can Do – Revisiting Al D. Scholars from 2016
(with Caitlin, APP Administrator)
How time flies, with this year’s APP Conference #app2017 fast approaching there’s no better time than the present to reflect on the past year.
Since attending as an AL D scholar last year, I feel like a new me in my piercing room. After coming home and having the confidence to try new techniques, explain things better to clients and suggesting changes to better the daily running of the studio I have found a new confidence that only could have happened because of Conference last year. Getting the opportunity to talk to fellow piercers and the vendors of companies whose jewellery I had admired for the longest time, building friendships, and the chance to network is a wonderful experience.
Since returning I have successfully become a member of the UKAPP. I’m also a part of the UKAPP online team, running the social media and promotion alongside Seb Wolfe, of which I am so proud of.
If I have any advice for this year’s scholarship winners, I’d say do not underestimate yourself. You can achieve anything you set your mind too. You already have, by applying and being successful in gaining a scholarship to conference.
It truly is life changing. I can’t wait to return and see you all in June.
Jane Absinth, 2016 Al D Scholar
Recalling my first Conference, I have this amazing warm feeling. As we were prepared for the event with the video-chats and info materials, I had the feeling it would be REALLY OVERWHELMING.
But to my pleasant surprise everything went smoothly and was not so frightening at all! Now I have a very special extension of my piercing family. Everyone I met, from the every other part of the world was just as amazing and friendly as you could imagine.
I arrived a couple of days in advance to have enough time to fight the jetlag, but it did not work and I just fell so deep into sleep that did not even hear my roommates trying to get in to check on me, even when they called security. I can only imagine what they thought about me (first time in Vegas, etc…).
I could not have asked for a better roomie than Angie and some colleagues from Germany, who showed me everything. This is how it works: you share your experience to help the newcomers, to not be immediately overwhelmed and get lost in the casinos I am not a party monster and am relatively calm so I found me and Angie were the perfect roommate match!
I had prepared myself for some really crazy hard things during my volunteer hours at the Conference, but I seemed to get along with it pretty good. Except one day I was working the door with John Robberson and he saw my break down coming and he immediately jumped in, offered to take me to the office, where I burst into tears—haha, so well prepared! 🙂 But we Russians are pretty tough, everything was fine, just my eyes were wet because of the air conditioning. I found this very situation a perfect example of our volunteer family and how it should work—ready to give all your support to the person near you.
So after all is said and done, the first and the most important piece of advice I can give. Don’t get stressed! In fact, everything is gonna be fine, you will have the most beautiful and caring people around you whenever you need anything. And moreover, it will be probably the most exciting week of your whole year: so many new things, knowledge, amazing chats with colleagues and even some relaxing at the pool. Oh and stay hydrated and don’t forget to eat! 😉
It has been nine months since my visit to Las Vegas and the 2016 Association of Professional Piercers Conference, but it feels like yesterday. The nerves and the uncertainty I had, the experience of traveling so far alone, it was all worth it.
The welcome I got from Caitlin when I arrived late in the evening, showing me the room, while my roommate, Jane, was so asleep, we called security to make sure she was ok, oops that jet lag can be a real bummer.
It was comforting knowing she had been there a few days, and I was really happy that she already had a lay of the land. So she showed me around, letting me know where to find things, like Starbucks, very important! We got along perfectly, and she introduced me to so many new people.
The week flew by. I learned, met new people, laughed, enjoyed every minute. I hate to say I must miss all of it this year, but am more than looking forward to all the pictures and messages you guys will post. I will simply imagine I am there with you.
If I had to give our new scholars any advice it would be don’t be stressed as long as you listen and care for your body, it will be fine. Take it all in, enjoy your time with your new family, and say Hi from me.
Hope to see you all at #APP2018
Point 79: The President’s Corner – Jef Saunders
APP President
I vividly remember my first APP Conference experience. I had about $300 to my name, and I was waiting on a check to clear when I landed in Las Vegas. When I arrived I had no money at all to get to the Conference hotel; this was in the Riviera days. I actually looked through my junk mail, activated a credit card, and took a $20 cash advance to catch a cab to the hotel. When I arrived I was intimidated and excited, but before long I wasn’t amongst strangers, I was with friends.
I image that many attendees have similar experiences their first year. I know that many arrive at our Conference for the first time, low on money, but with an abundance of nerves. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been there. Everyone has had a first Conference. I say it like that, because very few attendees have just one Conference. There is a special kind of magic that surrounds the entire event. We all end up making relationships that last a lifetime. We are learning together. We are buying jewelry and supplies from our hardworking vendors. A lucky few of us will even win raffle prizes that will alter the course of our careers. It is hard to put into words how special our Conference really is.
Until my involvement with the Board, I didn’t have an understanding of all the work that goes into the magic that is our collective learning, sharing, and growing experience. Since Conference continues to grow, more and more thought is required in addition to a tremendous amount of work and cooperation. Our volunteers, instructors, vendors, sponsors, mentors, board, officers and employees put in so much all year for this one week. They have my thanks for all the good times I have had over the years.
I’d love to be able to point to one moment in particular that cemented my love of Conference, but how could I? I was there when Rob Hill proposed to Stephanie Hill during the banquet (I mean right there, sitting next to them!) I was in the 20 years of APP roundtable listening to my heroes talk about the behind the scenes history of the APP. I got to teach a class about nostril piercing with Alicia Cardenas to a room about twice as full as I was counting on. I saw one of my closest friends, Cody Vaughn, win a huge raffle prize within months of opening his new shop. The list goes on and on.
If you’ve attended before, I’m sure you have your own moments like these. If this is your first Conference, I’m sure you’ll make your own memories that will stay with you a lifetime. If you ask me what my absolute favorite experience at Conference is, my answer is: the next one. The next time I get goosebumps. The next time I learn something that changes the way I pierce forever. The next time I cry because Caitlin is crying. That’s my favorite.
Point 79: From the Editor – Kendra Jane
Managing Editor of Content & Archives
What can I say about the nineties? They shaped and influenced the rest of my life, more than any other decade I have experienced thus far.
During those ten years, I graduated high school, had my first serious boyfriend, went to university, lost my virginity, found my feminist voice, became a registered voter, lived on my own for the first time, and got my first body piercings (other than my lobes as a baby).
My first piercing of choice came merely weeks after I turned 16 and could sign for myself. I had decided on something I thought I could easily hide from my parents, my tongue. Because although I was rebelling and going against the grain, I knew they would not understand or approve. I took the bus downtown to a local tattoo and piercing shop and signed myself up for a tongue piercing. A few hours later I had a very long externally threaded, acrylic beaded barbell in my mouth. That was my entry into the world of body modification, and although the bulk of my journey would not happen for two more decades, it all started in the nineties.
So flip the page and take a look back to where our Board of Directors may have been in the nineties. Read about celebrated photographer Charles Gatewood in a preview of this year’s Body Piercing Archive Exhibit. Matte Erickson’s teaser article on his jewelry exhibit will have us all yearning for the collector’s items of years gone by. So whether this is your first Conference or you have been to all twenty-one, get ready to strap on those Doc Martens and cut Footloose. This pre-Conference issue highlights the best of Conference and gives you a sweet taste of the nineties goodness that awaits us all June 11-16 in Las Vegas.
Point 79: From the Editor – Marina Pecorino
Managing Editor of Content & Statistics
Conference is coming!
It happened last year and it’ll happen next, but each year is a unique opportunity to meet new colleagues, share information, and purchase some of the best body jewelry available. Personally, this year, I’m most looking forward to the in-person support I get from my industry tribe and the volunteer family.
As we prepare for that life changing week, here are a few updates and things to you may want to consider:
- Register for your preferred schedule— Classes are already filling up and the wait list system has been activated. The sooner you register the better your chance of getting all the classes you want.
- Book your hotel room—We strongly encourage you to book in the APP Room Block. You’ll be closer to the excitement. Resort fees will be optional (covering in-room wifi and fitness center access), so you can choose to have more moola to spend on pretties in the Expo. And to top it off, you’ll be helping the APP maintain our privileges and position at Bally’s.
- Alternatives to the Bar (A.T.T.B) are new this year!—For many of us, the Splash Bar can become tiresome, but we still want the opportunity to network and hang out, sans cigarette smoke and drunk shenanigans, please. Now you have more options; games in the lounge, Statim discussions with Brian Skellie, an after-hours Talk APP session, and a Body Piercing Archives pajama movie night! Check the Conference mobile app for more information.
- Opening Pool Party Upgrade—This year, head over to the beautifully updated Go Pool at the Flamingo Hotel across the street. Also new for this year, there will be a strictly enforced wristband policy for the pool party. You’ll find your wristband in your registration packet, so please remember to grab it when you don that Speedo.
- Conference mobile app—This year, along with the handy maps, schedules, and speaker information in our Conference mobile app, you’ll also find a fun new game. Play “Click” to win prizes through a photo scavenger hunt designed to get you to network and socialize. This is an especially handy addition for new attendees and those of us who favor the shy side.
Still feeling unprepared or have questions? Our ever-evolving checklist of don’t forgets and survival tips has become a staple reference guide for Conference goers. If you’re ready for a reminder, check out this checklist/ survival guide from Issue 71.
Shifting gears to non-Conference news,
Kendra, Jim, and I are very happy to announce two new additions to The Point team. We would like to welcome Ryan Clark and Badur Ramji to The Point committee. Ryan’s experience with editing and InDesign are already proving useful in the final stages of our publication processes. We will be utilizing Badur’s expertise in social media and web management to further engage our readership and develop the publication’s online presence. If you have ideas for any of us or just want to welcome our new committee members, please send an email to editor@safepiercing.org.
All of that said, start drinking your water and taking your vitamins now; I can’t wait to see you all in Las Vegas in a few short weeks!
The Point – Issue 79
This 2017 Summer Issue prepares people for Conference; updates readers on the UKAPP and Italian Suscon; and introduces the subject for the 2017 Body Piercing Archive Exhibit
Continue readingPoint 78: Update from the Secretary – Aaron Pollack
This has been an exciting year so far for the APP. First off, thank you to everyone who participated in our 2016-17 Elections. These elections were to fill four positions on the Board of Directors. Steve Joyner, Jef Saunders, and Cody Vaughn will all be returning for second terms on the Board. Brian Skellie will be joining the Board at the conclusion of Conference 2017. Congratulations!
Camp APP hosted a great group discussion on the potential to add rose gold to the initial piercing jewelry standard for Membership. After discussion with APP Members, past board members, and jewelry manufacturers, the Board voted to include the following in the Initial Piercing Jewelry Standard for Membership:
“Gold (yellow, white, or rose) is appropriate for initial piercings if it is solid 14k or 18k, alloyed for biocompatibility, and free from nickel or cadmium. Gold higher than 18k is too soft for body jewelry because it can easily be scratched or nicked. Gold lower than 14k, gold plated, gold-filled, or gold overlay/vermeil jewelry is not acceptable for fresh piercings.”
Registration is now open for the 22nd annual APP Conference & Exposition! Check your email for your invite, or through our website at www.safepiercing.org to get registered.
Point 76: Banquet Dinner – Kendra Jane B
The banquet dinner is a highlight of the week in Vegas for many people. In fact, it has sold out the last few years in a row. Every year we get to see our colleagues dress up in their fanciest duds, from stunning gowns to costumes that fit the theme for the year. This year we saw some of our favorite science fiction characters, including Barf and Leeloo.
As we enjoyed a great dinner we were entertained by the familiarity of a sideshow. From there we moved on to the evening’s formalities: speeches, awards, and the much anticipated grand prize raffle draws.
The evening’s formalities got started when Cody Vaughn and I had the opportunity to say thank you and welcome to our new Members for the year.
“This century has seen the advent of technologies and procedures those before us never thought possible, not to mention an exponential growth in the numbers of body modification enthusiasts, and in turn the number of piercers looking to be their best. Every year we gain new Members and grow as an organization but this last year saw us gain an amazing 86 new Members. Congratulations to all our new Members.”
New Members:
Andie Saunders
Ashley Reeves
William Barron
Matt Bressmer
Kyla Scrivener
Olivia Theriault
Kara Dee
Lara “Barkley” Barkley
Laura Davis
Michael Bernhardt
Megan Feeley
Robert Wilson
Kelli Zeien
Edward (Richie) Bibee
Hannah Phykitt
Mona Lisa A. Escalante
Whitney Chase
Joshua W. Spriggs
Chris “Plaid” Weyer
Emily Woods
Jarred Mantia
Lani Soleil Gillespie
Ricky Andrew Minor
Anthony Merritt
Joey Hayden
Nick Lanehardt
Rivka McCormack
Courtney-Logan Rose Cangelosi
Sebastian Wolfe Pickersgill
Ana Paula Escalante
Lola Slider
Jay Zogg
Tim Gerdes
Janessa McKissack
Leo Ziebol
Melinda Hupy
Dominick Arduino
Giselle Rose Arduino
Inaveronica Ausland Pedersen
Amy Willmore
Jacob Spjut
Matthew Buonantuono
Kevin Allison
Crystal Vozzella
Ryan Terrillion
Doug Poisson
John Robberson
Rosemary Willicome
Justin Ellis
Hali Stimis
Amanda Thompson
Chris A Taylor
John Osborne
Hall Boyer
Paul Rainer
Jason “Jay” Zukas
Dustin Schoelier
Phoebe Dowling
Ryan Tantay
Britt Riggs
Samantha Minh (Robles)
Brittney Lola Lebbano
Thomas Gottschalk
Scott Self
Derek Ian
Robert Chambers
Kolby Cain
Kaylyn Suellentrop
John Alonzo
Dustin Jackson
Michael Kabbeko-Johnson
Chelsie Ross
Bernard P. Ellis II
Eric Schuh
Michael Kaspa
Amy McNichol
Dorian McCarron
Nicolas Fox
Thomas Mocek
Westin M. Fryar
Rich Hartwick
Maddie Akers
Matt Ronin
Charles Charlie Wheeler
Deidra Saville Evans
Bilal “Cozmo” Whitest
Miro Hernadez then had the distinguished pleasure of announcing this year’s birth announcements:
– Shortly after conference last year, Brian and Sandrine Skellie’s daughter Serena was brought into this world
– Ahri Elise Wilson was born on April 11th to Robert and Carissa Wilson
– Hazel Grey Hemmingsen was born on May 6h to Tyler and Laura Hemmingsen
– Patience J. Hope McInnes was born on July 9th to Mike and Michelle McInnes
– Tamarah and Wednesday Henryson brought a female “puppy” into this world on September 24th. When Tamarah was pregnant, the baby’s gender couldn’t be identified, so after people kept asking and asking, they finally just said, “a puppy” and that has stuck since.
– Julie Green of Westcoast Piercing and Ink first grandchild, Daya, was born on June 21
– Simon Patrick Saunders was born on September 8, 2015 to 2 of our APP members, Jef Saunders and Laura Leonard
– Troubador Rocco Grosvenor was born on September 29, 2015 to Nathan and Chelsea Grosvenor
– Mark and Nikole Montgomery are now grandparents with the birth of their beautiful grandson Lach- lan (Lock Ian)
– Lyric Mason Dinsmore was born on November 22, 2015 to Desiree ́ Dinsmore and Dustin Merryman
This past year was also filled with loss and sorrow and we mourn the passing of several members of our community:
– Hugh Mattay from Australia passed on Jan 28 at the age of 37.
– Leah Lovell from New York passed at the age of 28
– Peter Pina, 33, of Electric Chair Tattoo and Body Piercing in Houston.
– Jerome “JJ” Moiso passed away on February 26th after a long battle with cancer. He was one of Al D.’s last apprentices and had worked for a handful of Seattle studios as well as owning his own studio for a couple years. He was also involved with the original body art regulations in Washington State.
– Charles Gatewood and his iconic photography that brought the weird and macabre to pop culture and his larger than life personality.
– In 2014, Mark Siekierski joked about having this quote read as a memorial if he should ever pass, and sadly this year that wish will be made a reality.
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
With the completion of that paragraph there was not a dry eye in the place and we all knew that we had honored a great man and all those that we had lost last year.
Last year’s banquet gave me the opportunity to thank someone very special to me, Caitlin McDiarmid. This year the tables were turned and she awarded me the Josh Prentice Volunteer award. This definitely brought me to tears. I was stunned and left speechless to say the least. I am so honored to have been recognized for something that brings me joy and fills my bucket until it runs over.
Brian Skellie also had the privilege of presenting this year’s President’s award to Ana Paula. This woman is a powerhouse in our industry and has brought safe piercing education to Latin America. When she is not teaching worldwide or starving to build LBP and the education seminars available to Latin American piercers, she creates stunning jewelry. A mother, wife, educator, and creator she is the most deserved recipient of this award.
From there the evening progressed to the presentation of the Expo awards. This year, there was a tie for the Creative Innovator’s Award, being presented to both Tether and Onetribe. We also saw Tether win the Single Booth Award. It is so wonderful to see a first time exhibitor and new company hit the ground running. At the other end of the spectrum, two long standing pillars of the industry took home the evening’s other awards. Tawapa won the Multiple Booth Award and Diablo Organic won the Technical Innovator’s Award.
Now that the formalities had been taken care of it was time to get onto the top raffle prize drawings (we all know this is what everyone was really waiting for).
As the evening drew to a close, lives had been changed forever, and we knew the week was drawing to a close. This is always a bittersweet moment for many of us. So until next year I leave you with this. . .
Alvin Toffler said, “The illiterate 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write. But those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” It is in this vein that we gather in the desert; to learn with the best; to unlearn some of our preconceived notions; and relearn things we thought we already knew. From our classrooms and workshops to our exposition floor it has been evident that the APP, our Members, Sponsors, and conference Attendees ensure that they take every opportunity to learn and grow both personally and professionally. We are so very excited to see what the future holds, when we boldly go where no piercer has gone before.
