As an organization built by volunteers, we feel so fortunate to have had so many people serve our mission. As you can see from this chart, many of our Board Members have been serving the APP for upwards of a decade. We would like to thank not only the people you see listed, but all of our volunteers that have served our committees
Category News
Point 85: The Piercer Family Tree
by Mic Rawls & Gene Gowan
Hello piercing community!!!
I had an idea at Camp APP to create a piercing family tree. I started to put it out there and have gotten a great response! With the help of Gene Gowen, we will continue collecting everybody’s history!!
What we need from you:
We would like information about the people that helped bring you into the community. This includes what shops you have worked at (no guest spots please) and anybody you helped get into the industry. If you have worked as a trainer at any education seminars or training groups we would like that as well.
For some of this it can be difficult to list people that also had a negative effect on our fledgling careers, and if there are people you don’t want to list, that is cool. Please remember that we are using this to get a sense of our history and how and through whom this wonderful craft has evolved. This will include some people that we do not care for, but without them we may have not gotten our start!
My vision for this will include an interactive display, so you can find those who came before you. I am hoping to modify this to include a class and video as we move forward. It will be a blast putting all the pieces together and to see how this skill has moved from one community to another.
Please send all submissions tomic4559@hotmail.com
Thanks for everybody’s help. I can’t wait to see how this will bloom!!!
Point 85: Longest Standing Currently Active APP Members
The following is a list of longest standing APP Members who are still currently active. Listed beside their names, you’ll find their original join date. This list reflects consecutive membership; according to current membership policy, original join dates can be reinstated after no more than two years, as long as there has not been a lapse in membership dues.
We’re honored to have these 20 people continuing to support the Association of Professional Piercers and the body piercing industry.
- Sky Renfro—July 1994
- David Vidra—October 1995
- Adam Block—January 1996
- Allen Falkner—January 1996
- Patrick McCarthy—February 1996
- Bink Williams—March 1996
- Elayne Angel—March 1996
- Brian Skellie—May 1996
- Derek Lowe—June 1996
- Darrin Walters—August 1996
- Gus Diamond—October 1996
- Steve Joyner—July 1997
- Bethrah Szumski—August 1997
- Marc J. Williams—September 1997
- Jason King—October 1997
- David Kelso—January 1999
- Sarah Wooten—May 1999
- James Weber—May 1999
- Luis Garcia—May 1999
- Shawn Taylor—July 1999
Point 85: APP Board Members & Officers History
2017–2020
- Luis Garcia—International Liaison
- Ryan Ouellette—Outreach
- Brian Skellie—Medical Liaison
- Kendra Jane—Vice President
- Jef Saunders—President
2014–2017
- Cody Vaughn—Vice President
- Christopher Glunt—Medical Liaison
- Steve Joyner—Legislation Liaison
- Miro Hernandez—Public Relations Director
- Jef Saunders—Membership Liaison
- Aaron Pollack—Secretary (Board Appointed)
2013-2016
- Brian Skellie—Global Media
- Transitioned to President Q2 2014
- Ashley Misako—Outreach
2011–2014
- Elayne Angel—President
- John Johnson—Vice President
- Richard Frueh—Medical Liaison
- Mike Martin—Legislation Liaison
- Stepped down April 2013
- Steve Joyner—Legislation Liaison
- Appointed Legislative Chair June 2013
- Sarvas Berry—Membership Liaison 2010–2013
- Brian Skellie—International Liaison
- Dana Dinius—Outreach Coordinator
- Stepped down Q1 2012
- Ashley Misako—Outreach
- Appointed Q1 2012
2008–2011
- James Weber—President
- Didier Suarez—Vice-President
- Elayne Angel—Medical Liaison
- Eduardo Chavarria—Membership Liaison
- Bethrah Szumski—Secretary
- Stepped down Q2 2010
- Paul King—Treasurer (Board Appointed Officer)
2007–2010
- Danny Yerna—International Outreach Coordinator
- Eric “Sque3z” Anderson—Outreach Coordinator
2005–2008
- Alicia Cardenas—President
- April Johnson—Vice President
- James Weber—Medical Liaison
- Luis Garcia—International Liaison
2005–2007
- Christina Shull—Secretary
- Stepped down Q3 2007
2005–2006
- Jeffrey “Phish” Goldblatt—Outreach Coordinator
- Stepped down Q2 2006
- Schane Gross—Treasurer
- Stepped down Q1 2006
2002–2005
- Bethrah Szumski—President
- Jason King—Vice-President
- Crystal Sims—Secretary
- Paul King—Treasurer
- Elayne Angel—Medical Coordinator
- Megg Mass—Outreach Coordinator
- Alicia Cardenas—International Liaison
1999–2002 Second Election [The Point—Issue 15, May]
- Patrick McCarthy—President
- Elected to replace Gahdi Elias after he finished his Board term
- April Williams-Warner—International Liaison
- Elected to replace Al D. after he finished his Board term
- Scott Brewer—Treasurer
- Appointed by Pat McCarthy as interim Treasurer after Brian Skellie finished Board term June 1999. Later duly elected and stepped down Q1 2002
From The Point—Issue 16:
Many changes took place to the APP over the last year; one of the most important things was the election of a new Board. In September a new Vice President, Secretary, and Outreach Coordinator were elected. Then, in April a new President and International Liaison were introduced. During the meeting the new Board members were introduced to the membership.
APP Board Members as of October, 1999
- Pat McCarthy—President
- Steve Joyner—Vice President
- Bethrah Szumski —Secretary
- Scott Brewer—Treasurer
- Elayne Angel —Outreach Coordinator
- April Williams-Warner—International Liaison
- Dr. Jack Ward—Medical Liaison
1999–2001 First APP Elected Board [The Point—Issue 14, April]
- Steve Joyner—Vice President 1999
- Bethrah Szumski—Secretary
- Elayne Angel—Outreach Coordinator
- Jeff Martin—Outreach Coordinator
- Stepped down December 1999
From The Point—Issue 14:
The past year has seen Board member installment go from an appointment to an electoral process.
The first such election installed: Steve Joyner as Vice Chair, Elayne Angel as Outreach Coordinator, Bethrah Szumski as Secretary
As people come so do they go: Dave Vidra served as OSHA Liaison until Nov 1998, Derek Lowe served as Secretary until Nov 1998.
Jeff Martin served as Outreach Coordinator until Dec 1999.
1998 [The Point—Issue 13, Summer]
Stepped down:
- David Vidra resigned November 1998 after multiple Board terms
- Derek Lowe resigned November 1998
1998 Board of Directors [The Point—Issue 12, First Quarter]
- Gahdi Elias (Mastodon)—Chair
- Brian Skellie appointed to serve the duties of Chair while Gahdi traveled abroad
- Kent Fazekas—Chair
- Stepped down
- Elizabeth Getschal—appointed Board Liaison under Chair
1997 Transitions [The Point—Issue 11, Fall]
- David Vidra (BodyWork Productions)—OSHA /Legislative Liaison
- Exchanged positions with Al D. Sowers
- Al D. Sowers (Playspace Ltd./ Sin)—International Liaison
- Michaela Grey finished her Board term and continued as a Business Member in good standing
- Dr. John Ward—Medical Liaison
1997–1999 [The Point—Issue 10, June]
- Kent Fazekas—Chair
- Transitioned from Treasurer
- Brian Skellie—Treasurer
- Michaela Grey—International Liaison
- Transitioned from Chair
- Crystal Cross
- Stepped down
- Curt Warren (Koi)—Coordinator
- Rob Petroff
- Stepped down
- Jeff Martin (Obscurities)—Outreach coordinator
- Tracy Faraca
- Stepped down
- Derek Lowe (Steve’s Tattoo and Body Piercing)—Secretary
- Allen Falkner
- Stepped down
1996 Two new Board Members [The Point—Issue 8, August]
- David Vidra (BodyWork Productions)—Medical Liaison
- Al D. Sowers (Playspace Ltd./ Sin)—OSHA /Legislative Liaison
- Crystal Cross (Primeval Body)—New Title: International Liaison
- Blake Perlingieri and Maria Tashjian finish their Board terms and continue as Business Members in good standing
- Rev. Drew Lewis started APP archives [Not Board Member (Media Committee)]
1995 Initial Appointed Board [The Point—Issue 6, November]
- Crystal Cross & Richard White (Primeval Body)
- Ahna Edwards (Attitudes, Inc.)—Outreach Coordinator
- Position taken over by Tracy Faraca (Attitudes, Inc.)
- Kent Fazekas (Body Accents)—Treasurer
- Gahdi (Mastodon)—Vice Chair
- Michaela Grey (Gauntlet, Inc.)—Chair
- Blake Perlingieri & Kristian White (Nomad)
- Rob Petroff (Insane Creations)—Coordinating Board Member
- Maria Tashjian (Venus Modern Body Arts)
- Allen Falkner (Obscurities)—Secretary
Point 85: Fakir Musafar (1930-2018)
by Annie Sprinkle
Reprinted with permission from Artforum, August 2, 2018
A FEW DAYS AFTER FAKIR’S SPIRIT LEFT HIS BELOVED BODY, I went to a salon in a mall in Syracuse, New York, to get my hair dyed. Every one of the six stylists, all in their twenties and thirties, had multiple facial piercings, visible tattoos, and brightly colored hair. I marveled at how things had changed since the 1970s and 1980s, when the only kind of piercings one saw in the US were in women’s ears— and even those were rare, and tattooing was illegal in many places. I asked each of the colorfully adorned stylists if they knew anything about the history of modern-day body modification. Not one of them did, nor had they heard of Fakir Musafar. I was amazed, as they were obviously living it wholeheartedly. In the realm of body art, Fakir is legend.
At eleven years old, Roland Loomis had an irresistible urge to mimic things he saw in National Geographic. He stretched his neck with metal coils, bound his feet, reshaped his arms and legs with tight leather straps, painted his body, made and wore masks, and more. As a teen in the 1940s, he began tattooing and piercing himself, documenting his experiments in beautiful black-and-white self-portraits with a camera given to him by his uncle, who had used it in World War I. Roland was a really good photographer right from the start and taught himself to be a master darkroom printer.
As an adult, Roland worked as an advertising executive and lived in Menlo Park, California, with his first wife and stepson, whom he supported. Roland was straight as an arrow, a total nerd before nerds were cool, with thick corduroy pants, suburban-style plaid cotton shirts with ink-stained pockets, and thick, bug-eyed glasses. But beneath his clothes lay a completely different story.
Gradually, Roland started to put some of his self-portraits out into the world for others to see. In 1977, the first magazine dedicated to body piercing, Piercing Fans International Quarterly (PFIQ), trickled into the underground. PFIQ printed some of Roland’s self-portraits, one showing his full-back-and-buttocks tattoo, which he had designed himself, drawn in all-black ink and referencing tribal styles. He was way ahead of the times, as most tattoos at that time were cartoony. People immediately started copying Roland’s ideas.
One day, I wrote Roland a letter of appreciation with photos of my tattoos and invited him to visit me. He accepted. In 1981, I organized a visiting-artist lecture for Fakir in my Manhattan apartment for my friends and colleagues. He narrated an intriguing slideshow, after which the event morphed into a body-piercing party, likely the first mixed-gender piercing party on the East Coast (gay men did it first). We had a ball together and even went ballroom dancing at Roseland. Roland told me he was happy to meet a woman who not only accepted his kinky side but appreciated it and was thrilled by it! He had mostly lived his kinky life in the closet, lest he’d been judged as crazy and sick. He’d had his struggles: He had been shunned by some of his family, his ex-wife didn’t approve of his proclivities, and even some folks in the BDSM world found him way too extreme. Over the years, Fakir and I did what he called“body play” together, sometimes documenting it with each other’s cameras. He pierced my labia, I pierced his foreskin, I tattooed a diamond on his toe. He took some of the best photos of me ever-in a tight laceup corset he had designed and made for me, and me standing in a pair of black-leather-fetish, six-inch high heels he gave me, from the 1940s. Over the years, he did a lot of photos of many other kinky people, mostly in his home, and everyone loved posing for him. A collection of these and many other photos is beautifully reproduced in his book Spirit & Flesh, by Arena Editions.
Eventually, Roland quit his advertising-executive job and became a full-time freelance Fakir, coming out into the public sphere as “Fakir Musafar,” kind of like Clark Kent becoming and staying Superman. Two projects catapulted Fakir into the spotlight: the publication of the book Modern Primitives by RE/ Search and the documentary film Dances Sacred and Profane, by Mark and Dan Jury, in which Fakir steals the show with his transcendent outdoor flesh-hookpulling scene.
Roland/Fakir finally met his perfect match in 1987, when he got together with Cléo Dubois, a Frenchborn, San Francisco-based professional dominatrix and BDSM-lifestyle goddess. She was also a belly dancer and performance artist. They married in a redwood forest in 1990 and lived a life filled with creativity and artmaking, cofacilitating many group-piercing rituals in both private and public spaces. Sometimes I would cross paths with Fakir and Cléo at art venues in Europe and the US when we were booked into the same body-based performance-art festivals. Fakir and Cléo gathered a deeply devoted fan base that followed them and their work. The art world welcomed them. Eventually, Fakir and Cléo both moved into mentoring roles: She created the Academy for SM Arts, and he created the first accredited body-piercing school, which has been very successful and will continue, led by his longtime protégées and collaborators.
When word got out that Fakir had terminal lung cancer, he received hundreds of love letters from around the world. He had dedicated his life to helping people explore the boundaries between spirit and flesh, and people adored him for it. Body-art royalty came to pay their respects, such as performance artist Ron Athey, who credits Fakir as an early inspiration. Fakir’s life is a testament to how following one’s creative impulses—even when eXXXtreme, even when other people don’t understand them, and even if people are completely freaked out by them— can still change the culture significantly, manifest one’s unique vision, and leave one in death a really satisfied, happy camper surrounded by love. Roland had a vision of a society where people were free to explore and decorate their bodies without the stigma and limitations he had experienced. Today, in many countries, we have that freedom. Tattooing is now legal almost everywhere in the US, and there are body piercers and lots of body-piercing jewelry to choose from that can be found in most mainstream shopping malls.
I hope the young beauty-salon stylists I encountered at the mall in Syracuse will read one or two of the many obituaries and tributes for Fakir, and that these will pique their interest in his life and work. Perhaps some will want to go and visit Fakir’s bountiful archive and photography collection at the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley, where they can be studied, enjoyed, and a source of inspiration for generations to come.
Annie Sprinkle is proud to have been an official artist for Documenta 14, where she showed visual art and performed with her partner/collaborator Beth Stephens.
The Point – Issue 85
- FROM THE EDITOR
- THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER
- IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS GAUNTLET
- BACK IN THE DAY
- FAKIR MUSAFAR (1930-2018)
- APP BOARD MEMBERS & OFFICERS HISTORY
- OUR LONG TIME MEMBERS
- THE PIERCING FAMILY TREE
- THE APP BOARD TIMELINE
- APP CONFERENCE THEN & NOW
- MEET THE BPA
- A LOOK INSIDE MY PERSONAL LIBRARY
- CAMP APP, 2018
- PERFECTION OVER EXPERIENCE
- NEW UKAPP BROCHURES
- RuAPP
Point 84: Membership Infographics Explained
by Marina Pecorino, APP Membership Administrator
The following infographics were presented in the annual Members’ Meeting at Conference. There’s a lot of information here, so I’d like to take a moment to make sure the full breadth of our recent growth is understood.
It’s important to note that our membership changes almost daily. Prior to Conference, the Membership Committee processed all applications received before April 1, 2018, and then went on hiatus until after Conference, so new memberships have a pre-Conference deadline.
However, the same does not apply for changes with existing Members. Keep in mind the nomadic nature of many piercers, moving to different studios, or relocating to different states and countries. These types of changes happen up to and even onsite at Conference.
It seems only appropriate to start from the beginning, so let’s look at the APP Membership Inception to Current graph. The golden columns show the total number of active Members at the close of each corresponding year.
This includes all membership types, and excludes our Corporate Sponsors. The blue line indicates the current active Members based on their join year. So, as an example, looking back ten years, 2008 ended with 254 total Members (a difference of 18 compared to the previous year), and only
16 of the Members accepted that year still maintained active membership at the time that these graphs were created. On the contrary, in 2017, the year ended with a total of 582 Members (a difference of 60 compared to the previous year), and 134 of those active Members (that’s 23%) joined last year! It’s pretty clear to see the incredible growth the APP has experienced over the last several years, with active Members more than doubling since 2012.
This brings us to the Pre-Conference Growth graph. This illustrates the number of new Members between January 1 and Conference of each corresponding year. Keep in mind that Conference does not have a stationary date, so there is a bit of variation with the Membership Committee hiatus I mentioned earlier. Regardless, pre-Conference growth has almost tripled between 2014 and 2018.
Moving to the next set of graphs, we look at our memberships and sponsorships by type. The first of this set is specific to individual Members and the membership type they fit into. Business Members—piercers with more than one year of professional experience, who meet both environmental and personal criteria—are by far our largest membership category, for obvious reasons. The second graph in this set includes all of
the information from the previous, but also includes Additional Location memberships and our Corporate Sponsors. The Additional Location memberships are used for Business Members who consistently work in more than one approved studio location.
The final two infographics show membership (Associate Corporate, Associate, Business, Business at Large, and Patron Members) by geographical location. The first shows all active Members in North America. California and Oregon have the highest number of APP Members, followed closely by Florida and Texas. The concentration of Members in these areas is somewhat predictable, based on the sheer size and density of populations in these states. The second map shows active Members worldwide. Despite being an international organization, APP membership is highest in the United States, but membership is growing elsewhere. Australia now has the third highest membership by country, most of which were added within the last three years.
The recent popularization and growth of our industry, in combination with the outstanding work of the Membership Committee, and our transition to an online membership system are all partly responsible for the recent prosperity of the APP. That said, the majority of the credit goes to industry professionals as a whole and the increasing demand for excellence. As professionals hold themselves and their studios to higher standards, and look to the Association of Professional Piercers for support, I’m confident that the organization and industry will continue to thrive.
Point 84: New Members & Sponsors July 2017-July 2018
Business & Business Members at Large
- Rafael Andrade
- Tabatha Andreason
- Ryan Archuleta
- Desi Arellano
- Brent Baker
- Sabrina Ballard
- Daniel Barake
- Cody Bauer
- Starr Belew
- Robyn Campbell
- Cory Carmean
- Nick Christiansen
- Jeffrey Clark
- Corey Cochrane
- Andrea Costantino
- Mercedes Courtoreille
- Ben Creehan
- Gregory Daniel
- Benjamin Davis
- Diego de Esteve
- Jenell Di
- Renee Dietzler
- Brandon Downs
- Sabrina Egan
- Joe Espin
- Molly Ezell
- Aaron Foster
- Holly Foutch
- Paul Fox
- Russ Foxx
- Nathalie Gauthier
- Corinne Graves
- Erik Grover
- James Haessly
- Suzanne Hallett
- Hannah Kimber
- Derek Hibberd
- Ben Higgs
- Mike Hill
- Leanne Hughes
- Ashley Jay
- Dae Jedic
- Matthew Jensen
- Vanessa Jo
- Sara Johnson
- Cash Kasper
- Carl Kimberly
- Alexander Kirkiles
- Nia Kulbaba
- David Lallemand
- Jess Lane
- Audrée Laroche
- Rachael Lebron
- Alexandria (Lexie) Lipp
- Cassi Lopez
- Benjamin Lynch
- Vivi Madero
- Tristan Macumber
- Gregg Marchessault
- Matthew Masterton
- Cody Mattice
- Rochelle Montagne
- Austin Moore
- John Moore
- Nicolas Moses
- Arthur Moy
- Marina Müller
- Megan Naito
- Jenna Nichols
- Colin O
- Ian Olsen
- Jason Orenstein
- Alana Paris
- Aniela Payne
- Daniel Pereira
- Ari Pimsler
- Antonio Pisasale
- Sean Powell
- Kaden Rasmussen
- Della Scott
- Eloise Ridgewell
- Victoria Rose
- Randee Saenz
- Kelli Saez
- Nate Saint Pierre
- Claire Savard
- Sara Schneider
- Lucas Sheffield
- Pete Sheringham
- Shane Shields
- Dylan Smith
- Carrie Sorrels
- Kari Spector
- Cherry Sutherland
- Pineapple Tangaroa
- Kaitlyn Taylor
- Andrea Trester
- Sergi Tinaut
- Chad Vahila
- Bella van Nes
- Paulus van Nes
- Cour Vest
- Laura Estefania Vicat
- Zack Watson
- Jade Winston
- Lindsey Wright
- Eddie Zvolanek
Associate Members
- Jessika Agee
- KristaJae Amante
- Amanda Badger
- Eleanor Boyd
- Jill Bressmer
- Shay Britton
- Nash Bryant
- Margo Dellaquila
- Tyler Drake
- Zach Elkie
- Tyler Grayko
- Melissa Gutierrez
- Heidi Hess
- Shayne Holborow
- Megan Jaqubino
- Randy Kunkel
- Christy Lillard
- Natali Martin
- Stacy Martinez
- Kristina Outland
- Jasmine Riggsbee
- Devin Ruiz
- Sprout Scheier
- Gabrielle Schultz
- Skye Smith
- Anthony Spaziano
- Anthony Swift
- Tanner Thurman
- Daisy May Turnmire
- Nick Whitcher
- Burr White
- Samuel Wright
- Scott Lilly Young
Corporate Sponsors
- After Inked, LLC
- Alchemy Adornment
- Propper Mfg. Co. Inc.
- Rio Grande, Inc.
- Sleeping Goddess Jewelry
Point 83: Love on Me
By Jon John
I have cancer.
I was given a slim chance of surviving. My first reaction was fear and self-blame; somehow I caused this sickness. My experience with this life threatening disease is the inspiration for this work.
This new performance Love on Me draws strength from conversations with the performance artist Ron Athey and readings from Illness as Metaphor, by Susan Sontag. Susan Sontag prevailed over the harsh treatments of two cancer diagnoses. She denied the fatalness of her final cancer and treatment until her last breath. Ron Athey, self-describe as “living corpse” has survived decades with HIV. From Ron I have learned how to live with this dying body.
Every person gets sick.
Every person will wonder why he or she is the one to get sick, no matter if that illness is a bad cold or a terminal cancer. Metaphors help us understand the world. Metaphors for illness can comfort the anxiety of not knowing. Many are tempted to make sense of illness metaphorically, as a punishment, a sign, an opportunity, or a war raging in one’s body.
When referring to cancer and its treatment, medical professionals and patients use phrases such as “bolstering” the body’s “defenses” and “battling” the “invasive” tumor. Blood cells get “counts,” like surviving soldiers at the end of each day of war. With treatments, we use words such as “bombard,” “neutralize,” and “kill.” People whose diseases go into remission are “survivors.” Sontag notes obscure facts about chemotherapy and warfare, explaining how the earliest cancer drugs share lineage with mustard gas, just as an early syphilis treatment used arsenic—a dark irony being that the treatments, when approached with warfare mentality, are believed to cause a whole set of new health problems.
For Sontag, cancer was associated with certain inhibited personality types. The metaphor attached to cancer is repression of a desire. This suppressed longing gets, literally, “balled up” as a voracious tumor.
If cancer is a disease of passion, will love aid my struggle with this disease? Following some the modern myths that my disease is rooted in: sexual repression, inability to express emotions, failure, punishment, or an inhibited personality type— as oblation, I offer this performance and installation.
Point 83: Jonathan Arias – Artist’s Manifesto
By Jon John
- I believe that the action of love remains one of the few accessible ecstatic rituals in our disposable society.
- My invocations of love are not static. The rituals and aesthetics of my childhood experiences continue to transform through research and personal connection.
- My ritual is communal alchemy. I don’t perform for audiences but rather engaged witnesses that become co-creators. My lovers.
- From my veins flow Basque, Argentinean and Gypo. “Gypo” is a derogatory term I own for Gitano, which is the Spanish-Roma ethnicity.
- The complexity of my ethnicities gave dimensionality to my religious upbringing. We are a catholic family that practices magic. My people gave me the gifts of healing bodies and conjuring spirits.
- My queerness is not in a typical narrative of exclusion, but rather a celebration of my otherness.
- It is not a longing of something missing, but a quest with an open heart.
- Through altered state of consciousness I transcend my spoken vocabulary, to share my hidden secrets of love, life, and loss.
- I utilize video, photography, installation, and most notably performance.
- Flesh, skin, and blood are my palette to take you on a journey from tenderness to brutality via beauty and decay.