Category News

Point 80: Membership Standards Update & Clarification

Cody Vaughn
Membership Liaison

APP Membership: A Glance At The Past & Environmental Criteria Updates for The Future

“The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come” – Author Unknown

I began volunteering with the Membership Committee in 2009. Originally, I thought each idea I had which I believed would further our mission statement would be a quick and easy change to make. Make the suggestion, state your case, done and done! Volunteering for a non-profit health and safety organization — one whose membership has grown immensely at the same time body piercing’s popularity has surged — has taught me change and improvements often come slowly and deliberately.

When I first started with the Membership Committee, our application process consisted of mailing a hard copy application and your video recorded to a disc (or VHS!) to the APP office. Then it got shipped to a volunteer. After being reviewed, it got shipped to a second volunteer for final review. This wasn’t the hardest thing when we were averaging maybe a couple dozen new Members a year. As the number of applicants began to drastically increase, through much work and trial and error, we improved upon the process and have now moved to a strictly online application. This has reduced costs and improved the applicants wait time. We are currently working on utilizing our new website’s features to even further streamline the application process. You’ll hear more about that in the coming months.

This application process was created because it isn’t financially or practically feasible to fly a Membership Committee volunteer to each applicant’s studio to do a walk through for environmental criteria. Similarly, when receiving a complaint about a member breaching their Health & Safety agreement, it is just not feasible to drive across the country (or to another country for that matter) to see for ourselves.

In April of 2017, the Board of Directors informed APP Members of a new update to our Membership Environmental Criteria:

“All piercers working at an APP Member studio (members or non-members) will only use appropriate jewelry for initial piercings as listed in the current APP minimum standard.

Any use of non-compliant jewelry for initial piercing by any person (member or non-member) in the studio is considered a breach of environmental standards and can be grounds for losing membership.”

The APP Board of Directors and the APP Membership Committee feels this newest standard will help to further spread safe piercing practices and our organization’s mission statement.

If you have any questions in regards to this updated policy please do not hesitate to contact us at membership@safepiercing.org

All members will have until January 1, 2018 to become compliant with this new environmental standard.

Point 80: The BPA Charles Gatewood Exhibit

Kendra Jane B.
Vice-President & The Point Editor
(Unless otherwise noted, photos are by the Author)
A view of the BPA Charles Gatewood exhibit. Visible at the rear is the pavilion containing The Dream Machine

Charles Gatewood holds a special place in the heart of the body piercing industry. He used his camera to bring what was  once  private  to  the  masses. He had a very special ability to capture what others viewed as grotesque in the most beautiful ways. After the passing of Charles last year, the Body Piercing Archive knew how important it was to preserve our history as it intertwined with the photography of Charles Gatewood. From this, the 2017 Body Piercing Archive exhibit at the APP Conference was born. We were fortunate enough to have Eva Marie the “last Gatewood girl” present to lead tours of our exhibit and share her own accounts of her time with Charles. I was able to set some time aside to take one of her docent tours; it was truly the highlight of my Conference week. I have long been a huge fan of Charles’s work and had begun conversing with him regularly just before he passed. Getting the opportunity to listen to someone share their personal accounts of time spent with Charles, beyond what we can read in a book, was absolutely wonderful. Here is what Eva Marie had to say about her experience at Conference.

I was first introduced to Charles by his friend Steven Leyba, the painter. Steven had approached me asking if he could use images of me for some of his paintings. Here are my requests he said  ‘I need up close, in focus, hi-resolution photos of your genitals.’ I was excited for the collaboration, but wasn’t sure who to approach for such an intimate photoshoot. Several days later I got an email saying ‘My dear friend Charles Gatewood agreed to the photos. Why don’t you give him a call?’

Charles and I talked on the phone several times and set up a time to meet at his studio. When I arrived, he gave me a lovely tour of his penthouse apartment and made  a pot of tea. We talked for hours discovering we shared similar interests and hobbies. We both loved to make collages from old mag- azines, write short stories, and take kooky self-portraits. ‘This is a direct hit my dear!’ We agreed to meet once a week every Sunday, then more and more frequently until I was a full time “Gatewood Girl”.

Longtime Gatewood companion and archivist Eva Marie with BPA curator Paul King giving another presentation on the photographer at San Franciscos Center for Sex and Culture

Charles liked to create and go into what he called magic space. He would get bored with traditional pose and  shoot  models  and would turn down most offers for photoshoots unless he felt someone had a spark. Sometimes he would create magic space with something as simple as a scrap piece  of fabric, or he’d use the sunlight peeking through the kitchen windows to create patterns of shadow across your face. He would grab an old can of paint and splash some  on a piece of black plywood to create an interesting background. When he got a really killer photograph, he would get a creative high, and his eyes would light up and shine. He always insisted there be a bag of toys, props, and accessories somewhere  nearby whether it be goofy sunglasses, studded leather collars, or fuzzy bunny ears. On his living room table, he kept a fresh bouquet  of stargazer lilies, his favorite flowers. There would usually be whipped cream, chocolate syrup, candy sprinkles, or spaghetti-o’s on hand, not to snack on, but for messy splosh photoshoots. There was an inflatable kiddie pool in the living room at all times!

Charles and I would sit in the living room, drinking cups of tea, and he would tell me these incredible stories behind his photographs. We would flip through pages of his books and he would grab Wall Street say ‘Now this is the time I was out with my camera on New Year’s Eve in Manhattan and I got mugged.’ Or pick up True Blood and say ‘This is when a bunch of vampire blood fetishists called me up at 8am for a wild photoshoot that scared even me!’ He would tell me stories about the first time he met Annie Sprinkle and how through her Sprinkle Salon gatherings, he was introduced to Fakir Musafar.

Eva Marie commenting on one of the exhibits

It was amazing to see such an extensive body of his work in one place during this year’s Association of Professional Piercer’s Conference. I was flooded with memories of Charles telling me stories and filled with immense gratitude that I was able to share these stories with so many people from all over the world. Some folks were very familiar with Charles Gatewood’s books and art, some had stories to share with me of their time with Charles. For those who weren’t as familiar with his work, I think they walked away with a definite idea of the contribution Charles made to the history of body piercing. What I thought was really special was every now and then someone would flip through a book or see one of his collages and say ‘Hey, that’s me!’

I believe Charles was aware of the impact his work had on the Body Piercing Industry. He began photographing pierced people in the ‘70s after his friend and fellow Helllfire club regular tattoo artist Spider Webb told him that one  day  piercing  would be as popular as tattooing. Charles used to say he made the art he did for the ‘True Believers’—the people who choose to live outside societal norms. True Believers for him were the folks who weren’t afraid to be different or original, and held conviction in the unconventional lifestyles they lived. I believed photographing people in the piercing industry was so significant for him because to Charles, he had found a very special community of True Believers.”

Image from a scrapbook of Gatewood images
Image from a scrapbook of Gatewood images
Image from a scrapbook of Gatewood images

Indeed, he had many true believers in our community, with myself being one of them. It was an honor and pleasure to be able to speak with Eva Marie, all while looking at a collection to honor the life and works of Charles Gatewood. I would like to add a special thanks to Paul King, Becky Dill, Matte Erickson, Danielle Greenwood, and Jennifer McMahon for their contributions to this exhibit, without which would have been impossible.

Jennifer McMahon was responsible for building a replica of The Dream Machine which was available to view in the archive display. It brought Charles’ vision and the entire display to life. Post conference it was purchased by Steve Joyner and will reside with him as part of his personal collection.

Point 80: Update from the Secretary

Aaron Pollack
APP Secretary

One more great Conference is in the books. This was another record breaking year with over 1,100 registered attendees!

Every year at Conference we hold our annual Members’ Meeting. This annual meeting is a chance for our Members and Corporate Sponsors to hear updates about the future of Conference and the Association, and to get a review of the APP’s finances.

This year’s Members’ Meeting was particularly eventful with announcements regarding new Member perks and a new Conference venue for 2019!

MEMBER PERK

Our Member perk this year was a new window cling for your studios. These double-sided clings can be displayed at any studio with an APP Member on staff. If you were not in atten- dance at the meeting, you will receive a cling by mail with your 2018 membership certificate.

CONFERENCE 2018 AND 2019

Conference 2018 will be held July 15-20, 2018 at Bally’s. This is our final year at Bally’s! Be prepared for a great send off and another big year.

Conference 2019 will be our first year at Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Planet Hollywood is a big upgrade for our Conference and we are really excited about our future there.

MEMBERLEAP AND MEMBER’S AREA

Our new website and Member’s Area are now live. Our website has had a major facelift and is better than ever,  with ongoing improvements and added features. Included on our website is a Member’s Only area where you can instantly update your Member profile, Required Documents (environmental and personal criteria) and keep updated on APP Events. Be sure to check  it out. If you have questions about the Member’s Area or need help with the system, you can reach Marina Pecorino, Membership Administrator, at mpecorino@safepiercing.org.

Point 79: BPA: Charles Gatewood

Paul King
APP Treasurer

The 2017 Body Piercing Archive exhibit at the Association of Professional Piercers annual Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas will feature the life’s work of the photographer and videographer Charles Gatewood. With over 250,000 images spanning more than 50 years, almost all of you are aware of his prolific work, whether you realize it or not.

Like most people, I was aware of his work long before I met him. It was in a bookstore in Long Beach, California in 1989, I first saw his photographs of Fakir Musafar’s O-kee-pa suspension and Jim Ward’s Sundance pull in Modern Primitives. Most are unaware that the book’s direction was largely influenced by Charles Gatewood’s contacts provided to V. Vale and Andrea Juno of ReSearch. Although I never personally identified as a “modern primitive,” the book formalized my desire for complete tattoo body coverage with coherent and graphic themes. This book’s influence cannot be overstated; it took fringe individuals and small communities and cohered them into a global movement with a far-reaching cultural impact.

Erl circa early 1990s
(original name of bridge piercing was Erl)
Photo from Paul King’s private collection

Despite the inseparable association with Modern Primitives, these powerful ritual images of Fakir and Jim Ward were not created for the book. These were documentation from an earlier important film collaboration. The film Dances Sacred and Profane (a.k.a. Bizarre Rituals) was released in 1985. Originally, the documentary was to be focused on Charles Gatewood. However, in the process of making Dances Sacred and Profane, the film became much more a documentation of and promotion for Fakir Musafar. The 2003 film Forbidden Photographs is much more representative of Gatewood’s work and story.

Tattoo Mike of NYC, 1994.
Photo from the Paul King private collection

Arguably, the photograph Charles took of Bob Dylan on tour in Sweden in 1966 was his most important. This photo showed Charles he could make money off of his photography. In fact, he continued to make many thousands of dollars in licensing from that single Dylan image over the next fifty years! The photo also opened doors. From this single image, Charles eventually became a staff photographer for Rolling Stone Magazine and made many contributions from 1972 through 1975. He photographed numerous celebrities including: Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Sly and the Family Stone, Carlos Santana, Alice Cooper, Liza Minnelli, Slade, Joan Baez, Stiv Bators and the Dead Boys, Al Green, Ella Fitzgerald, The Hermits, Helen Wheels, Quentin Crisp, Abbie Hoffman, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Jimmy Page, Robert Palmer, Brian Gysin, Nelson Rockefeller, etc. and he even landed a cover with Rod Stewart. Many of his photos reached iconic status, however, they usually did so without his name being associated with the image. In the late 1970s, Gatewood’s friendships with the tattooist Spider Webb and porn star Annie Sprinkle propelled him into the world of fetish and body art. Both of these wild personalities opened Gatewood’s eyes, further fueling his passion for sexual kink, that at that place and time very much included tattooing and body piercing. Spider and Charles had several tattoo book collaborations and even created a book proposal in the 1980s for the next big trend – “body piercing” – that was rejected by all the publishing houses as ridiculous. Of course, they were ahead of the times. It was through Annie Sprinkle that Charles met Fakir Musafar and Jim Ward.

Michaela Grey, San Francisco, 1991 (before she became APP president).
Photo from the Paul King private collection.

In 1984, Charles Gatewood published Wall Street, a book very uncharacteristic of his salacious and shocking subjects. This political photographic essay juxtaposes architecture against humans circulating the economic heart center of capitalism located in lower Manhattan. For Charles, the decade spent wandering the streets in the daytime capturing images of pedestrians and concrete angles was meditative, even therapeutic. These lone journeys offered some balance to the characters and experiences found in seedy bars, dark dungeons, and shooting galleries of the night. The wild success of the book gained Gatewood greater critical acclaim and prestigious awards as well as future book deals, exhibitions, and lecture opportunities.

In 1990, I was hanging out with Gauntlet piercers Dan Kopka and Elayne Angel at their condo in West Hollywood. One of them popped in an underground video. I still remember the grainy interview of a punk guy with a lip ring. At that time, such images were extremely rare and exciting stuff! Charles Gatewood’s videos will never be remembered for their crude production  value,  but rather for the rarity of the footage. Charles’ first piercing video, in 1986, Erotic Tattooing and Body Piercing, included a Jim Ward lecture in NYC. Upon release, Charles found there was a lucrative home video market.

Full disclosure, although I had met Charles several times in the 1990s, I was not friendly towards him. At best I was indifferent, but often I was dismissive. In my twenties, I had a very low opinion of fetish photographers. I would see my friends poorly compensated for their modeling and then their images would unknowingly get turned into greeting cards or plastered on buses as advertisement for STD treatment! I viewed fetish and body art photographers as sexual predators and economic exploiters of my community and friends.

However, during one of my countless used bookstore searches for piercing history in the early 2000s, I stumbled upon Charles Gatewood’s fine art photography book Sidetripping from 1975. My mind was blown! All my preconceptions of who Charles Gatewood was as a person and an artist were challenged. This astonishing work rivaled that of my favorite photographer Diane Arbus, except Gatewood’s book was also in collaboration with William Burroughs, a tremendous writer that greatly influenced me in my younger life! A life lesson learned, I reached out to Charles.

He invited me into his home. We had a casual friendship, I would see him maybe four to six times a year and always one on one. He’d make us tea, show me his latest art projects, we’d catch up on news. I’d dig for history lessons and he’d usually sell me something, or at least try to!

We shared the experience of having degrees in anthropology. Something that became apparent to me was at a public level his degree in anthropology was often toted as a strategy to contextualize and legitimize his work, however, his motivations and methods would be viewed as highly problematic by today’s rigorous academic standards. Charles was an experience junkie. He craved  thrills and excitement. In his own words, he was a “gonzo-journalist.” He wanted his pictures to go “POW!”

He was a passionate man, whose art and pursuits were driven by his thirst for excitement found in the new, the unusual, and the sexual. The camera lens allowed him access, power and privilege. Photography seduces many subjects and as a recognized photographer the aphrodisiac of the camera grew stronger. Rather than granting permission, models would actively seek him out!

Jack Yount, San Francisco, 1993.
Photo from the Paul King private collection

Like an old-time wheelin’ and dealin’ carnival barker, Charles drew in individuals and groups with his fantastic life stories and whispered back door offers of his photographic works at “below gallery prices.” He was a self- made and self-employed artist for 50  years! He prided himself on getting by without ever having to have a real job.

Fakir Musafar during the filming of Sundance Ceremony for Dances Sacred and Profane, Wyoming, 1982.
Photo from the Paul King private collection

Charles hoarded and thank God for that. His inability to let things go meant he had crates of magazine and newspaper clippings with jokes, photos, pop culture reviews, etc. referencing body piercing and tattooing. Although far from properly preserved, still, he had them while most of us were throwing these ephemera away. Much of the later  dated material, he simply donated to the APP/BPA.

Charles grew more familiar with my work and involvement with the APP. We agreed it would be amazing if we could put something together for the 20th anniversary of Modern Primitives. In 2009, Charles and V. Vale of Re- Search gave a well-received presentation  at  the APP Conference in Las Vegas. The breadth and quantity of his late 1980s and early 1990s video work is staggering and unique to the body piercing community. He has hundreds of hours of footage that includes Sailor Sid, Jack Yount, Ron Athey, Elayne Angel, Hanky Panky, Allen Falkner, Erl, Annie Sprinkle, Mr. Sebastian, the founders of Body Manipulations, Al D. (yes, the same guy as the APP Scholarship), Raelyn Gallina, and many  early  Gauntlet piercers, some even before they were piercers. While Charles managed to sell his entire photography archive, including personal journals, to the U.C. Berkeley Bancroft Library, their archivists turned down his video catalog. They could not mentally offset the poor production value and the cost of digitization against the historical importance of these recorded histories. Had the APP Board of Directors not stepped in, much of our shared history would have been lost to the dump!

On December 8, 2015, Charles Gatewood donated the Flash Video  collection to the APP and Body Piercing Archive (BPA). After he passed away, his estate turned over the remaining personal video archive, including interviews, recorded lectures, b-roll, unedited footage, etc. to the APP and BPA.  To date, the APP and BPA have digitized nearly 250 consumer and professional grade tapes! Charles and I discovered early on that we both had a history with alcohol and had sworn off the bottle decades before.  However, Charles suffered from chronic back pain. He turned to prescrip- tion opioids and cannabinoids for relief. He started cancelling our rendezvous. Eventually, the opioids took over contributing to a growing depression and organic dementia. I expressed my concerns to him, perhaps too little and too late.

Jim Ward doing the Sundance Ritual at Devil’s Tower, Wyoming during the filming of Dances Sacred and Profane, 1982.
Photo from the Paul King private collection

On April 8, 2016, he attempted to take his own life by jumping off his third story apartment balcony. The result was catastrophic injuries putting him in a coma and leading to his death on April 28. He did finally pass in peace, surrounded by folks that loved him. If the details of his death may seem too gruesome, please remember, this is a man that spent his entire career embracing the brutality of life. He would expect no less.

For further exploration of Charles’ career check out these retrospectives: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/05/arts/charles-gatewood-photographer-of-extremes-dies-at-73.html?_r=0 https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2016/04/29/charles-gatewood-groundbreaking-photographer-dead-at-73/ Informative article, despite the author’s naiveté of body modification practices and communities: https://alum- ni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/spring-2017-virtue-and-vice/finding-his-tribe-charles-gatewood-bancroft

Point 79: 12th Italian SusCon, 2016

Bruno Valsecchi

English Version

The twelfth edition of the SusCon took place this year September from the 18 to the 20 in Tirrenia, Pisa, a convenient location we have used for a long time. The Conference was good, with 45 suspensions facilitated as well as pulling between six people. On a highly positive note, 30% of our suspendees were newbies, a sign that the cultural practice of corporal suspension is expanding.

Besides Italians, we had participants from Germany, Spain, Norway and New Zealand. The suspension groups that made the whole event possible were APTPI-ST and Wings of Desire (from Norway), whose leader Havve Fjell will officially be presenting the 3rd Symposium on corporal suspension, which will be held in Berlin this May.

As usual, during the three days of the Conference, theoretical lessons were offered. This year we had the honor to host Paul King; professional body piercer since 1991 and one of the few to hold the title of Master Piercer, given by Jim Ward in 1996. He is an active member of the APP and an avid student of ethno-anthropology, as well as the anthropology of the body modification community, having lectured on these topics at various universities.

Paul presented the “Traditions of Hook Swinging in South Asia,” “Suspension of Belief and Piercing Rituals of Plains,” and “Sundance.” The subjects were very interesting and much appreciated. They highlighted other points of view on the practice of suspension, especially with regard to the ritual purpose. Another novelty for this year saw some of the attendees participate in a social and anthropological study, led by the anthropologist Federica Manfredi. She is researching the reasons and feelings involved for those who suspend. From this research they will produce 12 individual projects, all different and all unique and personal.

A special “thank you” to all of the participants in our SusCon, speakers, sponsors, and especially all the volunteers that make this a reality each year. At every event, we see a lot of passion and dedication, rewarding us all with an emotionally engaging gathering.

We can’t wait for next year, with even more surprises planned!

Italian Version

La dodicesima edizione dell’Italian SusCon si è svolta quest’anno dal 18 al 20 settembre a Tirrenia, Pisa, comoda location ormai da molto tempo.

Ancora una volta la partecipazione è stata buona, con 45 sospensioni effettuate durante il convegno ed un pulling tra 6 persone. Nota altamente positiva, il 30 % dei suspendees erano neofiti, segno che la cultura della pratica della sospensione corporale si sta espandendo, anche e soprattutto tra i più giovani.

Oltre agli italiani, si segnalano partecipanti provenienti da Germania, Spagna, Norvegia e Nuova Zelanda; i gruppi di sospensione che hanno reso possibile tutto l’evento sono APTPI-ST e Wings of Desire (Norvegia), il cui leader, Havve Fjell, ha presentato ufficialmente il 3° Simposio sulle sospensioni corporali che sarà tenuto a Berlino nel maggio 2017.

Come di consueto, durante i 3 giorni del convegno, si tengono anche delle lezioni teoriche: abbiamo avutol’onore in questa edizione di ospitare Paul King, body piercer professionista fin dal 1991 ed insignito del titolo di Master Piercer da Jim Ward nel 1996. Membro attivo dell’APP, è anche avido studioso di etnoantropologia e di antropologia delle modificazioni del corpo e su questi argomenti ha tenuto diverse lezioni in varie Università.

Da noi ha proposto: “Traditions of Hook Swinging in South Asia,” Suspension of Believe and Piercing Rituals of Plains,” and “Sundance;” gli argomenti sono stati molto interessanti ed apprezzati, ed hanno messo in luce altri punti di vista sulla pratica della sospensione, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la finalità, non ludica ma rituale.

Altra novità, alcuni partecipanti hanno realizzato un progetto a sfondo sociale ed antropologico, condotto dall’antropologa Federica Manfredi, che ricerca i motivi, ma anche le sensazioni, che intervengono in chi si sospende. Dopo aver contattato alcune persone, ha stabilito una consegna: cercare, attraverso un’opera artistica, di rappresentare cosa, o come, la coscienza elabori l’atto di sospendersi. Sono stati così prodotti 12 progetti, tutti diversi e tutti unici e personali nel taglio e nella realizzazione, che ha coinvolto molto intensamente isoggetti.

Doveroso ringraziare tutti i partecipanti al SusCon, i relatori e gli sponsors, ma soprattutto tutti i volontari che rendono ogni anno tutto questo una realtà.

Vedere e sentire tanta passione e dedizione per una pratica apparentemente poco usuale e male accettata dalla comunità, ricompensa da ogni fatica e contribuisce a rendere questo evento così emotivamente coinvolgente dal punto di vista umano e culturale.

Vi aspettiamo alla prossima edizione, con altre sorprese!

Point 79: UKAPP Update

Nicole Holmes
UKAPP President

The UKAPP hasn’t been quiet over winter; even if you haven’t heard much from us, we have been busy. Growing in number from six to 14 full members since September, we  now have a members locator on our site and traffic is growing steadily.

There have been two social functions – one in Liverpool and another in Bristol – and lots of online activity. All this activity has allowed us to talk and hash out ideas with people interested in the industry, membership, or involvement at many other levels.

Our now annual Conference is heading into its third year and has proven to be such a huge success that this year we are including a lot more to see and do. Vendors, lessons, our rooms, and discussion groups are all being expanded. We have even added a raffle and photo competition. So, definitely more excitement as we do all our planning and our Conference gets closer!

This year  the conference will be spread over three days, 9/17 through 9/19 at the Raddison in Birmingham. We hope to see you there.

Point 78: Legislative Update – Christina Shull

In the last three months, following the debut of the Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Committee column in Issue 77 of The Point, there have not been many new actions to report. For many states, very little happens on a regulatory level at the beginning and end of the calendar year. This tends to be a time when many government agencies are winding down their fiscal year and budgeting tends to be tight. The end of the year is also a time when scheduling issues frequently arise due to federally observed holidays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

While the Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Committee has not been very active assisting with new regulations or legislation recently, the timing worked out well with our Committee Chair, Steve Joyner having knee surgery in November. If there was ever a good time to be out of commission, a slower time for the committee is probably as good a time as it could get. Luckily, Steve’s surgery went well and he’s back in action! However, please note that while new regulations and legislation have been sparse these last few months, some of our committee members have ongoing regular involvement in Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) and National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) projects which were both discussed at greater length in the previous column.

Some members of the Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Committee have been using the slow season to work on a substantial and exciting project. Over the last several months, “save the date” postcards for the 2017 APP Conference were sent to various health department officials in the hopes of generating interest before state budgets were finalized. The APP offers a free Conference pass (with the exception of the “piercer only” classes) to health department officials who book in the APP room block. A printable copy of this postcard has been included. Feel free to share it with your local health department officials. With our recent outreach efforts and your help, we hope to increase the attendance of these officials at future Conferences.

Now that we are a few months into 2017, legislation is starting to picking up momentum. Work has begun with a new state, in addition to the states and countries that we have been in touch with previously. If you know of regulations or legislation being added or reworked in your area, please contact us at legislation@safepiercing.org.

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.

2016 APP Banquet portraitsAs 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.

Earth from the far reaches of space“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.

point-76-banquet-2016-app-conference

Point 76: Member Updates – Aaron Pollack

Elections
2016 Elections are in full swing at the APP office. We currently have four Board of Directors positions that will end their terms at Conference 2017. Check your email inbox for your ballot. Remember that to participate in voting or running for a position on the Board of Directors the nominee must have completed a membership renewal if necessary, and have all necessary membership documentation including BBP and First Aid/CPR on file with the front office.

Conference Certificates and Photos
Certificates and photos from Conference 2016 are being processed and will be released soon. Keep an eye out for both! The photos will be posted to an official tumblr page for easy access, and will be promoted through email and conference social media pages.

Certificates will be mailed upon completion.

Conference 2016 Recap
Conference 2016 was a resounding success. We had a week jam packed with classes, expo, and our biggest raffle ever!

By the end of the week we had 986 attendees and gave away over $165,000 worth of generously donated prizes.

Thank you to every person who attended, all of our volunteers, our corporate sponsors, vendors, and those who donated.

Conference 2017 will be held June 11–June 16, 2017
at Bally’s Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas