Tattooed women celebrated
Naval and Historical Museum kicks off exhibit in Vallejo
Women have always left their mark in Vallejo but on Saturday at the Naval and Historical Museum visitors had a chance to see their canvas.
The museum kicked off the first of four free programs over the next two months that focus on inked women in California’s history. The Saturday main event was a gallery walk through by Amy Cohen, the curator of “Tattooed and Tenacious.” Stephen Jacobson photos of local women with tattoos were also on display.
Tanya Chilcote was one of the 21 Vallejo women featured on the museum’s walls and she seemed happy with the exhibit. Chilcote’s photo showcased her mermaid tattoo, which was made by local artist Jeanie Kyair, also known as Red Genie. Kyair was also shown on the museum wall.
“It’s great to see (the photo) be
cause I never get to really see the tattoo because it’s on my back,” Chilcote said. “The exhibit is nice and I guess I didn’t realize that Vallejo has so much history with tattoos. But it makes sense with all the military history.”
Idexa Stern, who has been a tattoo artist for 28 years and for the last 25 years in San Francisco at Black & Blue Tattoo in the Mission District, was on hand to check out the exhibit with her friend. Although she’s been in the business for nearly three decades, she admits she still learned a few things during the walk-through by Cohen.
“I knew a lot of stuff already, but I don’t know all the names and I don’t always know all the details,” Stern said. “I don’t always know all of the tribes and I don’t know all of the stories … When I first became a tattoo artist it was largely male populated. I knew a couple of women in the area with tattoos, but not like today. I think what changed was a need for a ritual to mark events and there was a need for self-expressionism and a way to differentiate themselves.”
Cohen, who has a few tattoos herself, was happy with the turnout and said it was the largest she’s had so far.
“I’m so glad so many people came out, especially with the 49ers’ game about to start,” Cohen said, with a laugh. To which one spectator joked, “You got 30 minutes for this,” which caused more laughter from the crowd.
Cohen went on to have a discussion with the crowd, educating them on how the history of tattoos in the state with women, including Olive Oatman, the first white woman documented with ink. She also discussed Beddy Rodman, who had over 350 tattoos.
“This has been amazing,” Cohen said just before starting her discussion. “What I love about each museum is seeing how each city brings the local components and makes it their own.”
Cohen, who graduated from Wooster, a liberal arts college in Ohio, said she got her first tattoo at the age of 14.
“My dad knew about it but it was funny because he said, ‘Only bikers and rebels get tattoos,’” Cohen said, with a laugh. “I didn’t own a motorcycle, so I must have been a rebel, which was funny to hear because I was this straight-A student.”
Jacobson, who took the photos of the Vallejo women during two sessions, one in
October during a power outage in Vallejo and the other in December, was also happy to see spectators enjoying his work.
“It’s wonderful and I feel very proud that they hired me to do this,” Jacobson said. “They say every tattoo has a story, sometimes a very long story. It’s amazing how much they mean to people. I have my favorites, but of course they are all gorgeous.”
Jim Kern, the executive director of the museum, explained that the tattoo culture is huge in Vallejo.
“You can’t throw a stone in Vallejo without it hitting a tattoo shop, so it’s a great tradition here,” Kern said. “What I love about the 21 women photographed is that they are all different ages and had all these different reasons for getting tattoos. All the portraits are just beautiful and the tattoos are beautiful. And the stories are about the tattoos are as varied as the people that have them.”
Kern, as well as museum volunteer Trevor Allen, was also excited to say that the museum was awarded a grant a few months ago for $5,000 from the Commission on Culture and the Arts. The grant helped put the exhibit together.
The free programs continue at the museum in January and February, starting next week with Kyair talking about “Connecting Mind, Body, and Spirit through Tattoos.” During her speech at 1 p.m. on Jan. 18 she will connect the historical thread between modern body adornment and ancestral skin imagery.
Other free programs will take place on Feb. 1 and Feb. 15, with each discussion starting at 1 p.m.