That dolphin tattoo on your lower back belongs in a museum.
Well maybe not that one, but the Field Museum is bringing “Tattoo” to Chicago in October. Initially developed by Musee du Quai Branly in Paris, “Tattoo” is the next major temporary exhibition, and will feature the history of tattooing and artifacts related to tattooing in different cultures.
Scheduled to run from Oct. 21, 2016 to April 30, 2017, the Field Museum is also “working on some elements of the exhibition that will be specific to tattooing in Chicago.”
The practice and artistry of tattooing goes back more than 5,000 years and this exhibit will feature 170 objects as well as pieces from the museum’s permanent collection. “The central message of the exhibition is about human creativity,” says Alaka Wali, the Field Museum’s Curator of North American Anthropology. “It’s important to understand creativity’s different manifestations and not dismiss cultural practices and art forms because they were somehow stigmatized.”
So don’t be ashamed about getting the name of your ex tattooed on your chest, or that sweet tribal tattoo you got in the 90s. Just put a frame around it and call it art.
