Tattoo expo coming to Hard Rock in Wheatland
Aug. 6—The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain in Wheatland will be housing its first tattoo convention in August, thanks to the efforts of Rodney Herrera of Elegant Arts Tattoo Parlor in Marysville.
This three-day event will run Aug. 12-14 in the Kumi Event Center, located on the north side of the casino next to Hard Rock Live.
Around a hundred different artists from across the West Coast are expected to attend, with 34 different booths booked for the event. Each day will feature a variety of competitions ranging from "most realistic" to "best one-hour tat." A select panel of judges from diverse artistic backgrounds will review each work and score them based on a list of applicable criteria. Artists with the highest score will be dubbed the "winner."
"It's just a fun incentive for artists to showcase their work and get a little extra exposure," Herrera said.
These competitions will take place in the evening, but tattooers, piercers, and other related vendors will be available to guests all day throughout the event.
Herrera organized the expo after a successful attempt at his shop called the Tattoo Invitational, back in April. The invitational was the first of its kind within the Yuba-Sutter area and was a unifying experience for many of the local shops that participated.
But the Elegant Arts parlor could only hold so many people. Patrons filled the shop and lined up around the building waiting for their chance to get a piece from their favorite artist.
"I wanted to make sure people had the space to walk around and that the artists wouldn't be bumping into each other," Herrera said. "The Kumi Center will be great because it's a huge ballroom with the capacity to hold over 2,000 people. Plus we'll be running for three days so everyone should have a chance to come out and participate if they want to."
For Herrera, the primary incentive behind these events is to expand the community's knowledge and outlook on tattoo culture and to give more locals a chance to connect with other artists. Some stereotypes have made it difficult for heavily tattooed individuals to keep jobs or receive adequate health care. Herrera feels that bringing more exposure to the tattoo industry will help people understand its diversity and correct some of the misguided ideas behind tattooing.
The first step in planning the convention was to open booth rentals to a ring of local shops. After that, Herrera slowly rippled his marketing out to reach communities such as Redding, Roseville, and Davis. From there, things continued to expand and within two months his event was completely booked.
"I'll probably be breaking even on this," said Herrera. "But money isn't the point. This is an event by artists for artists and I hope the community appreciates that."
On Instagram, the events page has racked up over 2,000 followers and has been highlighting the portfolios of its registered artists. To view some of their work, search "fire_mountain_tattoo_expo" on Instagram. For Facebook, look up Herrera's shop page, "Elegant Arts Tattooing."
Tickets for admission will be available at the event starting at $15 for a single day or $20 for the entire weekend. Doors will open at 11 a.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday with tattooing expected to end by 10 p.m. each day. For more information, email elegantarts888@gmail.com. The Kumi Event Center at Hard Rock Sacramento is located at 3317 Forty Mile Road in Wheatland.
