Happy Sundays and Fear City Tattoo to host Tattoo Heritage Project Fundraiser

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Long Beach tattoo artist and owner of Fear City Tattoo, Nestor Zelaya is hosting a fundraiser for the Tattoo Heritage Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, raising funds and awareness to establish the first National tattoo art museum, Tattoo Heritage Museum, to be located in Long Beach, CA. 

This two day event in partnership with Happy Sundays will host tattoo artists, creating original artwork and priced within $100-$300 depending on design. No custom work, just bangers off of flash designed by artists, as part of an homage to old school tattooing practices. 

Nestor recently attended the Tattoo Heritage Project’s presentation to the Long Beach ACT (Arts, Culture and Tourism) Committee, and has been a supporter of this cause. The presentation was met with a unanimously favorable response, which then led to dialogues with other city entities, including economic development and tourism.  “When I first heard about the Tattoo Heritage Project, I  immediately recognized the importance of such a movement, not only as a tattooer but as a long time Long Beach resident. Tattooing has been woven in human history since the early days of man. It is important culturally throughout the world and yet it still holds such a strong stigma in society, and the only way to overcome that is through education. We have lost so much important history of American tattooing due to the isolating nature of this industry, and it's a shame. Tattooing is about giving back and never taking from it. It has given me a means to feed my family, support the community I live in, and form bonds with some of the best people I have ever met. I'll always be in service of tattooing, and when I saw the chance to help the project I jumped on the opportunity.”

Happy Sundays, a free two day multi venue event started by musicians Scott Montoya and Julia Kugel-Montoya. On it’s eighth edition, it’s taking the shape of the pioneer days of the SXSW experience. This year 7 venues participate in hosting around 50 bands. In addition to music and tattooing, comedy and aerospace talks are part of the weekend event’s programming. 

Tattoo Heritage Project 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded by legendary Tattoo Artists, Good Time Charlie Cartwright and Long Beach’s own Kari Barba, in addition to founding board members Jack Rudy, JD Crowe, Corey Miller, and Chuey Quintanar, have seen a series of nationwide events being held by tattooers, early adopter cities like San Antonio, Houston, Spokane, and Tucson have already held events to either help raise funds or spread the word about the project.

Joining Good Time Charlie and Kari Barba on the board of Tattoo Heritage Project, Josh Chesler — who brought Happy Sundays into the mix — says “As tattooing has grown as a global industry and artform over the last couple of decades, it’s due time it receives an institution to honor and maintain its history and heritage just like many other culturally important mediums. By bringing the Tattoo Heritage Project to Happy Sundays, we can introduce its mission to many people who may be unfamiliar with it and increase its presence in what is arguably the most important city in tattoo history.”

Chesler, a longtime tattoo journalist and historian, currently works in communications at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and helped curate the museum’s Tattoo exhibit in 2017. 

The Pike’s history in tattooing is a story seldom told here in Long Beach, although known in tattoo circles world wide. Good Time Charlie, who frequented the pike from the mid 1950s into the mid 70s recalls, “The Pike was a naval port and tattoo parlors thrived in that area. A lot of notable tattooers got their start here, in the business. For that reason alone, The Pike or the area of Long Beach has played a great role in American tattooing. Working at the Pike was kind of a formative institution for Tattooers. People have grown to automatically associate Long Beach and the Pike with Tattooing. I worked there for three years in the early 70’s, and that’s where I started professionally tattooing, I would actually say publicly tattooing. I always did private stuff before that. But The Pike is where I got my chops too.” 

 “The Pike as we knew it, is nonexistent today. There is only one Tattoo shop that remains from The Pike days, that’s the original shop of Bert Grimm’s, which is the oldest, continually run shop today in the US (since 1927). It’s now named Outer Limits Tattoo and owned/operated by Kari Barba. It’s the only remnant that remains, it’s in the original spot, and I thank her for that, and most American Tattoo Artists and enthusiasts should thank her for that too. For preserving that piece of American History.”

Another highlight is Tattoo Heritage Project board members Corey Miller and Josh Chesler will be playing music across the street from Fear Tattoo at Alex's Bar on Saturday, August 24. Corey's band Powerflex 5 which includes legend Steve Alba goes on at 6pm. Josh's band Decent Times takes the stage at 3pm.