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Ethics Unplugged: Mick Metal on the History and Meaning of Tattooing

By April 19, 2023April 24th, 2023No Comments

At this Ethics Unplugged we were joined by guest speaker Mick Metal to discuss the long history of body modification, and what the art means to him and others.

Mick began his career in 2003 as a piecer at Stiehl’s Body Modification in Ithaca, moving to Shotsie’s Tattoo in Wayne, NJ in 2004 and working as famous artist Shotsie Gorman’s last apprentice. Mick left to buy a tattoo shop in Guttenberg, NJ and then sold it to open Revolution Tattoo Co. in Pearl River, NY.

In 2014 Mick and other tattooists organized to fight against new ink laws in New York that were proposed and passed without artists input, ultimately getting the laws rewritten and signed by then Governor Cuomo. As an advocate for tattooing, Mick is a Board Member of the Alliance of Professional Tattooists and continues to fight for the rights of tattoo artists nationwide.

April Theme: Stories Our Bodies Tell

This month we will be exploring the stories our bodies tell through choice and chance. For many of us tattoos are an important way to tell the stories of our lives. For some, scars derived from accidents or surgeries have equally profound stories to share. Join us as we explore these mediums of life.

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