Ink, Art, and Community: Spotlight on the Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention

The Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention has brought together world-class tattoo artists, painters, performers, and creators for one of the city’s most anticipated cultural events. It’s more than just body art—it’s a celebration of creativity, craftsmanship, and community. This year’s event promises incredible talent, unforgettable performances, and plenty of inspiration. Stay tuned to our Instagram on October 1 for a chance to win VIP tickets to experience it all up close!

CultureWorks: How does this convention create connections between artists and the broader Richmond community?

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention: The goal of the Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention is to further stimulate our already thriving art scene within Richmond by attracting the most influential artists in today's art world. We also aim to position Richmond as a nucleus of the international art community, which is bolstered by our rich convention history dating back to 1988.

The event attracts international, national, regional, and local artists, exhibitors, entertainers, and vendors who all come together for this epic 3-day gathering. Not only can Richmonders meet their favorite artists, they can also take classes in the Arts Academy on Monday, October 20th. This is a super special opportunity for aspiring and established artists to learn from artistic legends. Learn more.

CultureWorks: Tattooing is both an ancient tradition and a constantly evolving art form. How do you see it blending history with innovation at this convention?

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention: You can't talk about tattoo history without talking about the Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention. As the longest-running tattoo convention in the world, we take our history very seriously. We’ve got historical tattoo displays and an informative history timeline installation at the event for guests to learn and engage with. It's an immersion in history, and many of the artists love sharing stories about their time in the arts and tattoo world. Take a deeper dive into the history on our website.

CultureWorks: What role does tattoo culture play in shaping Richmond’s identity as an arts city?

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention: That's a great question! Thanks to several colleges and a vibrant blend of cultures, we're an art-forward city. From murals to art schools to theater to museums to one of the best tattoo scenes in the world, creativity is encouraged and celebrated here in RVA. It's a safe space to express yourself and to celebrate others and their art. This VPM article shares a little bit more behind the popularity of tattoos here in RVA.

CultureWorks: Do you see collaborations between tattoo artists and other local creatives (musicians, visual artists, fashion, etc.) happening here?

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention: This event is all about collaboration! For example, mural artist Nico Cathcart is collaborating with local nonprofit Studio Two Three on a special screen print T-shirt design that will be available for purchase during the convention. In addition, we'll have several artists working on live paintings all weekend long that we will auction off online at the end of the weekend. See a full preview of these Live Art for Charity artists here.

You'll see other artists teaming up on tattoos and unique stories, like host Jesse Smith working with Carbon Leaf bassist Jon Markel to create a tattoo they both love. See the story here.

Cultureworks: do you have a favorite memory from past Richmond Tattoo & Arts Conventions?

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention: Every year is different! Last year, we launched the Pin Up Competition hosted by Baby Girl Vintage. It was so much fun, and we had more participants than expected. We're excited to see it go down again, this year with a western twist! The kids’ tattoo competition is also a blast.

Kids can use washable markers to tattoo a friend or family member and compete for prizes just like any other artist! It's so fun to watch them present their work on stage. We have a new special Tatter Tot kids ticket package this year with a T-shirt, coloring pages, stickers, a tote, and more goodies.

The Karaoke Cage matches at night are not so kid-friendly, but a total riot. It's a fresh comedic take on traditional karaoke contests that pit guests against each other. It's always so fun, and the crowd gets into it. You can see all the fun live entertainment here.

CultureWorks: What do you hope people who attend the convention this year walk away thinking or feeling?

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention: Art is for everybody, and this is one annual event where you can truly feel that. We are a community and family of artists and art lovers united around similar values: Art, Tattoos, Family, and Fun.

Whether you want a tattoo, to meet celebrity artists, see artists working live, to connect with other creatives, to shop unique collectibles and vintage finds, there's a space for you here. And when you need a break, there's great local food, beer, wine, and music to enjoy all weekend long.

CultureWorks: For those who want to get involved, how can they find out more information about the convention?

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention: Get tickets, event schedule, and more at richmondtattooconvention.com and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the know! We also regularly do ticket giveaways for members of our text list, so I’d highly recommend signing up for that on our website.

If you are an artist or would be interested in having a booth at the convention, just head to our website and click the contact button to find submission forms for artists, exhibitors, and entertainers!