Page 32 - Demo

PAINMAGAZINE 30
Now in its third year, the Lubbock Tattoo Expo is a bit different from the big glitzy events with sideshow acts, beauty pageants and car shows --- here, it's all about the artists and their tattoo talents. Promotor Mike Diaz is a full-time tattoo artist, and owner of Lubbock's Sunken City
Ink, and he says, after checking out other kinds of tattoo shows around the country, that by artists, for artists is the best way to go.
“As an artist, I understand what it is that artists look for. . . a lot of expos focus on music and celebrities rather than bringing people in to make the artists money,” Diaz says. “We promote our artists full time, and we also do a lot of old school interaction to bring people in. We also try and educate people on what a tattoo expo is really all about.”
The three-day event drew close to 5,000 people to the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center to check out more than 150 artists representing the Southwest states, as well as from other places in the country and as far away as France. Diaz keeps the invite-only show intimate so that all artists stay busy and the people attending have the opportunity to see the tattooing up-close and personal without being rushed. A smaller show also gives the artists more of a chance to network.
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