Winslow Arts Council Chairwoman Sarah Smithson (at left) received her first tattoo from artist David Maestas at the council’s inaugural Ink Fest on Oct. 24.
The month of October marked a number of firsts for the Winslow Arts Council this year as the council rounded out its activities and diversified its cultural outreach at its first Ink Fest.
The free public event showcased the professional artistry of seven local tattoo crafters, including Winslow’s own Wildcat Tattoo, Avail Tattoo Studio, Black Bar Private Tattoo Studio and Lowbrow Gallery & Tattoo Studio, all of Flagstaff, Slowtown Ink, and artist Johnny McCarty of Munds Park. Radio personalities Mike Menter and Brittney Patton of KZGL 103.7 The Eagle were also on-hand and kept the event lively.
“The artists were busy from the moment the event opened,” related Winslow Arts Council representative Roberta Cano. “It was an extraordinary event for the artists. It was really a different cultural experience for Winslow, but it turned out really well. People whom we didn’t think would come came out to support the event.”
Along with a children’s coloring contest, various tattoo competitions and a pinup girl contest hosted throughout the day, a highlight of the fest was the inking of Winslow Arts Council Chairwoman Sarah Smithson.
Cano says of the surprise, “She is a very proper person that you would never expect to get a tattoo. She actually volunteered to receive her first tattoo if we were able to raise $1,000 at the event. Sarah was a great canvas, and her artist, David Maestas, did an awesome job. I think she’s hooked, she mentioned getting a rose tattoo next.”
Cano says the fest proved as culturally profitable as the Arts Council had hoped, noting “For us, the event wasn’t about making money, it was about providing something new and different for Winslow, which we did and we were very successful.”
