Media Contact: Julie Richter | Charles Zukow Associates
415.296.0677 | [email protected]
For Immediate Release
The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco celebrates
SKIN DEEP: THE ART OF TATTOO
An Exhibit in the Katz Snyder Gallery
Free Opening Event on Wednesday, November 2
includes live installation by artist Paul Mullowney
Exhibition open October 3, 2016 – January 20, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO (August 24, 2016) — The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF)
announced today Skin Deep: The Art Of Tattoo, a new exhibition in the Katz Snyder Gallery, Monday,
October 3 through Friday, January 20, 2017. Skin Deep explores the ancient art and cultural traditions of
tattoos, featuring tattoo-making traditions from ancient cultures through today’s contemporary tattoos,
including how the Jewish perspective on tattoos has evolved. The JCCSF will celebrate the edgy
exhibition with a free, public event on Wednesday, November 2, 6 – 9 p.m., featuring food, music,
tattoo demonstrations, live art installation and more. The event will also feature a film screening of Ed
Hardy: Tattoo the World, featuring local tattoo legend Don Ed Hardy, followed by a conversation with
the authors of Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos, Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy
MacNaughton, exploring the convergence of Bay Area tattoo artists and chefs. The event is free to the
public, but reservations are required. RSVP to [email protected] or by calling 415.292.1233.
“San Francisco has long been a hotbed of tattoo activity and as tattoos have become a mainstream part
of fashion and self expression, the JCCSF is an ideal space for the community to explore topics that may
have once been thought of as taboo or controversial,” said Barbara Lane, Director of Arts & Ideas. “With
this exhibition and the event on November 2, we’re opening our doors to thought leaders, tattoo
enthusiasts, and, of course, the wider San Francisco community in all its diversity.”
Skin Deep is organized by JCCSF Curator of Exhibitions, David J. de la Torre, in collaboration with cocurators Juan Puente and Takahiro Kitamura.
According to de la Torre, “Since the 1970s San Francisco has been at the epicenter of a tattoo
renaissance. Skin Deep is meant to provide a rich educational experience while playing tribute to some
of the Bay Area’s most accomplished contemporary artists who have made significant contributions to a
greater understanding and appreciation of this ever popular art form.”
Accompanying the exhibition is a special site specific installation inspired by tattoo traditions created by
local artist and master printmaker, Paul Mullowney. Large-scale woodcuts and etchings will be created
and pasted directly to the gallery walls in a performance piece culminating at the November 2 event.
The Katz Snyder Gallery is located on the second floor of the JCCSF and is open free to the public:
Monday through Thursday: 8 am to 10 pm. and Friday through Sunday: 8 am to 6 pm. For additional
information, please visit www.jccsf.org.
More about Skin Deep:
The exhibition’s historical section highlights American, Japanese and Pacific Islander tattooing with fine
examples of tools and modern tattoo machines including American, traditional Japanese hand tools or
nomi and finely crafted Samoan hand tools such as 'au and sausau.
Emphasizing the important contributions of San Francisco Bay Area artists to the growth of tattoo
culture worldwide, the contemporary section of the exhibition features over 20 regional artists who
have become well established in this burgeoning field, many of whom have technical and fine arts
training.
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About the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF)
The JCCSF has been serving the Bay Area since 1877 with programs that help individuals and the
community to flourish. A second home for San Franciscans of all backgrounds and beliefs, the
JCCSF welcomes more than 5,000 guests each day to world-class cultural events, a state-of-the-art
fitness center, outstanding preschools and after-school enrichment, and hundreds of inspiring
educational, recreational, social and wellness programs for all ages. The JCCSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
whose programs are made possible through the generous support of the community.
The JCCSF is located at 3200 California Street. For more information, please visit www.jccsf.org.
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