Whether it is an arm or an ankle, a butterfly or a tribal symbol, body art no longer holds the lure of rebellion it once did, according to a new reality-television show airing this month.
The new reality show, “Memory Ink,” features a Gulfport couple who break away from the negative image of the tattoo artist.
Jack and Diane Donovan, longtime tattoo artists in Gulfport, said tattooing is a form of art that has undergone dramatic changes in recent years.
The tattooing duo have joined with Renaissance Entertainment Inc. Advertising Agency, Video & TV Production Company in Pascagoula to create the new show.
They said “Memory Ink” tells the stories behind the tattoo. Television producer Placidio Rivera of REI has been filming the couple’s work and travels since November.
A premier party for the new show was held Sunday at Jack & Diane’s Tattoo of Gulfport at 3105 25th Avenue. “We are excited about making this series and there is a lot of buzz about it,” Rivera said.
Over the past 30 years the Donovans have created thousands of images for their customers at their tattoo shop.
“Tattoos are now memories for people and at times, memorials,” Diane Donovan said. “We see a lot of people walking into our shop that want something drawn up special for them. Not the traditional tattoos you have seen before.” The cultural status of body art has evolved from that of an antisocial activity in the 1960s to a trendy fashion statement.There are personal stories, sometime tragic stories, behind people’s tattoos.
“The best part of this job is that everyone here is like a family, and we love hearing the stories behind the tattoos people want,” Diane Donovan said. Tattooing today is the sixth-fastest-growing retail business in the United States. The single fastest-growing demographic group seeking tattoo services is, to the surprise of many, middle-class suburban women.
“People always look at us and say that we do not look like tattoo artists, because we do not have tattoos all over our bodies,” Diane Donovan said. “But we both have them. I have a desert scene on my back, because I am from California and I got it because I missed home. We consider every aspect of this as art. Tattoos now are not just cool; they are better than that.”