Apprenticeship in Canadian Tattooing: An Oral History of 2SLGBTQIA+ and Disabled Artists in Tattoo Education

Abstract

This dissertation examines apprenticeships in contemporary Western tattooing with an emphasis on counter-hegemonic movements lead by racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, and disabled artists. Drawing from a series of shared authority oral history interviews with thirteen queer/disabled tattoo artists, conducted within an auto/biographical context, my dissertation examines how structural inequalities are replicated and upheld within the tattoo apprenticeship system; further, the deliberate obfuscation of knowledge regarding tattoo learning upholds systems of patriarchal, ableist, and white supremacist systems. These systems are currently challenged by racialized, queer, and disabled artists through a multiplicity of ways including forms of DIY tattooing, trauma-informed tattooing, collectivism and non-hierarchical studio structures, harm reduction methodologies, and public transparency on tattooing as an industry. This dissertation consists of a theoretical introduction considering precarity and the gig economy within arts industries, particularly tattooing, followed by four chapters which feature participant case studies constructed from oral history interviews. “An Overview of Apprenticeship, Mentoring, and Current Regulations” considers the regulatory apparatus of tattooing within an Ontario and Canadian specific context and develops a baseline for the specific of tattoo education. “Disability and Tattooing” addresses the barriers and impacts of gig economy work from a disability lens, alongside recommendations for the implementation of accessibility for clientele. “Queer Tattooing” outlines the use of subordinating language and microaggressions as weaponized systemically within arts spaces, especially tattoo studios. “Race, Colourism, and Tattooing” evaluates systemic colourism within tattooing, including the use of medical misinformation around keloids and addresses both the consequences of systemic racism in gig economies alongside community resistance, particularly Indigenous ancestral i cultural tattoo revitalization. The “Conclusion” chapter addresses specific recommendations for industry improvements both for the apprenticeship system and regulations within Canada, followed by an evaluation of the impacts of gig economy work within artistic industries and institutions more broadly, drawing from Michel Foucault’s concept of discipline as a regulatory apparatus. By examining the ways in which marginalized artists have experienced their tattoo education, alongside their recommendations for industry improvements, this dissertation aims to reflect on the barriers and proposals for change identified by 2SLGBTQIA+ and/or disabled tattoo artists.