Needle your way around Boston's 2007 Tattoo Convention
If classes are already getting under your skin or you want to make a lasting memory of the semester, check out the sixth annual Boston Tattoo Convention at the Boston Center for the Arts on Tremont Street. Hundreds of artists from around the country will be showcasing their work, tattooing customers, and competing in several tattoo competitions. Artists will be judged in categories including 'Tattoo of the Day,' 'Large Color' and 'Fine Art Piece.'
The convention has academic aspirations; it boasts roughly one seminar per day. Some, like the Bloodborne Pathogen Seminar, aim to educate the public about tattooing health and safety. Others are designed to help aspiring tattoo artists improve their skills.
Overall, the convention promises to be more of a party than anything else. Prize giveaways, slideshows and live DJs create a festival-like atmosphere, and every night ends with a Beer Garden After-Party. The convention is ticketed and lasts from Sept. 6 until Sept. 9.
The MFA hosts a variety of events at the dawn of the new semester
If you find yourself with a need for more culture and have excess time on your hands this weekend, why not head down to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (Tufts students get in free, mind you) to check out one of the many special events? To begin your afternoon, take a free guided tour of the entire museum led by trained guides. If this is your first time to the MFA, this is definitely the way to go.
This Friday, Sept. 7, the MFA hosts mfafirstfridays, a meet-and-greet of sorts for all those artistically inclined. With cocktails for those over 21 and food for all, the event is a great way to get familiar with the museum and meet other cultured Bostonians at the same time. The event runs from 5:30 through 9:30 p.m. in the Koch Gallery.
On Saturday, Sept. 8, Bill Callahan, front man and only member of the band Smog, performs with Sir Richard Bishop. In case you're new to Bill's wry style of deadpan baritone storytelling and irreverent song structure, be prepared for an evening of adventurous yet surprisingly catchy music. Callahan's latest CD is his first to be released under his real name rather than Smog. It's entitled "Woke on A Whaleheart" and is out on Drag City records. General Admission is $20, but for an extra five you can get guaranteed front row seating.
The New Crowned Hope film series, featuring films from Peter Sellars' New Crowned Hope Film Festival in Vienna, Austria, is also running this weekend through next week at the MFA. The international array of films includes "Half Moon," a Kurdish view of a road trip through modern-day Iraq, "Syndromes and A Century," a Thai filmmaker's reflection on her parents' relationship before they were married, and "Daratt," a story of avenging death in the war-torn nation of Chad directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun.
-compiled by Naomi Bryant and Grant Beighley
