Ask the Experts: Thomas Santelli, Author of “Coney Island Ink: Portraits of the Coney Island Tattoo Festival”, with special guests Amy Krakow & Amy Shearn

In the late 1980s, in the midst of New York City’s infamous tattoo ban, Sideshows by the Seashore on the legendary Coney Island Boardwalk began hosting an event distinct from its usual fare of sword-swallowers, snake charmers, and other marvels: the annual Coney Island Tattoo Festival. With New York’s tattoo artists driven underground and the art form publicly condemned as part of a dangerous fringe culture, this gathering in “the People’s Playground” served as a safe haven, drawing in tattoo enthusiasts from across the city and beyond. It also drew in a photographer from the Bronx who was fascinated by this world and the people who inhabited it. While not tattooed himself, for seven years Thomas Santelli served as the Festival’s designated “official photographer,” documenting this colorful event and the remarkable people who attended it with care and veneration.

Thomas Santelli will be joined by special guest Amy Krakow, author, and promoter, producer and director of the Coney Island Tattoo Festivals, and award-winning novelist, Amy Shearn.

*Please note - a limited number of books will be available for purchase at the event. We encourage folks to pre-purchase a copy of the book beforehand to bring to the event to be signed. Books are available at all major bookstores as well as independent sellers.

*Suggested Donation  $5

Admission Free for CIUSA members and residents of 11224

*Your $5 donation supports the Coney Island Museum, including our Ask the Experts programs.