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Permanent marks: Tattoo Expo back in Morgantown for weekend

MORGANTOWN – The West Virginia Tattoo Expo returns to Morgantown for the 12th annual summer session at the Morgantown Event Center at 2 Waterfront Place this weekend.

The event includes on-site tattoos and piercings from over 200 artists, according to wvtattooexpo.com. There will also be an on-site art gallery, a Miss Tattooed West Virginia pageant and contests, including "Tattoo of the Day," "Sleeve" "and "Most Regrettable Tattoo."

Rocco Cunningham, Clarksburg native and WVU alum, founded the expo in 2013, but has been tattooing for the last 23 years.

He said his favorite part of the event is seeing returning artists.

"The expo feels more than just a convention at this point for tattoo artists, it's more like a family reunion," he said. "Many of us have been here since the first show, and that was 14 years ago. A lot of us have grown up together, and we've watched families grow. We've become friends outside of tattooing as well."

This year, tattooers have come from across the country and overseas, specializing in a variety of styles, such as American traditional, realism, abstract and more. Appointments can be made prior to the event with a particular artist, or walk-ons are also available.

Cunningham founded the expo after years of traveling across the country tattooing. He said he wanted to bring a sense of community back to his home state.

"I'm a very proud West Virginian," he said. "I love my state. I wanted West Virginia to have a tattoo convention to call their own, that West Virginia could be proud of, that the tattoo community can be proud of."

Cunningham said safety is his No. 1 priority, and all tattooers are licensed with the Monongalia County Health Department. In addition to safety, Cunningham is proud to have kept the event family-friendly since its inception.

"My daughter was seven when I started the expo, and it was important to me that she can be here and not see things she shouldn't," Cunningham said.

Cunningham said he originally went to school to become a lawyer, but is grateful he followed his passion.

"There's nothing else on this planet I'd rather do," he said. "I feel blessed every day I get to do it. In 23 years, I have never once said 'Damn, I wish I'd have went to law school.'"

He encouraged people to attend the event to get their first tattoos, find inspiring art for future designs and meet welcoming people.

"I believe if you attended an event, such as the West Virginia Tattoo Expo, that you would see how truly incredible the tattoo community really is, and that people with tattoos are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. If you have tattoos, you don't judge somebody if they don't have a tattoo. This is an all-inclusive, non-judgmental environment."

Admission is $20 a day or $50 for a weekend pass. Get $5 off with a student or military ID, and children under 12 get in free.

The event runs from noon-10 p.m. Saturday, and noon-7 p.m. Sunday. A full schedule of events can be found at the tattoo expo website.

If unable to attend this session, the expo is also held annually in the spring and fall with dates to be announced.