Brave of US Tattoo Contest

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance launched the Brave Of Us Tattoo Design Contest, calling on all tattoo artists and apprentices to express what it looks like to be in solidarity with immigrants at this moment in history. Find contest submission guidance, deadlines, and FAQs here.

“Our tattoos have meaning,” said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. “They represent family, faith, and other parts of our lives. Tattoos also transcend cultures, races, languages, and backgrounds. The Trump administration and police agencies have tried to criminalize people with tattoos, but we won’t let them. Tattoos are an outward expression of our inner feelings. They represent beauty and love, pain and survival. We’re holding this contest to reclaim the meaning of tattoos, and our right to express ourselves on our bodies. We can’t wait to see tattoo artists’ interpretation of what it means to be in solidarity with immigrants at this moment in history.”

The contest is led by Dexter Komakaru (@DXTROSE), an Ohio visual artist of Mexican and Native American migratory lineages, and connected to a nationwide campaign called Brave Of US.

“Tattoos and the way we carry our culture on our bodies predate the current colonial story we are living in. In the same way, so does human migration, bodily autonomy, self-determination, and freedom of movement. These are all concepts that are much older than the U.S. border itself, and the modern laws being used to criminalize immigrants and migrant communities.” said Komakaru, Project Manager of the #BraveOfUS Tattoo Contest. “It is the duty of our lifetimes, right now, to rewrite the story we are being given. This contest is just one part of community harnessing our creative power and potential to shift larger narratives towards a future of liberation for all.”

Read more about the contest on the Ohio Immigrant Alliance website.