Living Window display raises issues with organizers

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A particular display in the Downtown Living Windows tradition created a stir Friday, leading organizers of the event to look at possibly giving instructions for displays in the future.

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At the annual event Friday, Capital Tattoo displayed its first Living Windows contribution — a woman getting a Japanese phoenix tattoo on her hip in front of thousands of onlookers.

Sam Bushman, who organizes the Living Windows event, said in a letter to the editor that this year’s event had problems with one window, but that it would not happen again.

“At different times, we had an exposed derriere,” Bushman said of the tattoo display. “That didn’t sit well with some of the families ... some people were offended by the window.”

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Sequoia 1 year, 5 months ago

I can't imagine what the business owner was thinking here. They couldn't think of anything funny or Xmasy to do in their window chair? Was this a case of poor situational awareness or a calculated attempt to cause a stir?

JCLifer 1 year, 5 months ago

Evil tatoo'ers need to be banned. Better to put in yet another bar there and let people get drunk.

asb 1 year, 5 months ago

And a handsome derriere it wiere . . . but not really suited to the crowd. I would hope that the organizers and the artist can come to some arrangement for next year. Nothing like rubbing peoples' noses in it . . .

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 5 months ago

I guess people would rather see some guy get "Mother" tattoed on his arm. UnBias put it clearly below. Some people can be decent-looking on the outside and awfully ugly on the inside.

A bare hip is not obscene.

soxfan 1 year, 5 months ago

asb if it was not suited for the crowd why was there a crowd ?

don l

asb 1 year, 5 months ago

Very good point. I must've been there early 'cause there wasn't much.

UnBias 1 year, 5 months ago

"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." - J.F.K

We are living in a time of change and growth, we should not restrict ourselves to solely our belief of what is proper or improper. We need to allow for the expansion and growth of our freedom and express that freedom as we see correct. To challenge the expression of ones ideas, is to imprison that persons will. In this day and age it is time to break from the mold and our past "fears" and "ideas" and allow for others to expand our views and our thoughts.

To Restrict the mind is to kill the soul..... and we have enough restricted minds in one of the smallest capitals in the country. Time for growth and expansion! I applaud them for there fearless presentation.

burner_t 1 year, 5 months ago

<p>@Unbias...Well said!

Rison 1 year, 5 months ago

Why doesn't JC just go ahead and update the charter by implementing sharia law? Every time I read something like this, I imagine the "leaders" of JC in a circle, mouths afoam, snarling, rocks in hand, ready to punish the evil-doer who so unabashedly bared a portion of skin to the masses. This single unscrupulous act by the artist and client, if not unpunished, could no doubt lead to mass hysteria, disease, crime, drugs, non-missionary relations, zombie feral animals, and maybe even spontaneous human combustion. Time to step out of the Dark Ages.

asb 1 year, 5 months ago

How sad. A person can train and practice an art for years and along comes a paranoid moralist condemning them as an agent of the deevil. Slippery slope, darkness, depravity, wholesomeness . . . this sounds like a caricature of a foaming good book thumping, bug-eyed back-woods preacher seeing the devil in a telephone or camera. Maybe Graceful should establish a committee to examine the dancers' costumes for pruient impact next year. These attitudes make Sharia look like common sense.

lulu 1 year, 5 months ago

This was in very poor taste! There were many children downtown and this certainly wasn't an appropriate time for something like this.

I'm all for new things and new ideas but this was over the top. BAD decision!

JCLifer 1 year, 5 months ago

Yeah, we don't want children to know that tatoos exist and that people have hips. The more we can keep them unaware of these things and not teach them, the better prepared they will be when they have to go out into the world.

asb 1 year, 5 months ago

Lulu for cryin' out loud there was swearing, groping, drinking and an occaisional whiff of pot on an otherwise wonderful and very safe wholesome event . . . maybe we should just cancel next year's event for fear of overexposure of the faint of hear to actual life. The TV news is worse. CSI anywhere is worse.

Sequoia 1 year, 5 months ago

There wasn't that much of a crowd (at the tattoo window... the overall crowd was huge). Few stood there and watched. It really seemed awkward. That's why I wondered if the business intended to produce this response.

ASB: Unfortunately nobody could tell whether this particular tattoo artist was good or not. None of the passers-by could see the actual tattoo. So, if the goal was to showcase some fantastic artistic ability, the display failed. All I saw was pelvis.

Good grief, y'all's tendancy to make grand, sweeping statements about depravity or silencing the freedom of the mind and sharia law is so silly. You all are like jack-in-the-boxes with one pop-up opinion. And, slipperly slope arguments are the least persuasive type: life exists on a slippery slope.

dcrabb22 1 year, 5 months ago

Actually everyone that works at the shop has awards of some sort to do with art and Tattooing...... They actually had a 40 inch Flat screen TV displaying there artwork right next to my girlfriend getting tattooed in the window.... but it obviously was blocked by the crowd, or you were to busy focusing on my girls "pelvis" to see a 40 inch Flat screen Tv sitting about waist high for everyone to see....

There Work can also be seen at CapitalTattooCompany.com

Sequoia 1 year, 5 months ago

So, was it your girlfriend's idea to get tattooed in the front window, or was that the store's idea?

wcywing 1 year, 5 months ago

lots of military folks have tatoos, does that make them fascists, devil worshipers, etc? i don't think so. Tatoos are not evil. of course this is JC, and nowhere else in the world would this actually make the news.

jcguy 1 year, 5 months ago

I agre with you wcywing, this is jc. Most people are afraid to come out of the dark ages.

devil_man_666 1 year, 5 months ago

They are so Evil ! ...haven't you been paying attention?

If something is wrong with this world, you can bet there's a tattooed person behind that problem!

this guy i know, he got a tattoo.... his first one, mind you... now he's in jail. what does that tell you??

people you better listen up like the sheep you are.... when i tell you... tattoos are very real...and very evil!

JCLifer 1 year, 5 months ago

I know a guy who had a tatoo who smoked pot and he died, so it must be true that they are evil.

whatever3373 1 year, 5 months ago

Tattoos are just that a tattoos they are not evil and you don't die from having one . And who are you to judge someone that has a tattoo get real and stop stirring the pot

jeffcitygirl 1 year, 5 months ago

I have no problem with people getting tattoos but was shocked at the tastelessness of this display. It was an inappropriate venue as a family holiday event. The windows were to be christmas themed, this had nothing to do with Christmas. I found it extremely tacky and in poor taste to watch some girl with her pants pulled down in front of my young children. What were they thinking? I support tattoo shops in JC, but I will not ever support this one, they showed zero class.

jeffcitygirl 1 year, 5 months ago

Tonto, I shouldn't have to shield my child from things at a FAMILY event at 6 pm in the evening. Any other time/place, whatever, it was just inappropriate for the venue and right out there in the open for all to see. Maybe someone getting an ankle tat or something would have been more appropriate but this was just a shamlees plug for the shop, had ZERO to do with a CHRISTMAS DISPLAY!

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 5 months ago

I'm sorry I missed the event. It might have been fun, but I was home feeding chicken soup to my sick wife. Sounds like lots of people had to get a real good look so they could complain about it. Is that about right?

Moving on was impossible? Someone glued your feet to the sidewalk? That's pathetic! All you had to do was move on to the next window, It might have suited you better. They always have groups of carolers and church choirs, and all kinds of traditional Christmas displays.

You shouldn't feel the need to shield your kid from someone's bare hiney. What do you do when the wind blows someone's skirt around? You shouldn't make a fuss about it either. No one was taking drugs or hitting one another, were they? Can you say "We don't do thngs that way at our house."? and move on? That's what normal people do.

viktorkowski 1 year, 5 months ago

my kids did not seem to put off by it. in fact my 12 year spent 30 minutes in there and I had to drag him away

jeffcitygirl 1 year, 5 months ago

And again it wasn't the tattooing, it was the trashy girl with her pants down that was offensive to the family atmosphere of the evening!

JMO 1 year, 5 months ago

I didn't go to the event so I can't judge the display itself, but I did think they were all supposed to be holiday themed. If that's the case, it was probably inappropriate. I doubt it was terribly shocking or obscene - I bet less skin was seen than you'd see at the pool in the summer, but still they should have done something different. I understand wanting to showcase their work, but other businesses had displays that didn't have anything to do with their business. I saw elsewhere that J Phennys had dancers - ballet is pretty far from a sports bar.

That being said, I'm not sure what they could have done that showed their work that would be appropriate...Maybe tattooing Santa? LOL Surely there was something they could have done.

dcrabb22 1 year, 5 months ago

You know I dont really appreciate jeffcitygirl calling My girlfriend "trashy" all over local news blogs....I am a local Mixed Martial Arts Champion, and we are just as much a part of this community as you are. and I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't want people calling you trashy would you.... That "tasteless" tattoo you so call put it is her first Christmas present from me.... and I was always brought up believing it was the thought that counted.... and it is a beautiful tattoo, on a beautiful woman..... Neither of which are "trashy"..... Next time pick your words and or comments better....

Amaranth 1 year, 5 months ago

gloria_c...just so you know......the tattoo industry is heavily regulated by the city, county and state. Mr. Schlotter is a fine, upstanding gentleman, running a clean, legitimate, and successful tax-paying business. He has worked extensively with the city to lift the ordinance, followed every rule and regulation set out by city, county, and state, and spent countless hours working with city officials. Mr. Schlotter is not some drifter, rolling into town. He has been in this area all of his life. I applaud Mr. Schlotter in his efforts to lift the ordinance, establish a clean, well run, much respected business within city limits. The only wrong is see in this picture, is that he must defend himself from closed-minded individuals trying to choke their beliefs down others throats.

JCLifer 1 year, 5 months ago

I am surprised someone hasn't been offended that the City/Chamber/Uptown association held a Christmas event abd Christmas parade. Why did they so openly dis the Muslims, the Jews, the kwanzanians, etc.? How about a big ol' civil rights lawsuit by the Civil Liberties Union?

Close-minded dolts in hicktown Jeff City deserve it

purpleandlavender 1 year, 5 months ago

The trouble with businesses like this is they fight for respectablity and then pull something like this. Yes I know that this is a free country and that it is 2011, but this was a family Christmas/Holiday event where childern were a big part of the crowd. The problem starts when the business starts hurting the community. I know of one other tatoo business around town that has run out 3 out of 5 businesses in the strip mall that they are at. Now for me its not an issue about the tatoos, I have several friends with tatoos and my spouse wants to get one. Its more about hurting the greater good of the community. I really think that Jefferson City does tend to live in the past and feels that we need to be more progressive. It’s a shame that one or two businesses have to ruin the respectablity of all tatoo business in town.

dcrabb22 1 year, 5 months ago

its not the businesses that are ruining the respectability of all tattoo shops.... its the close minded thinking of people like you.... its called freedom of expression. get with the times.

Sequoia 1 year, 5 months ago

Just because you have the freedom to do something doesn't mean that you have to do it, or that you should. The tattoo-ee and the tattoo-er were free to do their work during the Living Windows event. I am free to judge their actions as low-class.

Get with that.

purpleandlavender 1 year, 5 months ago

I am not close minded...This was NOT done for artistic value....this was done for SHOCK value alone. It had nothing to do with the theme of living windows nor was it appropiate for a family event. I would have the same feelings if this was a spa doing a wax job or a personal trainer doing an ultrasound to the hip/low back region.

dcrabb22 1 year, 5 months ago

It was done for artistic value.... I should know I'm the one who paid for it.... I am an art collecter myself. who are you to say who is and who isn't getting a tattoo for artistic value...

online_editor 1 year, 5 months ago

I removed several comments that included personal insults directed at other forum participants, which is against the forum's policies. (Click on "Policies and Procedures" to review them.) Some remaining comments may lose their original context if they were responses to a removed post. Certainly you are free to challenge another's opinion, but please do so in a civil fashion. Per forum policy, comments should stay focused on issues related to the article's topic. Also, we may remove comments or suspend accounts that we suspect are authored by the same person using multiple accounts to troll (using inflammatory posts as bait to trigger an emotional over-reaction). Thank you. --Rick Brown, online editor, News Tribune

dcrabb22 1 year, 5 months ago

thank you

JMO 1 year, 5 months ago

Yeah, my bad. I totally deserved it. Sorry Rick. I let a few holier-than-thou comments get to me.

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 5 months ago

I will take responsibility for my share.

Now, on another topic. I am going to call "foul". Do you have an email address that you don't mind posting? What I have to say should not be said in a public forum. It goes to a general matter of fairness and decorum.

online_editor 1 year, 5 months ago

rbrown@newstribune.com

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 5 months ago

Thank you.

wow 1 year, 5 months ago

I wasn't there, but it sound as if some women got a Tattoo on her publicly exposed hip during the Open Windows event. This doesn't sound so bad, especially since there i no mention of the Cops busting in and shutting down this burlesque show. Public nudity is one thing, but complaining over a publicly exposed hip is reeeallly Mayberryish. Besides I bet there are a lot more people who know what they want for Christmas:) Lighten up folks, JC isn't isn't turning into Sodom or Gamora (spelling may be incorrect, but I'm sure you get my point)

evenkeel 1 year, 5 months ago

If Cirillas was located downtown what would their living window display be, hmmm?

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 5 months ago

That's an interesting question. Most likely there would be paper over the windows. Victoria's Secret would have a similar problem.

xhepera 1 year, 5 months ago

I am reminded, after all these years, of the final words from the song, "Harper Valley PTA." They're certainly appropriate to Jeff City.

Sequoia 1 year, 5 months ago

Maybe next year they can do temporary tattoos on children. That way, they can still display their artistic talent in an a manner that befits the circumstances (and get some potential customers hooked on body art at the same time).

JMO 1 year, 5 months ago

Oh I like that idea! Or face painting or something...very artistic and yet family friendly....

rodinman 1 year, 5 months ago

Like all the "beer gardens" during other events. Sarcasm in case you missed it.

artsyfartsy88 1 year, 5 months ago

As a mother of two young children who is a visual artist WITH tattoos, I would have to say that this window display did not go along with the intended theme of the event. Not that I care what someone wants to get tattooed on their hip, or if my kids see it, because if I didn't want to them to see it then I would have just walked away from this particular window. But it was obvious that this was done for SHOCKVALUE as purpleandlavender explained.
Maybe if the girl was getting Frosty the Snowman or Santa Claus or even JESUS tattooed on her then we could have said that this went along with the theme of the event.
But the only other thing that I would have to mention is, what about the people doing extreme yoga positions in the middle of the street next to the Baptist choir??? Not that it was terribly inappropriate or anything but it was just WEIRD. I would not be surprised if my oldest child had nightmares from this entire event.

gofish 1 year, 5 months ago

There are 2 gripes being made. 1) a woman with her pants pulled down exposing some flesh. No mention of underwear but I'm going to assume the best, that it was at least a thong. 2) a window display of a merchants work without a Christmas theme.

The tattoo artist certainly wants to be respected for his talent. The shop was attempting to promote their business and it probably backfired given the majority opinion.

If the woman would have had a surgical drape covering the areas not being tattooed would this had caused less of a stir? What was being showcased? The art or the womans figure?

The tattoo wasn't the issue. The overexposed flesh and lack of Christmas theme was. Hopefully next year the shop will consider keeping the display of their art tasteful and not give the appearance of what one poster called "trashy" by having someone's arse deflect attention away from the art. A year from now, NO ONE will remember the art, but EVERYONE will remember the bare bottom. From a business perspective, I'd call that a HUGE FAIL.

artsyfartsy88 1 year, 5 months ago

Agreed!

JCLifer 1 year, 5 months ago

Did any of you busybodies ever stop and think that maybe Capitol Tatoo was not participating in the Uptown Holiday Christmas Windows event, but maybe they were just doing business as usual that night?

I believe there might be laws about interfering/restricting commerce on the books, but I am not a lawyer, and I do not play one on TV either.

If you don't like it, then don't stand and watch. Half the windows uptown don't have stuff I like to see, so I don't stand around and gawk, nor do I complain about it. I just move on.

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 5 months ago

That's been my policy. It means I don't go to the mall either, what's left of it.

JCLifer 1 year, 5 months ago

No protesters. What happened?

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 5 months ago

I am glad someone else posted that keen observation. My comment about the busybodies got deleted.

3DMom 1 year, 5 months ago

I got deleted too and I'm not really sure why.

drpepper1885 1 year, 5 months ago

I'm sure the people complaining are the same ones who threw a fit years ago when it was mentioned that a Hooters restaurant may be coming here to Mayberry. There is more skin to be seen at the public pool in the summer. Heck, I've seen more skin at Walmart with these girls/women wearing low-rise jeans that are 2 sizes to small.

Whether anyone likes it or not, the girl getting the tat could have very well walked don't the middle of the street in a string bikini, showing WAY more skin, and be doing absolutely nothing wrong. People need to quit being crybabies.

beyondthewheel 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Please! People show more thigh at the local walmart!

Living Window display raises issues with organizers

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