New museum exhibit showcases people’s tattoos and the stories behind them

By Allan Bradbury
Staff Writer
abradbury@fortfrances.com

There’s a new exhibit at the Fort Frances Museum and Cultural Centre showcasing the stories and body art of people from all walks of life.

My Story, My Tattoo is a traveling exhibit from the Wellington County Museum and Archives. It will be in Fort Frances until July 6 before moving on. The photos were taken by photographer Chris Piccinetti.

Museum curator Kayliegh Speirs says the exhibit is compelling in more than one way.

“It’s a really interesting exhibit,” Speirs said. “Like visually, it’s impactful but there’s also a lot of meaning behind why this exhibit exists and why people get their tattoos.”

The exhibit showcases the tattoos of people from veterans to cancer survivors, as well as people struggling with mental illness and a couple telling the story of the loss of a child and many more other stories.

The Fort Frances Museum invites residents to explore the world of tattoos, and the stories behind why people get them. with its new exhibit, My Story, My Tattoo. The exhibit features photography by Chris Piccinetti. – Allan Bradbury photo

“It’s interesting because still in 2022 there’s a lot of stigma around tattoos,” Speirs said. “So it’s interesting to see these people of all ages, all walks of life sharing this art form even though it’s in different ways, and different placements on the body they still all have tattoos so it’s an interesting exploration of that art form.”

In conjunction with the exhibit, Speirs hopes to have some programming at the museum that relates.

“We’re hoping to get some temporary tattoos and face painting for kids, just some stuff that’s related,” she said.

In addition to the photos and explanations, some of the photos are accompanied by video and audio explanations.