“24 veterans … 100 tattoos … 1,000 stories.”
With nearly 2 million veterans in California and a generation of veterans returning home across the nation as 12 years of faraway combat winds down, the Contra Costa County Library in California is launching “War Ink,” an online exhibit of Iraq and Afghanistan veteran memorial tattoo art.
Set to go live online on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 at www.warink.org, the exhibit represents a platform to explore the unfiltered record of war that veterans have documented on their bodies — and how that body ink serves as a unique and poignant means for veterans to explain their combat experiences to others in far more powerful way than words alone can convey.
Jose Cruz, a Marine Corps combat veteran, describes his body ink as “a tribute to those that are no longer here, but it also serves as a reminder to maintain my humanity … and the experiences I’ve been through, where I am now, and how that’s going to shape who I become in the future.”
The project consists of a multimedia exhibit of veterans from throughout California. Each veteran’s story surrounding his or her tattoos has been recorded by the nationally renowned StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative, and their tattoos photographed by Shaun Roberts, whose work has been featured in GQ, Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose Magazine and Wired.com.
The exhibit is curated by Jason Deitch, the project’s scholar, also a former combat medic and sociologist, who co-created War Ink with Chris Brown, Contra Costa County Library’s Project Director.
“This project represents both a unique collaboration for cutting-edge and relevant cultural programming as well as a powerful context for the authentic and honest voice of veteran culture … reaching into and genuinely interacting with the communities veterans are struggling to rejoin,” Deitch said.
War Ink was made possible through two grants awarded to Contra Costa County Library. “War Ink will help a whole generation of veterans, who are returning home to Contra Costa County and the greater Bay Area, to share their story with the families in their community,” said Cathy Sanford, interim county librarian for the Contra Costa County Library. “I believe that in tattoo art we’ve found a common ground for both veterans and civilians to explore, and my hope is that War Ink will lead to a greater appreciation for the strengths and service of these courageous men and women.”
