How has tattoo culture evolved over the last century from being the domain of inmates and sailors, to an essential accessory for rock stars, to its mainstream, even suburban, popularity today? What’s behind the near-universal urge to modify the body? And what cultural traditions influence tattooing styles? As a Signature Event for the 2011 Spirit & Place Festival, the IMA presents a conversation with California-based Lyle Tuttle, considered by many to be the father of modern tattooing – and a no-holds-barred storyteller. Tuttle has inked celebrities such as Janis Joplin and is an expert on tattoo history, folklore, and machinery.