Two years ago, Kitchener Public Library teamed up with The Community Edition for a very special project entitled Our Ink, Our Stories. Our Ink, as we’ve come to lovingly refer to it, was a story-telling initiative that shed light on the hidden meanings and personal histories of the tattoos that adorn members of our community. These stories were often told in the subject’s own words, or beautifully related by Meg Harder (a former KPL staff member who was the editorial and creative lead on this project), two successive TCE Editors-in-Chief, Megan Nourse and Beth Bowles, and the fabulous photography of Paige Bush.
To date, we have collected sixty tattoo stories in our blog, with topics covering everything from song lyrics and beloved animals to gender, religion, mental health and lost loved ones. Tattoos are such a personal and unique form of self-expression that they are a great way to quickly understand about a person, and understanding each other is a great way to build community.
We are now closing the chapter on Our Ink, Our Stories but in celebration of its life we have launched an exhibit of print and digital photographs from the project, which are on view until May 30th in the Theatre Lobby of Central Library (85 Queen St N).
Entry way to exhibit with photo of Theresa by Paige Bush
Art work by Meg Harder, with photos of Sam and Will by Megan Nourse
Photos of Taylor, Melissa, Anna, Sarah and Ren
