The intense responsibility of creating living art that adorns the body often leads a professional tattoo artist to constantly hone their skills, evolve their technique and aim to create true works of art. With that in mind, Joe “ZaZa” Peterson, owner of ZaZa Ink in West Boylston, began the festival to not only showcase what a quality tattoo can and should look like for the client, but also to share his knowledge and experience with both other artists and potential clients.

“When we first started the festival — and still today — the main goal was to increase the public’s general knowledge of tattoo standards, expectations of their artist, and to allay any misconceptions about the industry,” explains Peterson.

From its humble beginnings at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Worcester to the larger and more accommodating Sturbridge Host Hotel, this year’s festival boasts artists from across the globe, with both top tattoo artists and alternative performers participating, keeping the flow of ink and fun at a brisk pace throughout the weekend.

On deck for the three day festival will be a host of talented tattoo artists ready to ink your skin, plus body piercers, industry experts, funky apparel and vendors with an alternative flair. You’ll also discover entertainment from The Rob Hill Side Show and Vegas style stunts with the Lucky Daredevil Thrillshow. In the mix will be seminars from some of the most experienced folks in the industry, in addition to a host of competitions to showcase the weekend’s work.

This year is a return trip for Rick Bellimer of Rick’s Tattoo Studio in Newport, NH, who says that the MTAF was an eye opening experience for him as an artist and shop owner. “Artists of all levels were comparing notes, competing against each other, and talking shop the whole weekend,” says Bellimer of previous shows. “I was definitely fired up and have left each show with a whole host of new techniques and ideas about what tattooing could be. It has definitely made me a better artist!” he says.

For Khan, a South Korean native whose shop is based in Japan, this will be his first MTAF. With his artistry in neo fantasy tattoos reaching incredible depth and realism, Khan travels the globe to share his talents, and is truly looking forward to participating in this year’s event. “I love meeting new artists and making new friends when I travel and attend tattoo conventions. That is the biggest draw for me,” says Khan. “Conventions are like parties with good friends. And I like to always learn more about tattooing.”

Miles Nozzolillo of The Tattoo Project in Worcester, explains that as an artist, the MTAF edges him on to excel at his craft. “The personal gain from attending an event like this is definitely the experience you get from being around so many good artist. It’s really a three day meeting of the minds. Trading techniques, ideas and new products. As a shop owner I tend to be at the shop a lot. And its nice to get out and see what’s going on in the Tattoo world,” explains Nozzolillo.

For Tyler Green, artist and co-owner of Port of Worcester Tattoo in Worcester, this year’s show will be his first. Green feels that the MTAF will be a great networking tool and source of exposure for his growing shop, which has recently added two new artists, Steve (Shoe) Schoenfeldt and Kevin Bleifuss, who will both be in attendance with Green on the festival floor. “I am enjoying the direction the shop is going, and this weekend is a great way to encourage that” says Green. “Our shop has been busy, and we have a lot to share,” he says.

Rob Hill, who has brought his Rob Hill Side Show to the MTAF for the past four years, is a body piercer who has taken his interest in body piercing to higher levels, such as hanging-from-hooks-in-his-flesh type of levels.

“During my early career as a body piercer, I found that I could pierce myself without it bothering me much. In history this act was called the ‘human pincushion,’” explains Hill. “I started performing this act in front of crowds and poof – the sideshow was born,” says Hill. Since then the show has evolved to include an array of mind-blowing stunts that you simply have to witness first hand to believe.

Hill will also bring his extensive knowledge of body piercing to the forefront during his free Body Piercing Safety seminar, which is directed to attendees, artists, vendors and piercers alike. “Take this seminar and learn about the industry, simple things you can see to identify a good or bad artist/studio,” says Hill. “Everyone has a horror story about themselves or a friend that had a bad experience with a piercing. If people knew what to look for, they could prevent themselves having one of these negative experiences,” he explains.

Lyle Tuttle, a tattoo legend with over sixty years experience – both as an artist and industry professional – will be on hand for his Lyle Tuttle Machine Seminar. “Tattooing is like any other art form. You have to master the medium. My seminars help artists to do exactly that,” acknowledges Tuttle.

Cliff White of Cliff’s Tattooing in Long Island, NY will not only have his own shop represented on the convention room floor, but will be sharing a booth with Tuttle to display his original tattoo memorabilia. Documenting the history of tattoos from flash to machines, White says he’ll have “some real interesting goodies from the past for the younger generation, so they can see some of the real roots of tattooing.” Items on display range from an original vintage tattoo artist travel kit, to items from the famous Liberty Brothers, who tattooed during the heyday of Scollay Square in Boston.

Tuttle, who attends an average of 20 tattoo shows a year, has high praise for Peterson and his crew. “Mass Tattoo Festival is one of the best and has a great and talented group of tattoo artist working there for the whole weekend,” says Tuttle.

Hill, who says he has been fortunate to watch the growth and maturity of the festival over the years, offers this advice: “Take a walk outside the box and do something different… explore yourself at the Massachusetts Tattoo & Arts Festival.”

The Fourth Annual Massachusetts Tattoo and Art Festival, Sturbridge Host Hotel and Convention Center, 366 Main St., Sturbridge. Friday, March 19: 3p.m. to 10p.m. Saturday, March 20: 11a.m. to 11p.m. Sunday, March 21: 11a.m. to 5p.m. $15 Day Pass/$35 Weekend Pass. zazaink.com.

Jeremy Shulkin

The disconnect between art and science sometimes seems unbridgeable. It’s rare to find someone who double majored in English and physics, and people quickly categorize themselves into right and left-brain types.

A new exhibit at Clark University blurs those distinctions.

Curated by Clark’s Associate Professor of Studio Art, Elli Crocker, with inspiration coming from her group of gallery interns, Alchemy: Art + Science features a number of scientists with aesthetically pleasing research.

“A majority in the group are not artists but scientists who have pictures … of their work,” says Crocker. “There’s a long, rich history of the artist/scientist going back to ancient Greece and the Renaissance,” she adds, citing Leonardo da Vinci as an example.

The show highlights the work of 18 artists and scientists, with pieces ranging from kinetic motion sculptures to anamorphic art. Three of the artists are affiliated with Clark — Rachel Loischild, a photography professor; Anna Mazzarella, who photographed her graduate work with stickleback fish, and David Hibbett, professor of biology.

For Hibbett, who is an organismal biologist, Alchemy: Art + Science finally provided an avenue for him to look at his work with fungi as a visual statement, rather than a means to collect hard data.

“I think it’s a legitimate thing to say my motivation for getting into biology was an aesthetic one,” he says. But as a scientist, he adds, “It’s certainly not my sole motivation now.

“These organisms are beautiful, and I was drawn to study them because they were beautiful and interesting.”

Hibbett and Crocker note the differences and similarities in how each views the world.

“I think a lot of scientists and artists are trying to explain and understand the world around them. Where they diverge is in the methodology,” says Hibbett.

Crocker echoes this idea. “The scientist may have the burden of proving certain things. The artist … plays with fantasy.”

But both are quick to point out that more overlap than separation exists between the disciplines, and according to Crocker, the context of the times creates that fusion. For instance, in the 1980s and early 1990s as scientists were grappling with the discovery and spread of AIDS, artists put an “incredible emphasis on body imagery.” Today, both the artist and the scientist are similarly focused on bioengineering and cloning.

“There’s real interest on the part of artists to understand what’s happening in the world of science. [It’s] picking up on the same needs, fears, questions,” Crocker says. “Scientists are influenced by the same cultural imperatives that artists are.”

As for Hibbett, it’s easy to see the connection between the pictures of fungus in his lab and the pictures on the walls of Clark’s Schiltkamp Gallery: “The business of perceiving the world, documenting it, that’s common to art and science.”

Clark University’s Alchemy: Art + Science art show is currently on display at the Schiltkamp Gallery, located at 92 Downing St. in the Traina Center for the Arts. The show will be up until April 11, and costs nothing to see.