Tattoo Pop Up – June 17, 2023
We are excited to announce the second annual Tattoo Pop Up! On Saturday, June 17 at 1:00 p.m. we are shutting down fitness and popping up a tattoo shop in the DEUCE Garage for a community fundraiser to support DEUCE Community Inc.
There will be food, drinks, coffee, and yes... tattoos. All donations will be used to support the DEUCE Community Inc. non-profit to empower those in our community who are system, substance and housing impacted.
Registration Reqiured:
Please Register Here for the Tattoo Pop Up
Schedule
- 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PST – Tattoo Pop Up (Free Admission – Registration Required)
- 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. PST – Cocktail Hour (Ticket Required)
- 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. PST – Plated Dinner (Ticket Required)
Donations & Giving
- Purchase food & drink
- Purchase a tattoo ($100 or $200) from artists (see below)
- Purchase a Ticket for the Cocktail Hour & Special Dinner
- Make direct contributions to the non-profit
Special Thanks
- Tepito Coffee for their catering contributions
- Talented Tattoo artists, Raul, Taylor, and Chet
- Exceptional Chef Nyesha Arrington for catering the plated dinner
- All the volunteers who make it possible
- All of YOU! Who show up and support the community
Meet the Artists
Raul Diaz:
"32 yrs old. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, was always into sports, my path turned with the progression of alcohol, drugs, and crime. Adopted the beliefs that come with it at the time which led myself to a 15 to life sentence. I was granted parole at my 15th year and was determined to make this opportunity at freedom count. My passion is art(tattoos) and exercise. Since my release the world definitely has changed but the exciting thing for me is my perception of it. How I see myself in it comes with endless possibilities. I grew by wanting to learn.. I met up with deuce community February 2022. Was exposed to a close community that helped me throughout my transition to society. Especially since I had no family in Los Angeles. Currently living back home in Santa Barbara. Recreating my reality of my hometown. Continue to tattoo. Working on a future for myself to have my own home and family." Check our Raul's Instagram >
Taylor La Fortuna:
"My name is Taylor. I have been tattooing for 6 years, but have spent the last 12 years working in a shop. Today, I am lucky enough to have my own space with my best friend and business partner. Ultimately, tattooing is a ritual, more ancient than we can recall. It illustrates a moment, however monumental or not at all- a grand or simple memory we wish to mark on our skin. Tattoos are messages to ourselves, and to others that bring us closer to our own unique identities. Whether these images are well thought out, each detail symbolizing something much deeper, or a spur of the moment decision with a friend who made you accompany them to a flash day- tattoos are evidence of our existence- a picture, a word, or a faded series of dots from a stick and poke, tattoos bring us back to a time we may have otherwise lost. Tattoos are about autonomy, a person exchanges this choice of pain, knowing that on the other end of it, they will heal and be left with something more permanent than that pain- tattoos are a beautiful metaphor in that way. As a tattoo artist, I feel like a conduit for this process; and perhaps more than anything else, I am the most grateful for the intimate time I get to spend with each person I work with. Somehow, even as the artist, I remember many details of the lives I am illustrating. I guess that’s why I love tattoos, they don’t let you forget." Check out Taylor's Instagram >
Chet Duvenci:
Chet Duvenci was born 700 years ago to a family of Ottoman Pirates. He learned to tattoo at age 5 while smoking cigarettes and cooking for the ship's crew in the South Pacific. After becoming battle hardened and fighting in numerous civil wars (that he instigated) Chet decided he wanted a piece of the quiet academic life. Upon completing 6 different degrees at Harvard Law School in 1805 Chet decided the classroom was "not quite his thing". He chose to swim from Boston to Kansas City by way of the Gulf of Mexico & Mississippi River. After settling down on a farm outside the city he took up cattle farming. One sunny day while branding his herd he became nostalgic about his early days of tattooing. In 1997 he decided to set down his branding iron and pick up a tattoo machine. Tattooing again now for a paltry 26 years Chet has completed a measly elevendy hundred thousand tattoos in this current iteration of his career. While Kansas City, MO remains his hometown he prefers the open road & traveling the country side by truck with his dog Chicken.
Gina Serpentina:
"I’m Gina Serpentina, a Los Angeles based tattoo artist by way of the Midwest. I fell in love with tattoo flash the moment I saw original hand painted designs on the walls of a tattoo shop located in the back of a motorcycle spot back home, later this would be where I landed my tattoo apprenticeship. After tattooing in Milwaukee professionally for 3 years I relocated to Los Angeles where, eventually, I opened up a tattoo studio with my bestie Taylor La Fortuna. Having the opportunity to create my own environment and offer a calming atmosphere on my own terms has been very impactful on my creativity and wellness. I hope to provide a safe space and an ear to all who need it while under the needle or otherwise. I’m looking forward to more collaborations to give back to this city that’s given me so much." Check out Gina's Instagram >
Fern Ochoa:
"My name is Fern Ochoa and I was introduced to DEUCE Community in May of 2022 at a strength and conditioning program in a downtown correctional facility. I am one of our newest residents here in the DEUCE Community house. I'm an exceptional artist and have used it as my drive to leave behind a life of crime – freeing myself from a self-destructive past. I am hardworking, dedicated to change, and one day hope to open my own tattoo shop."Post-Pop Up Plated Dinner
About Chef:
Nyesha Arrington has been in love with the kitchen since she was just a little girl cooking from the age of five alongside her Korean grandmother. Born in Southern California to a multi-cultural family, she was introduced early on to diverse foods such as bulgogi, octopus, and homemade kimchi. These first stages of culinary experiences definitively shaped her palate and her ideas. By integrating flavors and techniques from around the world, Nyesha has been able to create a style that is both personal and unparalleled.
After graduation from the prestigious Culinary School at the Art Institute of California in Los Angeles in 2001, Nyesha built an impressive resume working with Josiah Citrin at the acclaimed 2 Michelin Star Mélisse in Santa Monica, and legendary French chef Joël Robuchon at his Michelin Star restaurants in Las Vegas, L'Atelier and The Mansion. She then went on to helm Leona and Native in Los Angeles where she was celebrated for using farm fresh, locally, and responsibly sourced ingredients. In 2012 she was named to Zagat’s 30 Under 30 and in 2015 was recognized as LA’s Chef of the Year by Eater.
Nyesha hit the national stage as a fan favorite on “Top Chef” season 9 and is currently a co-star of the hit culinary competition show “Next Level Chef” (U.K. season 1 premiering on ITV in Jan. 2023 and U.S. season 2 premiering on FOX in Feb. 2023). She is also the host and producer of “Plateworthy,” a digital series on Eater.
Nyesha draws inspiration from art, her African American, Nigerian, and Korean background and is passionate about food and culture, nutrition and vegetables, storytelling, travel and fitness.