21 . j
E
Tattoo
parlor
displays
artwork
By Sean McCarthy
Assignment Reporter
*J.P, Fellin is in the process of getting
his tattoo finished. His last name sten
ciled on his upper back, black-and
white etchings surrounding it, Fellin
walks into Aardvarx, a new tattoo parlor
and art gallery at 700 O St., to get some
outlines filled in.
He entered the shop on the recom
mendation of a friend. Eight hours later
Fellin re-emerges for the final touch-up.
“It’s comfortable and it’s clean,” he
said.
Sitting underneath the O Street
viaduct in the Historic Haymarket,
Aardvarx offers customers a comfort
able environment and a huge selection
of tattoo possibilities.
Owners Michelle Freriks, Robert
Freriks and Heath Preheim opened the
store two months ago.
Preheim has three years experience
as a tattoo artist; Robert Freriks has
nearly six of his own. Before opening
Aardvarx, he worked as a tattoo and
body-piercing artist in the basement of
The Ozone, 1411 O St.
Robert Freriks said he liked the
location because of the art galleries
around the Haymarket.
“There’s a good energy down here,
a good vibe,” he said. “It kind of lends
itself to what we wanted to do.”
The decision to have a gallery with
a tattoo parlor came in part because of
. me spacje ine r^reriKS apqmrpa,
when they purchased the area, Michelle
Freriks said. The open space in the
building gave the couple the opportuni
ty to showcase the works of local artists.
Because tattoos are art, the two medi
ums fit well, Michelle Freriks said. And
customer feedback has been positive so
far, she said.
“Everybody’s really excited about
the place. We want people to feel com
fortable”
Robert Freriks said he hoped cus
tomers would get a personal, homey,
grass-roots appeal.
“We don’t want people to get a pro
duction-line feel of the place,” he said.
Those wishing to get a tattoo can
either walk in or schedule an appoint
ment. .
“We prefer to draw up ideas and get
as many ideas as we can from clients
beforehand,” Robert Freriks said.
With a clear idea of what the cus
tomer wants, Robert Freriks and
Preheim can get to work.
“We can get almost anything and
reproduce it perfectly,” Michelle Freriks
said. . ,
Who’s bad?
The shop is a member of the
Alliance for Professional Tattooists, a
nonprofit organization that educates
about issues of tattoo safety. Aardvarx
owners said they attended seminars and
keep updated on the newest sterilization
procedures.
The screening process of Aardvarx
is simple: The customer has to provide a
valid drivers license. The three have
turned away a lot of people. Some have
been inebriated, others looked suspi
cious.
“Drunk people usually don’t come
in with money,” Robert Freriks said.
Michelle Freriks defended the
shop’s policy concerning unruly cus
tomers.
“We do (turn them away) for their
protection, as well,” she said. “We don’t
want them to bleed all over the place.”
Other, more minor problems
revolved around simple indecision by
the customer, Robert Freriks said.
“Some come in with nothing but a
concept,” he said. “My personal goal is
to make it come to life.”
Robert Freriks said talking to the
clients and making the environment
comfortable is instrumental in making
customers feel at ease while they’re
having permanent work done on then
bodies. ’; \
The most challenging design
Robert Freriks has inked includes por
trait-like and ultra-realistic designs.
Preheim’s challenges lie in the intricate
designs some people give him, he said.
Michelle Freriks said she noticed a
growing number of women getting tat
toos. She estimated a one-to-one ratio
of men to women getting tattoos.
Robert Freriks said the most common
area to get tattooed for men were the
arm arid for women, the lower back and
ankle.
“People are getting more experi
mental, though*” Robert Freriks said. “I
had someone request to get their whole -J
heal tattooed.”
The design? An eight b^U.
|b*few satisfied custom&s come in
andgaze‘at$ie works on the wgll
Robbie Richard, a University of
Nebraska-Lincoln junior criminal jus
tice major, had his last name taftobed by
Robert Freriks on his lower back two
shading,” he sak^ “I like the style ofhis ]
tattoos.” - '
Though he wasn’t coming in for a i
tattoo, Richard looked up at the various 1
designs hanging on the wall, from sub- i
tie red roses to sketches of anime char
acters. i
1 It r;;-'T 'i >»,; > j
My personal goal is to make it come Yd tljeM"
Robert Freriks
tattooist
ROBERT FRERIKS, owner of Aardvarx tattoo paiior, stands in front of the wall that shows the many designs from which clients can choose. Freriks said the
brought about a tattoo renaissance. “Mow people from all walks of life get tattoos for all different reasons,” Freriks said.
FRERIKSSHOWSOF^Fa^tattgoogthe !
back of his neck. Frertks, who got |
his first tattoo when he was 18, said
he specializes in black-and-gray
portraiture. -
“I’m sure I’m getting another one,” s
he said. ?
Michelle Freriks’s advice to cus- %
tomers was to look at the artists’ portfo
lios resting on a table in front of die tat
too gallery. ,.... •
“Get an idea of what you want
ahead of time.”
I legacy live n
From staff reports
Twenty years after the death of its
namesake, the Charles Mingus Big
Band is dedicated to performing as a
living tribute to the late acclaimed
bassist, pianist and composer.
Having toured extensively in
Europe and the United States, the
award-winning group will jazz the
Lied Center for Performing Arts
tonight at 8.
The 14-piece orchestra is recog
nized as a definitive and extraordi
nary big band ensemble that has
breathed new life into the award
winning composer’s inspired and
lively jazz music. i
Assembled in 1991 by Sue
Mingus, Charles’ widow, the band
has determinedly focused on the
reincarnation of the jazz pioneer’s
expansive repertoire of jazz, dance
c
and big band music to guarantee its
place in the rich and distinguished
history of jazz excellence.
In the tradition of such jazz and
blues greats as Duke Ellington,
Louis Armstrong and Lionel
Hampton, Charles Mingus forged his
own brand of jazz in the late ’50s and
later, recorded with contemporary
pioneers like Charlie Parker and
Miles Davis.
Diagnosed with amyotrophic lat
eral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s Disease,
in 1977, Mingus retired from touring
and teaching at the State University
of New York-Buffalo. However, he
continued composing music despite
the creeping paralysis that ended his
life in 1979. Mingus has received a
posthumous Lifetime Achievement
Award from the National Academy
of ^ecoriliftg Arts & Sciences and
was-the fipt black American to have
his Wo&s chronicled by the Library
of Congress .
The Charles Mingus Big Band
manages to make its way back to
New York every Thursday night to
play The Fez, a famous venue tucked
away beneath the Time Cafe in the
city’s East Village. The band also has
earned two Grammy nominations ; ^
and has played on “Jazzfest with
Branford Marsalis.”
Tickets for tonight’s show are
$16, $20 and $24. Tickets for stu
dents of the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska Wesleyan -
University and Doane College and
people under 18 are half-price. Call
(402) 472-4747 for reservations and
more information.
