We, the undersigned professional tattoo artists, shop owners, apprentices, clients, and community members, strongly urge Bucks County Community College to immediately suspend and reconsider its proposed Tattoo Art Certificate Program.

Tattooing is a permanent form of body modification requiring artistic skill, technical precision, sanitation practices, client safety knowledge, and years of supervised hands-on experience. It is not a trade that can be responsibly condensed into a short-term certification course or effectively taught through a classroom-only model. The craft requires time, mentorship, discipline, and real-world studio training under experienced professionals.

We are concerned that programs of this nature may mislead students into believing they are professionally prepared after limited instruction and minimal supervised practice. Without long-term mentorship, students may lack the technical ability, judgment, and safety knowledge required to responsibly work on clients.

When tattooing is improperly taught, the consequences can include preventable health risks, infection, scarring, poor healing outcomes, and unsafe practices. Beyond public safety, such programs risk lowering professional standards within an industry built on apprenticeship, accountability, and earned experience.

According to the outlined curriculum, students may begin working on clients after limited instructional time, with approximately 270 hours of total tattoo education. We believe this is insufficient preparation for performing permanent body modification on the public.

A certificate alone does not qualify someone as a professional tattoo artist. Competency is developed over years of studio experience, repetition, critique, and supervised application. Presenting a short-term certification as an equivalent to apprenticeship creates unrealistic expectations and an inadequate pathway into the profession.

We further assert that tattoo certification programs lacking extensive apprenticeship-based training do not meet accepted industry standards for professional competency. A traditional multi-year apprenticeship remains the established pathway for developing the skills, judgment, and accountability required in this field.

For these reasons, many professional tattoo establishments represented by the signatories would not recognize abbreviated certification programs as equivalent to apprenticeship training for employment, mentorship, or collaboration within the tattoo community.

We are not opposed to art education or coursework related to tattoo culture and design. However, we strongly oppose any program that presents tattooing as a skill that can be responsibly mastered without extensive real-world apprenticeship experience.

By signing this petition, you are supporting higher educational standards, ethical mentorship, and responsible pathways for aspiring tattoo artists.

We respectfully call upon Bucks County Community College to suspend this program and reassess whether its curriculum reflects the responsibilities, risks, and professional standards of tattooing.

Please support this cause by signing and sharing this petition.