By Jillian Locke

When you think of the city of Fitchburg, what comes to mind? Fitchburg State College? Hooligans? Slattery’s? Would you ever think of Fitchburg as a tattoo city? Probably not, but as of late, that’s exactly what it’s become. There are about four shops on or around Main Street, bringing a dose of culture and diversity that does a city good. Meet the crew over at Flesh by Design, located on 179 Main Street: Rich DiCato, certified piercer and owner, and tattoo artists George Wiggins and Mark Evans. Together, they hope to raise the standards and perceptions of tattoo shops in Fitchburg.

Opening its doors in July of 2007, Flesh by Design provides the utmost in cleanliness and quality. “We’re up to code with everything. We are all CPR and First Aid certified. It’s so important to be clean. There are some underground places doing tattoos, and they’re not safe,” DiCato states emphatically. “We may charge a bit more, but people have to understand the cost of operation and sterilization alone, to do it the right way. What we worry about today is underground tattooing, which could lead to people being infected by hepatitis, HIV, MRSA, or staph infections, since most don’t have the means to sterilize equipment the way we do in a licensed shop.”

FBD is not only passionate about sterilization, but they’re passionate about their work. They’ve enlisted the talents of One Way or Another Productions director/producer Anthony “Hoop” Hooper to film the artists in action as they create “The Ink that Binds Us,” a documentary FBD hopes to turn into a Mass Ink series. People who choose to participate are given discounts on their tattoos and a free copy of the DVD when it’s finished.

Hoop calls this type of film “docutainment.” With it, he hopes to “…get information on skin and ink and how it affects the body. I want to get into the psychological and social fields of tattoos ~ why people want them, their impact on society, and the subculture revolving around them.” Shooting began in October and is projected to continue through January 2009.

All of these sentiments fit perfectly within the realms of the message that FBD is trying to relay. “Tattoos are much more accepted now than in past years, I mean we stand outside the shop and point out all the people walking down the street that have tattoos, and the majority do. With all the different shops popping up, we’d like to work with them and let the city see what we’re doing for the community,” DiCato says.

Head to www.myspace.com/fleshbydesign to check out the artists’ work and find discount offers, contact information, and enough in-studio pictures to make you feel like you’re there. Better yet, drop in and pay the guys a visit, not only to see the art in progress, but to check out independent art work by local Anthony Mercurio and others, and to see the growth and perseverance of art in the city.