Point Journal issue #56 - Association of Professional Piercers

BANQUET DINNER
This year’s banquet dinner included a 70th
birthday celebration for Jim Ward, the
founder of Gauntlet, the first piercing specialty
business in the world. Birthday hats and party
favors were provided at the door!
Many of Jim’s friends, peers, admirers, and
loved ones spoke about the impact he had on
their lives, and paid him respect for his crucial
role in the founding of our industry. The
emotion in the room was thick, and hearing
firsthand about Jim’s legacy and his importance
to everyone in the piercing community made
this year’s banquet especially memorable.
The birthday wishes culminated with the
singing of “Happy Birthday” as a scantily-clad
leatherboy jumped out of Jim’s man-sized
birthday cake. Afterward, banquet attendees
took turns at the piñata—shaped like a black
leather boot and stuffed with candy, purple
hankies, and condoms. Hilary Whitmore
of “Operafication” closed the evening with
several stunningly beautiful opera arias.
2011 Conference Raffle
The annual APP Conference and Exposition is
the main source of income for the organization,
and the yearly raffle at Conference is a crucial
part of it. The money raised in Las Vegas
supports outreach efforts throughout the
entire year. All of the raffle prizes are donated
by companies who support the APP and the
work it does.
Special thanks are due to all the
companies—and individuals—who donated
what turned out to be an incredible doublegrand-prize
offering this year: JD Lorenz
and Industrial Strength donated $10,000
in jewelry and $10,000 in additional gift
certificates; Barry Blanchard and Anatometal
donated $12,000 of merchandise credit. Add
to this other prizes donated by Body Circle
Designs, H2Ocean, LeRoi, NeoMetal, and
Omerica, bringing the total to more than 150
different prizes awarded.
Congratulations also to Italo Fernandez,
who won the Industrial Strength top prize,
and Ryan Ouellette, who won the Anatometal
top prize. Mark Montgomery at The Zone
Tattoo and Body Piercing picked up the most
individual prizes. (continued on pg. 36)
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
The past two years, I’ve honored two of
our unsung heroes with this award, two
people who have worked tirelessly for
our industry without recognition. This
year’s recipient is different. He’s been
a very visible and public figure for the
past two decades, and he’s always been
the first and best person to promote
himself—but without much “official”
recognition from the APP.
He was one of the first members
of the APP’s Board of Directors. He
has at times been a vocal critic of the
organization, but through the years he’s
also been one of the APP’s biggest
supporters.
He has manifested a passionate
and opinionated persona online, and
he’s been a consistent presence on
the internet since the very beginnings
of the online body art community.
But his biggest contribution has been
through his dedication to suspension.
He has been a tireless advocate for
the acceptance of suspension as
an art form, and the founder of both
TSD—considered by most to be the first
suspension group—and suspension.
org.
He’s a piercer, a business owner,
suspension artist, educator, event
organizer, photographer, and laser tattoo
removal technician—in addition to being
one of the industry’s biggest all-around
shit-stirrers. It’s my pleasure to give
this year’s President’s Award to Allen
Falkner.
—James Weber
34 THE POINT ISSUE 56