Tattoo Artist Alley Application

Welcome to the Anime Milwaukee! Please look through our application and let us know if you have any questions.
 
Tattoo Artist Alley booths are juried and notifications will be sent once jurying is complete regarding your application. 

Notification of Acceptance

Anime Milwaukee will aim to notify every artist of their acceptance status by August 15th, 2026. 

Payment for Tables

All payments will be charged on September 1st. If you are accepted and your payment does not process on October 15th, you will be given 3 days to update the card on file (or contact us to make other arrangements). If you do not update the card on file or contact us to make other arrangements after September 3rd, your acceptance will be forfeit and we will move to someone else on the waitlist.
 
Tattoo Booth Prices
Tattoo Artist spaces are $850 per 10x10 booth. Each booth comes with two tables and two chairs. 

Tattoo Booth Includes

Our artist alley booth spaces include the following:

• Table (with tablecloth and skirting)
• 2 chairs
• Lined trash can
• Sharps container
• One power drop per 2 booths (please bring your own extension cords and power strips)
• Surface disinfectant (lysol wipes / cavicide)
• Internet access
• Foldable privacy screen (limited availability, upon request)
• Temporary Event Tattoo License charge covered by AMKE
• Required 18+ signage
• At least one shared portable sink no more than 50 feet away from the spot compliant with health department regulations
• Two badges per space (two additional badges may be purchased for $75 each, 4 badges per space)

Tattoo Artists Per Booth

We accept 1 artist per booth space. However, you may apply as a studio under one application as long as the amount of artists attending matches the number of booth spaces.

Tattoo Artist Alley Specific Rules

All tattoo supplies must be disposable. All tattoo supplies and ink must have a valid expiration date. The Health Department will be checking these thoroughly.

License Requirement

You MUST be licensed in Wisconsin in order to tattoo in AMKE's Tattoo Artist Alley. If you do not have a current Wisconsin license, you MUST have one before being allowed to load-in. If you do not have a valid license you can apply for one via the Wisconsin E-License system. More information can be found here: https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/TattooistBodyPiercer/Default.aspx

The City of Milwaukee does have a $250 temporary license that lasts 7 days, this is sufficient for purposes of the event. 

 
Location Assignments
Table locations will be assigned. Tattoo Artist location preferences will be considered when assigning locations but cannot be guaranteed.
 
Table Add-Ons
Additional badges may be purchased via this application. Pipe & drape and any other requests can be purchased via the Valley Expo exhibitor portal.
 
Artificially Generated / Edited (AI) Artwork

Anime Milwaukee appreciates the creativity and talents of individual artists. Our goal is to support artists and their content. Taking this into consideration, the sale of all AI-generated art is prohibited within all areas of the AMKE Exhibit Hall, including Artist Alley. This includes but is not limited to AI-assisted, AI-generated, and retraced/overdrawn AI works. Due to the potential copyright infringing inclusion of work from many artists in AI modeling, this work will be treated under our bootleg policy if identified. Artists and/or vendors with questionable items will be asked to remove them from the hall. Failure to remove any item when requested by AMKE staff will result in ejection from the exhibit hall and forfeiture of the exhibit space without refund.

Helpful Jurying Tips / Information

When preparing to apply for AMKE’s Tattoo Artist Alley, please be ready to submit a link to an online portfolio that showcases the best and most recent examples of your work. This can be a website, Instagram, Facebook page, or similar platform—just make sure it includes clear, up-to-date images of each artist who applies. There must be at least 1-2 clearly identified images per artist. 

Your portfolio should highlight both the quality and variety of your art. A couple of pictures is helpful, but if you have a wide range of designs and products, we encourage you to include as much as possible so we can get a full sense of what you offer. The jury reviews each application based on several factors: overall design and craftsmanship, originality (especially for fanart pieces), diversity of style, general appeal to AMKE attendees, and compliance with our policies. We also take note of how current your artwork is, since more recent pieces give a clearer sense of your present style and skill level.

If you are applying as a studio, make sure to provide links for every participating artist, clearly labeled so we know which portfolio belongs to whom.

Please see the Exhibitor Packet located at https://animemilwaukee.org/exhibit-hall. Acceptance of a Tattoo Artist Alley booth constitutes your agreement to all terms and conditions in the Exhibitors packet. This is an electronic agreement and by applying, you are validating and approving this agreement electronically.