One really wonderful development in the tattoo community lately has been a greater prominence of women's voices.  There's the third edition of Margot Mifflin's Bodies of Subversion being released (review to come); tattooed woman-centered Things & Ink magazine, the Ladies & Ink blog, and more features on female tattooers in general industry mags.

Now a new project is set to be released that is getting tons of buzz: "From Voodoo to Vogue," described as "A look into the breakthrough of female artists in the tattoo industry through one of its leading pioneers, Shanghai Kate Hellenbrand." 

Filmmaker Eric Cannon has been capturing Kate's stories and her adventures as she travels the world, but there are also the stories of fellow tattoo legends, and even an interview with Louise Collins, Sailor Jerry's widow, among much of the footage. The potential for this film is immense, but it needs funding to get off the ground.

The Kickstarter campaign for From Voodoo To Vogue launched yesterday and is seeking a hefty sum to move forward. It's a gamble, but as Eric says on the Kickstarter page, a smaller fundraiser won't cover the goals of the full scale production planned. There's a listing of expenses from production to publicity, and donations can be made as low at $1 ($10 and over gets you perks).

Here's more on the film from:

Through Kate's colorful stories and anecdotes, we will be highlighting the female role in the art of tattooing from the beginning of time. Key Messages: A brief historical overview of how the modern tattoo industry evolved globally from prehistory Ice Age through the industrial age mechanization of electric tattooing to the "Old School" days of military paydays to the current trendy embracement of modern tattooing.

With this project, we will document the internationally traveling career of "Shanghai Kate" -- documenting her interactions with the general public and fellow artists. We'll also be interviewing the industry's top artists to supplement information and knowledge about Kate and tattooing in general. This footage will be used to form a feature length documentary that captures the progress and evolution of this woman's involvement and growth in the now predominately male dominated field of tattooing. Ultimately, we want the audience to understand feel the emotional, physical, and psychological difficulties/ triumphs associated with being a female in an extreme industry.

And here's a taste of the footage here: