Tattoo shops in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho collaborated on Sunday to raise funds for victims of the Ruidoso wildfires. This effort is part of a broader donation drive initiated by Ruidoso-based tattoo shops Scorpion Tattoos and Spider Tattoos.
Typically, local tattoo shops conduct flash sales on special days like Friday the 13th or St. Patrick’s Day, where customers can choose from pre-made designs at a set price. On Sunday, Archetype Tattoos and CZER Tattoos & Art dedicated all proceeds from such a flash sale to a fund for wildfire victims. Logan Fleharty, one of the Scorpion Tattoo shop owners, is coordinating this fund.
Tattoo artists volunteered their time and materials, offering tattoos priced between $100 and $200, with all proceeds going to wildfire relief. By 6:30 p.m., Archetype Tattoo had raised $7,000.
As the fundraising took place, the South Fork Fire was 89% contained, burning 17,569 acres, while the Salt Fire was 99% contained, burning 7,939 acres, according to the fires’ incident website. Control of the wildfires was handed over to local teams from a regional incident management team on Sunday.
Cesar Valverde, a professional tattoo artist and owner of CZER Tattoos & Art in Rio Rancho, has fond memories of camping in Ruidoso and participating in the annual Ruidoso Tattoo Expo, hosted by James Flores and Scorpion Tattoos. This year’s expo was successful, drawing families and visitors to Ruidoso. However, the wildfires began the day after the expo ended, leading to weeks of fires and flooding.
Valverde and his wife Yvonne, who helps run the business, were moved to join the fundraising effort after seeing Archetype Tattoo’s initiative. They coordinated with Archetype Tattoo and invited guest artist Mario Romero to join their studio for the day. Romero offered New Mexico-inspired designs, including a roadrunner head, a yucca and Zia design, and a pizza slice inspired by Dion’s.
By 12:30 p.m., Valverde and Romero had already completed 10 tattoos and planned to work until at least 8 or 9 p.m. Fourteen miles away at Archetype Tattoo, 42 customers had either been tattooed or were on the waitlist by 2 p.m. The shop had seven artists working, including one guest artist. Client liaison Kristin Garcia estimated that 80 people would likely be tattooed by the end of the day.
Archetype Tattoo has a history of participating in nonprofit and charity fundraisers, said owner Brad Shaw. “Tattoo artists connect with our clients, and connecting over a community-driven purpose makes it even more special,” Shaw said. He was preparing to tattoo an elk in a forest on Jasmine Quintana, who lives in Tijeras, north of Ruidoso, and wanted to show her support for the community.
Chelsey Moore, a tattoo artist at Archetype Tattoo, initiated the shop’s participation in the fundraiser. Moore, who attended this year’s Ruidoso Tattoo Expo, felt saddened by the rapid spread of the fire and wanted to help. “We wanted to do what the tattoo community does best and come together to help our friends,” Moore said.