The boundaries for what we call "art" are forever expanding, including folding in cultural traditions. But there's a particular responsibility for an exhibiting institution when that art also incorporates an element of the sacred.

This month, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts presents Tatau: Marks of Polynesia, an exhibition developed in 2016 by the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles to showcase the millennia-old tradition of Samoan hand-tattooing. Some 170 images by photographer John Agcaoili capture the work of more than 20 artists in Samoa, Hawaii and California, particularly the legendary Sulu'ape family of artists. According to Luke Kelly—Associate Curator of Collections for UMFA—the exhibition came about in the wake of an exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum looking at Japanese tattoo traditions, with curator/tattoo artist Takahiro Kitamura feeling that looking at Samoan tattoo was "a natural step forward."

Verona Mauga, who co-chaired of the UMFA's community advisory group on the exhibition, was one of the key partners in bringing Tatau to Salt Lake City, through her relationship with the Sulu'ape family—but it was still no sure thing that it would come here. "It was not the normal, natural steps of bringing an exhibition to a museum," Mauga says. "Because this work is so sacred and important, we had to go ask the family for permission. They're not going to say yes to just anyone."

That sacredness is a key component of tatau, according to Mauga, who has received the traditional Samoan tattoo for women—the malu—on her legs.

"I [also] have a very modern a tattoo, done with a tattoo gun in a tattoo shop," she says. "I thought it looked pretty, and I did that. With [tatau], it's not that simple; there's a lot of preparation involved. I went around to the people who are important to me, and talked to them about this decision. Leading up to the day [of the ceremony], I was preparing spiritually and mentally for it, even making sure that my body was clear of distractions. ... When you wear these markings, it's a reminder of service—to your culture, your God, your family. It's quite different from the flower on my back."

For the tatau artists themselves, there is an additional level of understanding the art form's connection to history, tradition and spirituality. While "Sulu'ape" represents a revered family name in the tatau tradition, it has also become an honorific designation granted to artists like Sulu'ape Steve Looney, a Hawaii-based artist who served a two-year apprenticeship before becoming a Sulu'ape himself. "It's given as a title to show your commitment," Looney says. "I guess you could explain it like a guild; you all belong under this family name."

Looney notes that one of the most significant elements that separates tatau from the kind of commercial tattooing more familiar to Americans is that it's not about a client telling a tattoo artist what kind of art they want on their body. Instead, the traditional designs that are applied are diametrically opposite of that kind of personal, individual expression. "The actual process and design is under the leadership of the artist," he says. "You as the person receiving it, and the whole process leading up to it, your family chooses, it, and you need their blessing. ... This layout has been around since the beginning of time. There are motifs that might show familial ties, like if you have a high chief title. We all wear the same tattoo, so we're not individuals out there. You're always in service to your family and your community."

In keeping with honoring the cultural significance of tatau, Mauga says, the Tatau exhibition will open not with a typical kind of museum reception, but with a traditional 'ava ceremony.

"We want this ceremony to be done right," she says "It's not just a picture hanging on a wall; there's so much history and culture attached to it."

Nevertheless, it is a museum exhibition, and there is a larger recognition attached to treating tatau not just as a cultural tradition, but as a vibrant, beautiful art form. "The fact that it's in a museum really uplifts this art form," Looney says. "It really legitimizes it to put it in that context. ... Typically, as we know, tattooing has always had a bit of a stigma attached to it, of folks on the fringe of society. This being in a museum allows it to be more mainstream."

"You look at this artwork these artists have done, and it's as great as any hung painting," UMFA's Kelly adds. "Even if you just have a layman's appreciation, you can see the artistry. ... A generation ago, a show like this might have been a harder sell, but today, it's very much a part of the community. These are artists; the canvas is just a little different."