SHANGHAI KATE HELLENBRAND America's Tattoo Godmother

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah in October, 1943, Kate grew up on a small working rural farm. She graduated from Granger High School and attended Stevens Henegar Business College while working for her uncle's insurance firm: The Dale Barton Agency. She also attended at the University of Utah before moving to Manhattan Beach, California, where her first job was Secretary of Head of Production for Carroll Shelby, designer of the Cobra racing automobile. She later obtained a Top Secret Clearance from the US Government, working as a graphic typographer, proofreader and technical illustrator for Volt Technical Corporation. She also attended classes at Art Center School of Design and Chouinard's School of Fine Arts while pursuing her love of surfing.

In 1967, Kate was transferred by Volt to work on a classified project at General Dynamics in the Boston Naval Yards. Upon completion of the project, Kate moved to NYC where she took a position with Muller, Jordan & Herrick, a Fifth-Avenue advertising agency. She developed freelance clientele, one of whom was the Museum of American Folk Art, and while developing their permanent portfolio, learned that the Museum intended to launch an exhibit entitled "TATTOO!" Kate, while working during the days at the agency, spent her evenings investigating the underground (and illegal) world of tattooing in the New York five boroughs. Her partnership with Michael Malone (aka Rollo Banks) led her to master tattoo artists such as Huck Spaulding, Ed Hardy, Zeke Owen, Paul Rogers and Sailor Jerry Collins.

Kate and Michael became co-producers of the contemporary section of the 1971 landmark "TATTOO!" exhibit at the MofAFA. After the exhibit ended, Kate and Michael opened a tattoo shop (Catfish Tattoo Studio) in their 15th Street NYC apartment. Learning to tattoo was coupled with the discovered of Japanese folk lore and imagery and a frequent visitor to their shop was Don Ed Hardy, also a passionate fan of Japanese art and legend.

In 1972, Kate and Michael moved to San Diego to begin their association with Ed Hardy, who was a protege of Sailor Jerry Collins of Honolulu, Hawaii. In December of 1972, Sailor Jerry hosted the first International Tattoo Artists' Convention in his Hawaii home, also inviting; Kazuo Oguri, (HoriHide) of Japan, Des Connoley of Australia (Jerry's partner in building the "Bulldog" tattoo machine) and Mickie, (Jerry's shop help.