CREATIVITY: Southern Nostalgia with Hatch Show Print

With all the fancy schmancy graphic design software available these days, it’s rare to see posters or ads that don’t have that slick, computer generated look. That’s why I love Hatch Show Print. One of the oldest working letterpress shops in America, Hatch is located in Nashville. When the print shop began, in 1879, its main gigs were creating posters to promote vaudeville, circus and other traveling shows across the country.

Hatch is now owned and operated by the Country Music Hall of Fame. Over the years, Hatch Show Print has created posters featuring all the country music legends, including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. Hatch prints have a certain look about them and I think it is pure art. The colors are bold, the graphics sometimes cheeky, but these often one-of-a-kind creations are national treasures.

In fact, the Smithsonian Institution collaborated with the Country Music Hall of Fame® to produce a nationwide traveling exhibition of Hatch prints. Called “American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print,” the exhibit included more than 100 contemporary and archival posters created over the years.

Hatch Show Print has its own unique style, and I love the way the prints combine graphic design, pop culture and history to provide a little slice of American life. It truly celebrates the south and is a Nashville landmark treasured by many. You can visit Hatch Show Print at 316 Broadway six days a week. If you’re planning to be in Nashville, it’s a stop you won’t want to miss.