Hasta La Ideas

Hatch Show Print, the legendary Nashville letterpress print shop, is to have its first UK exhibition at the Chelsea Space in London

Originally established in 1879, the history of Hatch Show Print is the history of much of popular American culture, embracing the rise of travelling entertainment, advertising, rock n roll and country music.

But Hatch is not just a museum, it is also a working design and print shop, turning out 600 jobs a year for bands such as the White Stripes and Coldplay as well as commercial and private commissions. Curator and manager Jim Sherraden calls this approach “preservation through production” ensuring that the blocks and letters that the shop has accumulated over the last 134 years form a living archive. Contemporary posters may well feature some of the same letters and decorative elements that also featured on posters for Elvis, Hank Williams or Bessie Smith.

Sherraden will be coming over for the show and speaking on November 12 at 5pm (details here). There will be a major feature on Hatch Show Print in the December issue if Creative Review

Hatch Show Print: Nashville Calling is at Chelsea Space, Chelsea College of Art, 16 John Islip Street, London SW1, from November 13 to December 14. Details here