Block Parties
Get Inky with us!
Let your creativity loose in this hands-on experience. Hand ink and print on paper and fabric using some of Nashville’s most-recognized imagery, cut into printing blocks by the designers at Hatch Show Print. As one of the oldest poster and design shops in America, we’re still printing show posters for your favorite musicians, bands, and performers, one at a time, via letterpress printing.
During the Block Party, adults work with a selection of the iconic hand-carved image blocks and become familiar with the inky process of block printing. Your instructor will cover the basics of laying out images, with consideration given to creating layers and using color. You will learn the best way to sling the ink and roll it out with brayers, making each piece by hand, yourself. [Don’t worry, we’re there to help.] The final reveal is usually a WOW moment!
No experience necessary. Materials are provided (including blank tea towel or tote bag), and you may bring your own T-shirt or other clean, washable material item. This program is for adults, 18 years old and over.
Family Block Party
Join us for a Family Block Party!
Let your creativity loose in this hands-on experience, open to those 13 years and older accompanied by an adult. Hand ink and print on paper and fabric using some of Nashville’s most-recognized imagery, cut into printing blocks by the designers at Hatch Show Print. As one of the oldest poster design shops in America, we proudly continue to print show posters for your favorite musicians, bands, and performers using traditional letterpress techniques.
During the Block Party, everyone aged 13 and up will have the opportunity to work with a selection of printing blocks and learn about the relief printing process. Our instructors will guide you through the basics of composing an image, emphasizing layering and color usage. You’ll discover how we apply ink, roll the brayers, and design like it’s 1879, creating each piece by hand. And don’t worry—our team will be there to assist you every step of the way.
Cost: $75 Per Person
No experience necessary. Materials are provided (including blank tea towel or tote bag), and you may bring your own T-shirt or other clean, washable material item. This program is open to persons aged 13 or older. All individuals under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult.
Tours
The Hatch Show Print tour is a sensory and educational experience on moveable type, letterpress printing and Nashville’s story as Music City.
Take the tour of Hatch Show Print and learn all about the history of this iconic letterpress poster shop. Listen to the presses run. See the century-and-a-half’s worth of brilliantly colored posters printed for your favorite entertainers. Smell the ink. Handle the tools of the trade to print your own keepsake poster in our print shop-within-a-print shop Universal Music Group Space for Design.
Tours take place daily between 10 am and 4 pm, and last approximately one hour.
We are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
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