President Obama’s latest bid for Coolest Commander in Chief Ever is a day-long arts, culture, and music festival in front of the White House dubbed South by South Lawn (SXSL). While the South by Southwest-inspired event’s stated goal is to, “call on every American to roll up their sleeves and discover their own way to make a positive difference in our country,” and “celebrate the inspiring work so many Americans have already accomplished,” SXSL also offers a unique spotlight for illustrators in the form of temporary tattoo company Tattly.
SXSL’s artist presence includes a talk between James Turrell and David Adjaye, a screening of Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary about climate change, large-format polaroids by Chuck Close, live painting by David Garibaldi, LEGO sculptures by master builder Nathan Sawaya, and virtual reality experiences from The Guardian, MTV, and Yosemite National Park. These heavyweights are attracting a ton of attention, but the scrappy, independent company Tattly earns our attention for introducing the public to a smart and fun venue for illustrators to distribute their work.
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Artists Karen Steinecke, Hayden Davis, Julia Rothman, and Annica Lydenberg (Dirty Bandits) created unique Tattly designs for SXSL attendees, ranging from patriotic symbols like the Statue of Liberty to generally positive messages like “Optimism,” which you can check out Chuck Close sticking to his skin above.
Tattly’s commitment to enlisting talented, professional artists and ability to turn around custom designs quickly is what sets them apart from other temporary tattoo groups. Founder Tina Roth Eisenberg uses safe, non-toxic ingredients and comissions professional artists for Tattly’s designs, cutting them directly into the profits. It’s an unorthodox art distribution method, but that’s probably what got her company into SXSL.
See more Tattly illustrations and work from Steinecke, Davis, Rothman, and Lydenberg below.
Karen Steinecke
Julia Rothman
Hayden Davis
Dirty Bandit
Tattly
Learn more about SXSL here and follow Tattly here. Check out The Creators Project on Instagram for more innovative artistry.
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