Artist Tea Towel Company commissions contemporary artists to produce artworks for tea towels. The inaugural collection features six designs by artists from across the UK and Ireland. ATTC is a registered Community Interest Company (CIC) and profits are reinvested in new commissions and occasional public events. The company’s aim is to introduce new collections by different artists each year.
Functioning as both a rectangular canvas and a cloth for drying dishes, the tea towels are affordable and useful artworks. They are approximately 46 x 71 cm, digitally printed on 100% cotton and made in the UK. Delivery costs within the UK for up to two tea towels is £2.80.
The inspiration came after founder Simon Bayliss was asked to make a tea towel for a fundraising campaign at a contemporary art institution. The invitation was made almost apologetically, as if the humble tea towel was thought of as too domestic and innocuous for an artist to consider as a medium. Nonetheless, Bayliss enthusiastically accepted the commission, leading to an ongoing enquiry into the potential of a tea towel.