Arts & Culture: The 1800 Tequila Essential Artists series celebrates a dynamic range of original artwork on a unique and unexpected medium -- bottles of 100% Agave Silver Tequila. Up-and-coming artists from New York to Hawaii were invited to submit their artwork to be featured on 11 bottles of 1800 Tequila; an additional celebrity artist was commissioned to complete the 12th and final piece for the year. This marks the second annual collection of limited-edition Essential Artists bottles.

2009's special-edition bottle was designed by Studio Number One, a group of rising star designers founded in 2003 by artist Shepard Fairey, who gained global notoriety recently for his Obama "Hope" design.

"It's a pleasure to be involved with something that puts art in more people's hands, and to work with a brand like 1800 Tequila that supports and promotes artists," said Amanda Fairey, Chief Operating Officer for Studio Number One.



In addition to Studio Number One, eleven artists nationwide contributed work to create the series of 12 bottles. These artists include StevOramA (Honolulu, HI), the $10,000 Grand Prize Winner whose design has been given a starring role in the series, as well as Ian McGillivray (Brooklyn, NY), Nickelyn Reames (Manteca, CA), danyol (San Francisco, CA), Leyland "Lee" DeVito (Detroit, MI), Danielle Salinas (Bloomfield, NJ), Chad Shore (Atlanta, GA), Mark Sweeney (San Francisco, CA), Branden Tintiangco (San Diego, CA), Chuck Trunks (Los Angeles, CA), and Michelle Villasenor (Atlanta, GA).

Only a limited number of the bottles have been produced, making them a collector's item and a welcome addition to any bar. Plans are already in motion for another contest to give more artists the opportunity to share their art with the world.

To accentuate 1800's dedication to getting art into the hands of more people, the bottle price point has also been reduced to $24.99, making the unique bottles very "affordable art."

For JustLuxe Carly Zinderman