MARTA has partnered with Atlanta artist Rory Hawkins, known around the city as Catlanta, on a limited-edition merchandise collection that puts his signature cats on tote bags, hoodies, beanies, stickers, shirts and socks. The collaboration blends playful feline artwork with imagery pulled straight from the transit system's buses and trains, turning a familiar local art project into wearable tribute to Atlanta's commute.
According to CBS News Atlanta, the collection celebrates the city's public transit system with playful feline artwork, and includes tote bags modeled after MARTA buses and trains alongside the other apparel items. The station reports the partnership falls under MARTA's Artbound program, which supports local public art and helps fund musical performances and art installations across the system.
Hawkins told the station that working with MARTA has been a dream come true as a lifelong resident and rider, a line that captures just how personal this project is for him. As 11Alive reports, Hawkins said he spray-painted around Krog Street Tunnel, drew a three-legged cat, and added the Catlanta name — the origin of a character that would eventually wind up on MARTA merchandise.
A Metro Atlanta Scavenger Hunt
Catlanta's story stretches back to 2011, when Hawkins began placing his signature cats around Atlanta, according to 11Alive's reporting. The character's name, per Catlanta's own account, grew from a few cats Hawkins spray painted on the walls of underpasses and abandoned properties throughout the city that same year.
Hawkins eventually moved away from painting directly on walls, instead creating small hand-painted wooden cutouts of his iconic three-legged cat, Catlanta's site notes. The shift also followed pushback described by ArtsATL, which reports that neighborhood associations became upset about the spray-painted cats appearing in their districts, prompting Hawkins to transition to less destructive means.
What followed was a sprawling, ongoing photo scavenger hunt. Per Catlanta's site, Hawkins has shared more than 1,000 pieces of art via hidden drops since he began hiding pieces in 2011, and the project has now been underway for 15 years. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that he leaves online clues for treasure hunters to follow the last Friday of every month, keeping the hunt alive well past its early days.
A Three-Hour Search Sparked a Lasting Tradition
Hawkins told 11Alive that the first person who found one of his magnets spent three hours searching for it, an experience that encouraged him to keep placing them around the metro area. He hid hand-painted wooden cats and magnets around metro Atlanta, and his work has turned up in spots including Krog Street Tunnel and Cabbagetown, 11Alive reports. Catlanta's own site describes these drops as intended to highlight the people, places and events that make Atlanta and other cities unique while inspiring exploration and engagement.
Hawkins said Catlanta's cats help people explore and celebrate Atlanta, framing the project less as street art and more as an invitation to wander the city with fresh eyes. 11Alive reports that his artwork made his artwork an interactive way for people to explore Atlanta, and that he was inspired in part by his experience at an animal shelter — a detail that adds a personal thread to the character's origins.
Cats on the Rails and in the Merch Store
The cats have shown up directly on MARTA's system before, including on a themed train at Peachtree Center, according to 11Alive. Now the feline icon is riding along on products, with CBS News Atlanta reporting the collection is available online at MARTA's merchandise store. 11Alive adds that interested customers can find merchandise and purchasing information at itsmartamerch.com.
The Catlanta line isn't MARTA's only recent foray into retail collaborations. The transit agency previously teamed with Atlanta United on the “MARTA Collection,” described by MARTA as the first custom retail collaboration between the agency and the soccer club. For Hawkins, though, this latest partnership folds a project born from spray paint and neighborhood pushback into something riders can now wear on their own commute.
