Off the Wall Opening Celebration

Magnifique!

It's a unique event which brings a Boston Globe international war correspondent, a visiting Neiman Fellow and member of Vii - together with Marilyn Riseman, the doyenne of style -  to celebrate fashion! The packed opening of Off the Wall brought 200 plus photographers, designers, academics, stylists, journalists and revelers out to view the work of 11 area shooters to the Griffin Museum @ Digital Silver Imaging. Ennis, Team and other agencies who represent the talent behind the photographs joined their freelance artists in celebrating their work.

Accolades are still pouring in: "Paris in Belmont". "Never saw such glamour in Boston".  "The opening was lovely, I think the show was so smart and exquisite". "I have been out all fashion week and never saw such a diverse crowd"."How did you get all these people here?". An outdoor tent and self-portrait gallery managed the overflow crowd and added to the festive vibe.

While heavy on the female, the show covers subjects ranging in age from 6 - 81 including Savannah youth in their Sunday best, abstract close-ups of accessories, witty and sublime takes on the act we all do everyday - dress. A unifying factor is the handsome custom framing provided by Kathy Skarvan of Ava Art. A guest described the beauty of the frames as "standing on their own without taking anything away from the image." It is a masterful balance to strike.

A poster asking "Are you ready for your close-up?" , led guests to a studio set up for their own shoot. Individuals, couples, families and groups captured themselves in all manner of fun.  The photographers in the show suffered through being on the other side of the camera for a group portrait. We edited 250 raw files and posted the results in the OTW Studio Gallery.

It is a stellar show pulled together in a short amount of time. Thanks to the confidence of Paula Tognarelli, The Director of the Griffin Museum, and the inclusiveness of Jay Calderin, The Founder of Fashion Week, we were able to create a "perfect storm" of interest and excitement. I had the challenging task of deciding what to eliminate. It was a pleasure reuniting with colleagues I have worked alongside at various times over the past 15 years and to meet the new breed of talent lending their eye to the art of fashion photography.

Wanting to preserve this special collection of photos, we created a custom book bound in platinum Japanese silk. The show is up until November 1st. All images are for sale and the book can be ordered.