From Guest Contributor J. Sybylla Smith, Curator/Director of Digital Silver Imaging
Photo from the Sox Shots Exhibit at The Griffin Museum of Photography at Digital Silver Imaging
The story of how and why A Street Frames is sharing space with The Griffin Museum of Photography by Digital Silver Imaging is a story of coincidence, timing and relationship. It is how three arts-related entities forged a collaboration based on trusting that the sum can be greater than the parts. I actually met Mark over cider doughnuts and Christmas trees at Clark Farms through mutual friends!
Over the years, A Street Frames’ owner Mark LaSaffre has built a strong reputation and rich history of bringing museum quality framing to artists, galleries, museums and private collectors.
The Griffin Museum of Photography based in Winchester has a dynamic Director and Curator, Paula Tognarelli, who creatively extended her mission of advancing the photographic arts by opening satellite exhibition spaces in public venues. She chose Digital Silver Imaging to be one such space. As a fun added coincidence, afterward, we learned we lived within blocks of each other.
Digital Silver Imaging was created by my husband Eric Luden in 2008 to provide museum quality photo printing using cutting edge digital technology. Over the past two years, I have successfully curated ten shows for The Griffin Museum of Photography by Digital Silver Imaging.
So how did the successful combination of Digital Silver Imaging and The Griffin Museum come to add the expertise of A Street Frames to create a triple crown of expertly framed, beautifully displayed exhibition of extraordinary photography? As The Griffin Museum of Photography by Digital Silver Imaging outgrew production and exhibition space at DSI, we explored available commercial properties, one of which was below A Street Frames at 4 Clarendon Street; with our previous connection with Mark, we knew there could be no better location for the gallery.
We are excited to be a part of this collaboration heralding the arts from mutually supportive venues in the South End. My next goal – get Mark to make cider doughnuts here!