What Lies Within Photo Book Talk with Artist Dale Niles, Photo Editor Barbara Griffin and Designer / Publisher, Laurie Shock (New Date)

The Griffin Museum invites you to join artist Dale Niles, Photo Editor Barbara Griffin, and Designer/Publisher Laurie Shock, as they discuss the journey of transitioning the artist’s series What Lies Within from prints on the wall, to a critically acclaimed book.

Eight years ago, artist Dale Niles entered the world of collector Andrea M. Noel after a friend suggested that I might be interested in photographing Andrea’s expansive collections. After approaching her about the potential of examining her assortments photographically, Dale was presented with a list of over sixty collecting categories, ranging from kitchen utensils to bedpans and urinals. When the artist arrived at Andrea’s beautiful, home complete with a wraparound porch festooned with wisteria, she was unprepared for the surprises that lay within.  

This series and then subsequent book, is a photographic survey of things of little concern to most people, but speaks to the way these items are meticulously cared for and put out for display giving them a new life, a new meaning, in the form of visual storytelling. 

What began as a project documenting cherished collectables, transformed into a photographic journey that reveals discarded objects beautifully arranged in artful designs. Once the photographic series was completed, it was time to transition the work from prints on the wall, to a book, where the collection could take on another type of iteration.

*Please note that this event was rescheduled from February 21s to May 13, 2024.

About the Artist and Panel

Dale Niles is a Georgia based artist born in Norfolk, Virginia.  She is known for her diverse photographic interpretations from her black/white and color photographs to her montage storytelling collage photographs. She received her BA in sociology from Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory, NC.

She has exhibited across the United States, Canada, Paris and Venice, Italy. Niles has had solo exhibits at Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill, NC; Brickworks Gallery in Atlanta, GA; and Cochran Gallery in LaGrange, GA.  Several of her works are part of the permanent collections at MOCA GA.

Niles has been featured in publications including Light and Shadow Magazine, SXSE Magazine, Shots, Lenscratch, The Hand Magazine and Oxford America.

​She has a selection of work exhibited at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL; she was selected for Critical Mass Top 200, 2018 ACP Ones To Watch, the Fence, Atlanta International Airport and the Virginia Twainam Smith Purchase award.

Her book, What Lies With: the Eclectic Collections of Andrea Noel  received recognition from Elizabeth Avedon as best photography book of 2021.  Her book was also selected for inclusion in the 13th Annual Self-Published Photobook Show presented by the Davis Orton Gallery, Hudson NY and the Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester MA. First place and gold winner of Tokyo International Awards 2023.

As Creative Director, Producer, and Photo Editor, Barbara’s work ranges from photoshoot direction and production, from exhibition curation to fine art photo book editing. She has produced photography for major film studios, a global automotive company, Sony, CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, Turner Sports and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

The Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers (SMPSP) named Barbara an Associate Member in 2021, an honor granted due to her exemplary leadership, management, and support of photographers’ careers both on and off the set. Additionally, she was named President Emerita in 2078, after 8 years of leadership at Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP). This non-profit arts organization produced the largest annual community-oriented photo festival in the U.S.

Barbara currently serves on the board of War Toys; a California-based non-profit, whose core mission is to advocate for children who have been affected by war. Unique, art-therapy-based collaborations with children amplify their voices and relay often traumatic accounts to audiences worldwide through exhibitions, presentations, and media engagement.

Formerly, Senior Vice President of Image Management for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., Barbara was responsible for all photography created globally for Turner’s entertainment, animation, and news networks.

President of Shock Design Books, Laurie Shock specializes in designing and publishing coffee table, fine art, and photography books. Over the past thirty years, she has produced more than three hundred books for artists, organizations, and nonprofits. Her client and publisher collaboration list includes: the American Cancer Society, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Carter Center, Longstreet Press, Peachtree Publishers, Zurich International School, Fall Line Press, Agnes Scott College, Discovery Books, Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, and Rizzoli. Shock’s fine art and photography books include: Bottom of da Boot by Kael Alford, America 101 by Arthur Grace, Behind Glass by Anne Berry, Captivated: The Art of Ikki Matsumoto, Gathered and Constant Impermanence by Lucinda Bunnen, Sweetheart Roller Skating Rink by Bill Yates, Witness: A Photographic Essay of Humor and Heart by Ron Sherman, and What Lies Within by Dale Niles. Many of the books she has designed and produced have been published internationally.

Shock co-produced the traveling exhibit, “Blind/Sight: Conversations with the Visually Inspired,” creating illustrations of how each person in the exhibit sees, based on in-depth interviews with each subject.

She has taught publishing workshops for Atlanta Celebrates Photography with the Showcase School, Turner Broadcasting, and Serenbe Photography Center. Her book, How to Publish Your Own Photography Book, won a Gold IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Award) and two Gold International Book Awards.

Shock’s books have won multiple awards for design and publishing including a Mary Ellen LoPresti Award, a Platinum Hermes Creative Award, two gold IPPY Awards, five Silver IPPY Awards, a Bronze IPPY Award, a Gold Benjamin Franklin Gold Award, four Benjamin Franklin Silver Awards, two Bronze Benjamin Franklin Awards, a Bronze CASE Circle of Excellence Award, and three Grand Gold CASE District III Awards.