Front Door Book by Clayton Paterson

The O.H.W.O.W. published Front Door Book has recently been released. Authored by Clayton Paterson, the book features an in-depth and intimate encounter with New York’s rich cultural background. Paterson has ventured into places where few dare to go to grab stunning visual imagery of some of New York’s most eclectic personalities. Below is an excerpt of an essay by Clayton Paterson which effectively outlines the premise of the book. Two versions can be purchased at O.H.W.O.W., the boxset at $60 USD includes Paterson’s DVD documentary “Captured” while the book itself runs for $38 USD.

The Front Door photos are a summation of everything I have ever learned. The photos are taken in front of the door at 161 Essex Street, which leads into Clayton Hats, Clayton Gallery and the Outlaw Art Museum. This also happens to be the place I live.

The front door represented two things for me: It was the Wall of Fame where I played host to many of the local graffiti writers and it was the background for many of the shots from the Hall of Fame The period represented is from 1985 to 2002. The vast majority of the photographs were of Hispanics who lived on the Lower East Side. The L.E.S. in the ’80s and into the ’90s was not the hip place it is today. For the most part, the photos were representative of people who lived in the section that outsiders considered dangerous and that was normally out of bounds for those who had no business being there.