It was Riggs Partners’ 15th year competing, but last Friday was my first time attending InShow. For those who don’t know, InShow is AIGA South Carolina’s juried competition showcasing exceptional talent from around the state.
Basically, a display of creative genius in all its glory.
I arrived with the Riggs Partners clique to the InShow gala locale. It was an old brick building on Whaley Street with a hidden majesty you couldn’t quite see, but you could feel.
Inside, guests were chatting with each other, some networking, others catching up with the friends they only see on this day each year. Most of the attention was on two long tables running down the center of the room. Displayed on the tables were the winning entries. Immediately, I joined everyone else in perusing the aisles of work.
I was amazed at the varied mediums of work entered in the InShow. I saw not just posters and websites, but also bat mitzvah invitations and a student short film. It was interesting to see how many different forms creativity could take.
This year the InShow event was dubbed the Grocer’s Gala, and the awards were handcrafted Styrofoam blocks of cheese. Riggs Partners stacked up nine. Our self-promotion piece won, as well as our work produced for:
- Bearden-Josey Center for Breast Health
- Central South Carolina Community Foundation
- Regional HealthPlus
- Vaughn’s BBQ
- Village at Pelham
- Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands
We were also honored with two special judges awards: Most Delectable Self-Promo for our own newsletter, In The Country of Epigrams; and Freshest Interactive for the Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands website.
After the awards presentation, the members of Riggs Partners posed for pictures, juggling our huge stack of cheese. We congratulated and celebrated. It was a good night to be a part of Riggs Partners.
Then I took a moment to step back and just be there in that antique building, soaking in the creative atmosphere and letting myself be filled with inspiration.
This industry sure is fun.
