Bill Diodato

Career

Bill was born and raised in New England. At an early age he was inspired by graphic design and advertising which led him to commercial photography. Inspired by the legendary career of Irving Penn, Diodato decided to pursue a career in photography and attended the Hallmark Institute of Photography. After completing his studies he moved to Boston and worked as an assistant. Diodato moved to New York City in 1990 where he took a job as a studio manager. While assisting, Diodato's work caught the eye of stylist Anne Gabriele who referred him to the advertising agency Commercial Graphics Incorporated where he received a contract and began his commercial career. Shortly thereafter he started to work with several editorial and advertising clients. During this time he has stated Victoria's Secret was one of his favorite and most loyal clients. In 2004, Bill Diodato appeared on Tyra Banks' hit TV show America's Next Top Model on the Tarantula Episode In 2008, Diodato appeared in Season 1 of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel Snake Episode 8 and again Nude Accessory Episode 9.

On September 11, 2001, Diodato was booked to shoot for Victoria's Secret; due to the events of that morning that shoot was cancelled and Diodato set out to document the attacks on the World Trade Center towers. The Footage was picked up by CBS. Diodato was ushered into the CBS newsroom where Dan Rather was reporting the collapse of the North Tower. The footage ran almost immediately after the collapse and was then unavailable while the NTIS analyzed the footage during their three-year investigation of the collapse of the WTC buildings.

Today, Diodato continues to shoot commercial assignments while working on many personal projects. Diodato's first monograph, entitled "Care of Ward 81", was released in July 2010 and published by Golden Section Publishers, LLC and has since been recognized with awards by Eric Hoffer Book Award, Communication Arts, American Photography, International Book award, and PDN. In 2005, Diodato was granted permission by the Oregon State Legislation to photograph the then-closed Oregon State Mental Hospital, the same hospital where the Academy Award–winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was filmed. As Diodato writes in the book’s introduction, “Ward 81 is gone, and metaphorically so are the stereotypes associated with women who are afflicted with mental illness. My intention in publishing these images is to present the physical crumbling and decaying cells, which represent the end of old, corrupt, poorly-run asylums and bring about a sense of closure for the women of Ward 81.”

Famed documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark photographed the female patients of Ward 81 in 1976. She did so while on assignment shooting film stills on the set of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Mary Ellen mark is also responsible for writing the foreword to "Care of Ward 81". "Care of Ward 81" is the first of two limited-edition monographs by Diodato. The second monograph, also focusing on the demise of institutional services, is slated for a 2015 release and tentatively titled "Cremains.”

Bill's aforementioned company, Golden Section Publishers, has also published Time and Space on the Lower East Side by photographer Brian Rose released in 2011. Currently, Golden Sections Publishers is publishing a large-format book on Manhattan's Meatpacking District by Photographer Brian Rose. The book is slated for release in early 2014.

Bibliography

Awards

Exhibitions

Dillon Gallery: July 10 - August 1, 2012 - Care of Ward 81 show presenting 11 images from the Care of Ward 81 monograph.

The Gallery at Hallmark: February 4 - April 3, 2011 Care of Ward 81 show presenting 27 images from the Care of Ward 81 monograph.