She initially launched WOW as a way to promote the local co-operative art gallery she was a part of – the William Higgins Gallery in Tasman. “I was working as an artist and needed a strong idea for promoting the local gallery. I came up with the idea of taking the art of the walls and putting it onto the human form.”
ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff
Suzie Moncrieff started WOW with a simple idea – take art off the wall and put it onto the human form. Over 30 years later, that simple idea is worth tens of millions to Wellington s economy. She said since that first rainy, rural event, WOW had “taken on a life of its own”, becoming an annual staple in Nelson for many years before eventually moving to Wellington in 2004. It regularly has entries from over 40 countries and an audience of around 60,000 every year.