Martha Cooper is a documentary photographer
who has specialized in urban vernacular art and architecture for twenty-five
years. In 1977, Martha moved to New York City and worked as a staff photographer
on the NY Post for three years. During that time she began to shoot graffiti
and break dancing, subjects which led to her extensive coverage of early
Hip Hop as it emerged from the Bronx.
Martha’s first book Subway Art, is still in print after 20 years
and is affectionately called the “Bible” by graffiti artists
worldwide. Her next book, R.I.P.: Memorial Wall Art looks at memorial
murals in NYC and Hip Hop Files 1980-1984 contains hundreds of rare, early
Hip Hop photos. We B*Girlz is an intensive look at the world of B-girls
worldwide and Street Play is her collection of Lower Eastside photos from
the late 70’s.
Martha’s work has been widely exhibited in museums and galleries
and published in numerous magazines from National Geographic to Vibe.
She splits her time between Baltimore and Manhattan where she is the Director
of Photography at City Lore, the New York Center for Urban Folk Culture.
Born in 1943, Martha grew up in Mount Washington and attended local Baltimore
public schools graduating from Forest Park High School in 1959. Her father
and uncle founded and operated Cooper’s Camera Mart on Harford Road
for fifty years. Her great grandparents emigrated to Baltimore in 1859
and lived on Lombard Street very near the area she is now documenting.
www.KodakGirl.com.
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