Nacht der Bibliotheken 2025 - Martha Cooper Library im URBAN NATION Museum mit Filmvorführung: „Martha Cooper Picture Story“

In the organizer's words:

Under the motto "Know. Share. Discover." the Martha Cooper Library (MCL) at the URBAN NATION Museum in Berlin will open its doors for the Night of Libraries on April 4, 2025. It is a specialized library with literature and archival materials on graffiti and street art.

The continuously growing collection is based on a generous donation and permanent loans of publications and archive materials by Martha Cooper in 2014. She was the first protagonist and most important documentarian of graffiti and street art. With her photographs, Cooper has made a significant contribution to the international recognition of the subculture since the 1970s. Her iconic images of the Bronx have shaped the image of urban youth culture worldwide.

The MCL preserves and documents this heritage with around 2,400 media and makes it available to the general public as a reference collection in the reading room. The library collection contains rare items such as "Golden Boy as Anthony Cool" (1972) and "Street Writers. A Guided Tour of Chicano Graffiti" (1975).

The Night of Libraries at the Martha Cooper Library offers insights into the fascinating world of urban art and the opportunity to experience one of the most important collections of its kind in the world. Free admission to the event and all interested parties are cordially invited to discover what is on offer.

Program

As part of the Night of the Libraries, the documentary "Martha Cooper Picture Story" will be shown. The film provides a fascinating insight into the life and work of Martha Cooper, who has been documenting subcultural street art for over 40 years.

Film screening: "Martha Cooper Picture Story" - Start: 18:15 and 20:15

Hands-on activity: Photo Mapping and Our History in the City: Zine Making by Dylan Mitro, recipient of the Martha Cooper Artist Residency 2025.

The Martha Cooper Library is active in the "One Person Libraries Berlin Brandenburg" working group. During the Night of Libraries, the working group and two other representatives, the specialized library of the nearby Lette Verein and the reference library of the Hegenbarth Collection Berlin, will present themselves at stands.

The event is part of the Night of Libraries, which is organized by the German Library Association (dbv) and its 16 regional associations to celebrate the diversity and importance of libraries in Germany.