Ming Smith’s career unfolded at a time when few opportunities existed for Black women photographers, with little overlap between the Black Arts Movement and the feminist movement of the day.

After years of photographing during her youth and college years, Smith moved in the early 1970s to New York, where she became the first female member of the Kamoinge Workshop in 1972. She was also the first African American woman whose work was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art.

Her dynamic photographic range includes depictions of Harlem street life, iconic images of the Apollo Theatre, portraits of jazz artists like Sun Ra, and coverage of significant cultural moments and events such as the 1998 Million Youth March. Her work also captures the lives of Black women, as seen in her Women’s Work series (1980s), exploring themes of identity, resilience, and beauty.