ROY DeCARAVA # Roy DeCarava is a photographer who embraces Harlam and the culture of New York City's street life with every exposure. He was born in New York City in 1919 and grew up in Harlam. After graduating from high school in 1938 he painted at the Cooper Union. In 1940 he continued to paint and also studied print-making at the Harlam Art Center. # DeCarava began shooting to document his own paintings. In 1947 The Serigraph Gallery of New York held a one-man exhibition of his silk-screenings. After this exhibition DeCarava decided to stick with Photography and in 1950 he had his first solo photography exhibition at the Fourty-Fourth Street Gallery. # By 1952 Roy had become the first black artist to recieve a Guggenheim Fellowship. Several of the photographs from the fellowship are included in The Sweet Flypaper of Life (see sources). In 1954 DeCarava opened his own gallery and exhibited several young photographers. # In the 1960s Roy ran the "Kamionge Workshop" for young black photographers. At this time he also freelanced and was a contract photographer for Sports Illustrated. In 1975 he became a professor at Hunter College in New York. # Roy DeCarava's career spans across 45 years and fifteen one man exhibitions. All of his film is developed and printed by hand. He currently lives in Brooklyn.