Camilo José Vergara

Camilo José Vergara is a photographer and the author of numerous books, most recently, Detroit Is No Dry Bones: The Eternal City of the Industrial Age (University of Michigan Press, 2016). His most recent writing on Detroit can be found at PublicBooks.org. More of his work can be found at camilojosevergara.com.

The Crossroads for a More Peaceful Bronx

Decades after photographing its abandoned buildings and makeshift playgrounds, Camilo José Vergara sees an unmatched contrast between past and present in the economically devastated borough.

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‘Up to Lexington, One, Two, Five’

Camilo José Vergara takes his camera to the intersection Lou Reed sang about in 1967.

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When Caribbean Culture Meets Gentrification

Camilo José Vergara takes his camera to Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood.

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The Malcolm X Murals of America

Thirty years ago, his likeness could be found in many poor, minority communities. Today, these images are disappearing as the buildings they were painted on have either collapsed or have been demolished.

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Life in 'The Hub'

Street fashion trends spotted in this part of the Bronx often spread to the rest of the world. Its diversity and density make it beautiful and memorable.

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Photographing Newark's 'Four Corners'

Change may be on the horizon for the city’s unofficial town square, but it is not yet apparent on its streets.

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A man walks by a Black Panther poster in 1990s Harlem.

The Black Panther Party’s History of Urban Street Art

The group’s Minister of Culture designed posters that were glued on the walls of decaying buildings in mostly black and Latino neighborhoods.

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The MLK Murals of America

Portraits of the slain civil rights leader captured over time give us a view of history from neighborhoods that often go unrecorded.

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