JESSE KASOWITZ

April 9, 2007

Dear Ms. Dansie,

I am an eternal fan of the photography of Martine Barrat. I used to teach a class in Criminology as a law Professor at the New York University School of Law. Ms. Barrat made a guest appearance at my class in 1979, with an excellent video that was related to the topic of Bronx gang violence. The following was my review at that time: "The playing of “You Do the Crime, You Do the Time, " was very well received by the law students .. an excellent production .. It was very provocative as the ensuing discussion indicated and, in my opinion, it made a valuable contribution to our programs of Colloquiums by the Criminal Law Education and Research Center, which are generally on criminal justice topics. I can now update those remarks today, as I continue to follow the gallery shows and books of Ms. Barrat. Her work continues to include beautiful scenes and portraits as in the recent Black Style exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. Other works, e.g. her 1993 book of photography Do or Die, depicts Harlem Street scenes. This photography can be gritty and disturbing. Her portraits seem to capture the soul of each subject.

She continues to be my favorite photographer.