An upcoming photography exhibit will give UA students and staff a rare look at Cuba, a country not many are familiar with.

The exhibit, set to open Oct. 11 in the Grand Gallery of Smith Hall, will feature the work of UA photographer Chip Cooper and Cuban photographer Nestor Marti, a duo who began collaborating in 2008.

“This is the first time that an American and Cuban have shot the same subject, had a show in both countries, then produced a book of their collaborative work,” Cooper said. “It’s the most amazing place I’ve ever photographed.”

The photographers met through the University’s Alabama-Cuba Initiative, a program headed by Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

“In addition to a semester-abroad program for the UA undergraduate students, this progressive partnership has captured the creative potential and intellectual spirit of our two cultures with one common goal – to promote change in our respective communities through uniting our talent,” Olin said in a press release.

The show, called ‘Side by Side,’ was originally presented in Cuba in 2009. Since that time, the photographers have added new photographs to the collection.

“We had more than 400 people as well as CNN and NBC, Havana TV and radio covered it, but best of all we had a peacock walking around,” Cooper said about the 2009 show. “Dean Olin brought UA musicians down for entertainment. It was absolutely over the top.”

Cooper said he experienced many career firsts while working on the exhibit.

“Shooting with another photographer is a first for me, all my other books and shows have been just me,” he said. “The experience of street photography in an urban area is another first, since a lot of my work has been the landscape. I had the time of my life and made many lifelong friends.”

Marti is a graduate of the University of Havana and a photographer in the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana. Cooper was director of photography at UA for 33 years. He now teaches in the College of Arts and Sciences and is an artist in residence in the Honors College.

The University’s Alabama-Cuba Initiative is now in its eighth year. It provides students with a rare opportunity to research and study abroad in Cuba.

A reception for the exhibit’s opening will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the gallery. The event is free and open to the public. For those unable to attend, Smith Hall is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each week from Monday through Saturday.