Donna Cooper is a performative photographer whose work explores the relationship between the human body and elemental forces in the natural world. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, she recently returned to the Blue Ridge Mountains, where her connection to the land deeply informs her practice. Engaging fire, water, air, and earth as collaborators, she creates ritual-based performances that unfold through choreographed photographic moments. While photography is central to her work, her practice also extends into drawing and sculpture. Cooper holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has exhibited at institutions including the Chicago Cultural Center, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Mint Museum, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.