Julio Perazza was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on August 29, 1943. After graduating from Western High School in Detroit, he studied at various places, including Highland Park Community College. He eventually completed his B.F.A. in photography at the University of Michigan (1975) and his M.F.A. in photography from Eastern Michigan University.
He worked for a time at Great Lakes Steel, and later toured as a performer and photographer with the musical performing arts company "Up with People". Perazza devoted his life to photography, both as an artist and as a teacher. The subjects of his photographs were African-Americans in Detroit, Chicanos in Michigan, and life in his homeland of Puerto Rico. His artwork has been exhibited throughout Michigan and around California, Texas, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. He died July 28, 1998.
From the guide to the Julio Perazza visual materials, 1970s and 1984-1986, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
