Rose Piper was born in New York in 1917, and spent nearly the entirety of her long and varied career there, beginning with her education at Hunter College (she was awarded a four year scholarship at Pratt Institute but her father believed Pratt was not a proper college), and then at the Art Student’s League, studying under Vaclav Vytacil and Yasuo Kuniyoshi.  

Piper was the recipient of two prestigious Rosenwald Fellowships in 1946 and 1948. The first, allowed her to travel the southern United States. Her first solo exhibition at the Roko Gallery, NY, 1947, featured the results of this travel, 14 paintings based on Negro folk songs and blues songs that she had researched.  The success of this show led her to be included in the 7th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Negro Art sponsored by Atlanta University in 1948.  Her painting, Grievin’ Hearted took first place and a cash prize of $300.  She also exhibited at the ACA Gallery, and ran in the circle of artists which included Romare Bearden, Charles Alston, Norman Lewis, and a young Jacob Lawrence

Piper used the second Rosenwald Fellowship for study in Paris. When she returned, her financial circumstances had changed for the worse. She ran a greeting card business and worked as a textile designer. Piper did not return to painting until the 80’s. Her later exhibitions include: New Images, Hudson Guild Art Gallery, 1988; Contemporary African-American Artists, National Arts Club, New York, 1994; and The Fine Art of Textile Design, Cinque Gallery, New York, 1995; Bomani Gallery, San Francisco, 1993 ,1995.