Laura Cooperman was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1984 to a family of architects. Her grandfather Edward Toth and her father Martin Cooperman both designed several buildings only a short walk from her house. As a child Laura created elaborate structures, floor plans, and meticulous arrangements out of household items. At eight, Laura was probably the youngest subscriber to Architectural Digest and was enthralled by Frank Lloyd Wright. In addition Laura has had a strong interest in the natural world and the environment which she also attributes to her father who, amongst other things, refused to own a car and thus transported Laura by tandem bicycle. These daily activities were amplified by hikes, winter camping excursions, and month long canoe and backpacking trips.

In 2002, Laura enrolled in the Maryland Institute College of Art and began investigating land development through painting. In the summer of 2005 she traveled to Italy on a painting scholarship and studied the architecture and structure of Sorrento, Italy, during which time she focused intensely on the area's white stucco buildings. The following semester Laura had the opportunity to study in New York City where she investigated the rapidly expanding development of Staten Island through painting. While in New York Laura also worked for the artist Nancy Spero during which time she spent a month meticulously cutting a several hundred foot long frieze of Nancy's Mourning Women. When the job ended Laura returned to her painting studio and soon found herself cutting paper. Laura became engrossed in the delicate, methodical process of paper cutting and began experimenting with light, depth, and movement.

In the spring of 2006 Laura received the Grainger Marburg travel grant for her cut paper work. She is currently planning to travel to China in the fall to study the traditional art of Chinese paper cutting and to document and interpret the effects of urban renewal in Beijing through her cut paper overlays.