ByKennCook Photography

Name: ByKennCook Photography
Address: 5714 W Erie Street, Chicago, IL, 60644, US
Telephone: +17085439049

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ByKennCook Photography

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ByKennCook Photography delivers captivating images that create lasting visual legacies.

09/12/2026

Finally having a moment to really sit and internalize what it means to be part of this moment in history.

If Emmett Till Lived?

What a thought. What a question.

Who would he have become? What would he have loved? What would his life have looked like if he had been given the chance to simply grow old?

To see my work become part of If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground is something I’m still trying to fully take in.

I think what makes this moment so emotional for me is realizing how connected it is to the reason I picked up a camera in the first place. My work has always been rooted in memory, preserving the people, places and stories that matter to me and making photographs that allow those stories to live beyond the moment.

I never imagined where that intention would take me.

To now be part of something asking us not only to remember Emmett Till, but to imagine the life he should have had the chance to live, brings me right back to that purpose.

Thank you Sarah Lewis and everyone at MoCP & Vision & Justice for the care and intention behind this exhibition, and for creating a space for us to imagine, remember and reflect.

This is one I’ll carry with me for a long time.

09/06/2026

Big things are happening Out West!

08/21/2026

It’s official. My work is now living across the West Side.

I’m proud to share my West Side Outdoor Photo Exhibition, bringing together photographs from From the Westside, With Love and This Far by Faith across five locations in Austin, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, and North Lawndale.

The West Side has always been at the center of my work. The people, the neighborhoods, the faith, the history, and the everyday moments that happen here continue to shape how I see and what I choose to photograph.

There’s something special about seeing these images at this scale and having them exist outside of traditional spaces. I wanted the work to live in the neighborhoods it speaks to and become part of the everyday landscape.

The exhibition is on view August 15 – September 26, 2026.

Come celebrate with me at the opening reception on August 27 from 5–7 PM at Nichols Tower, 906 S. Homan Ave.

Exhibition Locations

Austin
Austin Community Family Center — 501 N. Central Ave.
Soul City Corridor — 5823 W. Chicago Ave.

East Garfield Park
Firebird Community Arts — 2651 W. Lake St.

West Garfield Park
Reborn Community Church — 114 S. Pulaski Rd.

North Lawndale
Sears Sunken Garden — W. Arthington St. & S. Homan Ave.

Five locations across the West Side. I hope you get a chance to see the work in person.

With love,
Kenn

West Garfield Park
Reborn Community Church — 114 S. Pulaski Rd.

Austin
Soul City Corridor — 5823 W. Chicago Ave

Austin
Austin Community Family Center — 501 N. Central Ave.

East Garfield Park
Firebird Community Arts — 2651 W. Lake St.

Austin
Soul City Corridor — 5823 W. Chicago Ave

North Lawndale
Sears Sunken Garden — W. Arthington St. & S. Homan Ave

Austin
Austin Community Family Center — 501 N. Central Ave.

08/09/2026

Today was my first Bud Billiken Parade.

As I walked King Drive with my camera, I kept thinking about the generations of photographers who have photographed this tradition before me and helped build the visual history of Black Chicago.

I’m grateful to have the opportunity to make images that are in conversation with that history, and with the talented photographers continuing to document our communities today.

There’s something special about knowing the photographs we make become part of a much larger record.

Grateful to have added a few of my own today.

07/03/2026

Tormented Valley 2026

Low clouds. Quiet water. Summer snow.

05/20/2026

Westside Historical Collective is excited to invite you to an upcoming virtual workshop hosted in partnership with Black Lunch Table and Healing Illinois.

Join us on May 28 at 6PM for a beginner-friendly session exploring the practice and methodology of community based oral history work with Georgia Dusk co-founders Ashby Combahee and Dartricia Rollins.

Participants will learn about oral history practices, interview methods, and how to begin designing their own oral history projects rooted in community care and preservation.

🗓️ May 28
🕕 6:00 PM CST
💻 Virtual Workshop

Spots are limited — registration is required.
🔗 Link in bio

04/28/2026

Westside Historical Collective is excited to invite you to an upcoming workshop we are hosting in partnership with the Black Lunch Table and Healing Illinois at Legler Regional Library located at 115 S. Pulaski Rd.
These sessions are designed to support community members in becoming memory workers - people who help preserve and document their community’s stories and culture.

🗓 May 9 🗓 May 28

Spots are limited — register now:
🔗 Link in bio

04/14/2026

Honored to be a part of this.

I’m excited to be exhibiting alongside some incredible artists from Chicago for The Chicago 11 at Leica Gallery Chicago. To be considered for their opening exhibition here in the city means a lot.

If you’re in Chicago, pull up.

Reception: April 16, 5:30–7:30 PM

Leica Gallery Chicago

04/05/2026

Grateful. Full. Still taking it all in.

The opening of Westside Earth Keepers at meant more to me than I can fully put into words. This work is about the people who care for the land and, in turn, care for all of us. The ones tending gardens, holding space, passing down knowledge, and keeping something alive for the future. Through portraits and their own words, this project honors that care, that labor, that commitment to community.

What stayed with me the most was seeing people come out and see themselves on the walls. Really seeing themselves honored for the work they do for the Westside. For many, it was their first time ever being in an art exhibition. That kind of visibility matters so much for this community, and I’m humbled to be a part of this moment.

Thank you to BUILD Chicago and the whole team for making space for this. A special thank you to for putting the whole things together. It was a pleasure workin with you on this project.

And to the Westside Earth Keepers, thank you for trusting me with your stories. This work exists because of you.

The exhibition is up until May. If you haven’t experienced it yet, I hope you do.

Address

5714 W Erie Street
Chicago, IL
60644

Telephone

+17085439049

Website

https://www.bykenncook.com/

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