Kenneth Williams (he/him/his)
Chicago
"I am an artist, a creator of change."
Kenneth Williams believes his gift as an artist gives him the opportunity to be an agent of positive change. He uses his artistic talents to reimagine some of Chicago's most disadvantaged neighborhoods on the South and West sides of the city. He receives inspiration from vacant lots or boarded up neighborhoods, from which he projects a world of beauty, intricacy, vibrancy. In place of vacancy, he imagines opportunity.
“Without architecture we wouldn't have our cities, schools, houses, neighborhoods, or communities. Buildings help create the beauty of our neighborhoods. When I create, I draw what could be, not what is. If I see a vacant lot with boarded up buildings, I visualize it and draw it as a new neighborhood. I like the concept of urban redevelopment.”
Kenneth became connected with Thresholds - a social service provider for people with mental illness in Chicago - in the early 1990s, and has been working towards the life he desires for himself since. He is interested in various forms of personal growth work, including creative writing, music, and a peer support group, GROW. According to Kenneth, these are all important aids for coping with mental illness. He strongly believes "artists ought to build their communities up, not tear them down,” and that he was given his talents to help make Chicago - and the world - a better place.
Prints by Kenneth Williams (he/him/his)
37th and Ellis
Kenneth Williams
A Renaissance in Bronzeville 3
Kenneth Williams
A Renaissance in Bronzeville 4
Kenneth Williams
A Renaissance of the Black Metropolis in Oakland
Kenneth Williams
African-American Parade of Homes
Kenneth Williams
City Streets 1
Kenneth Williams
Cuyahoga River Valley Resort 1
Kenneth Williams
Cuyahoga River Valley Resort 2
Kenneth Williams
Cuyahoga River Valley Resort 3
Kenneth Williams
Cuyahoga River Valley Resort 4
Kenneth Williams
Cuyahoga River Valley Resort 5
Kenneth Williams
Historic Oakland Shores Estates
Kenneth Williams
Lake Park Crescent: A Mixed Income Community Part Three
Kenneth Williams
Legend South Development Bronzeville
Kenneth Williams
Legend South Development Bronzeville 2
Kenneth Williams
Legend South Development Bronzeville 3
Kenneth Williams
Legend South Development Bronzeville 4
Kenneth Williams
Michael Reese - The Next New Community
Kenneth Williams
Michael Reese Makeover 1 (29th and Oakenwald)
Kenneth Williams
Orb Clusters
Kenneth Williams
Riverside Heights Development 1
Kenneth Williams
Riverside Heights Development 2
Kenneth Williams
Riverside Plaza
Kenneth Williams
South Loop
Kenneth Williams
The Homes of Legends South at 46th & Dearborn Streets
Kenneth Williams
The Michael Reese Hospital Site
Kenneth Williams
The Nighttime Bronzeville Sky
Kenneth WilliamsOriginals by Kenneth Williams (he/him/his)
ArtLifting champions artists impacted by disabilities and housing insecurity by connecting their art with socially-conscious customers . Learn more here.