If Emmett Till Lived: Photography Workshop for Seniors
Coleman Branch Library, 731 E 63rd St, Chicago, IL 60637About The Event
In collaboration with Chicago Public Library Bessie Coleman Branch, MoCP welcomes seniors ages 65+ to join documentary and street photographer Stephen Marc for a photography program and workshop connected to the museum’s upcoming exhibition If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground.
Participants will create photographs inspired by the question: “What do you wish Emmett Till could have experienced?”
Using disposable cameras provided by MoCP, participants will document moments from their daily lives. Select photographs will be featured in a future exhibition alongside works by Chicago Public Schools students in Winter 2027.
*Registration is requested. Please register by clicking the link below or contact Kristin Taylor at ktaylor@colum.edu or Alayna Pernell at apernell@colum.edu with questions.
Program schedule:
Artist Talk by Stephen Marc
May 29, 2026 from 1-2pm
Coleman Branch Library
Open to the public of all ages. No registration required.
Marc will share images and insights from his practice spanning four decades of documentary photography.
Photography Workshop
June 12, 2026 1-3pm
Coleman Branch Library
Open to seniors 65 years of age or older. Registration requested. Please contact Alayna Pernell at apernell@colum.edu to register.
Stephen will lead a workshop on photographic strategies and composition. This will prepare participants for making their own works to document a day in their life.
Camera Drop-Off
June 26, 2026 by 3pm
Coleman Branch Library
Participants using disposable cameras must return them to the library by this date.
About the Exhibition: This program is connected to the upcoming exhibition, If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground, curated by scholar and cultural historian, Sarah Lewis. The exhibition presents over 150 photographs from the museum’s permanent collection to answer the question: What if Emmet Till Lived? The question invites a reckoning with the past, and a probing investigation of the current state of American life.
About Stephen Marc: Stephen Marc documents and interprets history with a focus on the Black experience. Known for documenting Chicago’s South Side in the 1980s, Marc later created photographic montages combining personal images, historical archives, and contemporary scenes to reflect on the Black experience and the legacy of the Underground Railroad. His work is held in major museum collections across the United States and Europe.
