Documenting for Democracy: 60 Years of Kartemquin Films

60 Years of Kartemquin Films is open now at Olin Library in the Ginkgo Reading Room, and it's going to be around for a while—it runs from October 3, 2026, through January 31, 2027. If you've never heard of them, Kartemquin is a Chicago-based documentary production house that's been around since 1966. The whole thing is built on the idea that a democratic society is a socially engaged one, and they've spent six decades using documentary film to strengthen the bonds between communities and advocate for justice.

The exhibition draws from the Kartemquin Films Collection to look back at the company's history, its award-winning films, and what it's achieved in independent documentary filmmaking. It's a retrospective in the truest sense, tracing the work of a production house that's spent more than half a century working from the same core belief: that film can be a tool for social inquiry and a way to push for a more just world. If you're into the history of independent cinema or the way documentary can be used for advocacy, this is right up your alley.

It was put together by Curator of Film and Media Lydia Creech, with assistance from Maria Pellegrino, an MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture candidate. You'll find it in the Ginkgo Reading Room at Olin Library, on Brookings Drive in St. Louis, as part of Washington University in St. Louis. Since it runs through the end of January, you've got plenty of time to swing by whenever it fits your schedule.