The Visual History of Polish Chicago
Lecture and screening with live commentary (aka visual essay)
With this visual essay—combining screenings of newly collected archival films with live narration—I explore the possibility of, and sketch a framework for, a new visual history of Polish Chicago. The presentation draws on a unique collection I have been building since 2024, comprising more than 2,000 amateur films and home movies preserved by over fifty individuals and families. I invite the audience to reflect on what these overlooked and underestimated sources reveal about the history of Chicago Polonia and the ways generations of the Polish diaspora imagined themselves, negotiated belonging, staged visibility, and maintained ties to the homeland. At the same time, I discuss how this distinctly Polish American case study can contribute to broader understandings of diasporic identity, visual culture, and the social life of images.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 6pm-8:30pm, at Dwell Studio Chicago
The event was supported by the Chicago Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation.
Cover still source: Czesław Kowalkowski Film Collection (preserved and digitized thanks to Not-So-Ordinary).
