New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive

The Collection:
The Archive is the repository of materials and information from the Foundation’s various programs and activities — including Jazz Fest. These materials are made available for scholarly and other types of research.

A large portion of the collection consists of recordings from Jazz Fest — from the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage, as well as the African, Folk and Food Heritage stages. These sessions provide exclusive information relating to Louisiana’s culture and its impact on the world.

The Archive also houses a vast inventory of photos, posters, film footage, audio tapes, signs, business records and other artifacts from events dating to the beginning of the Foundation.

The Archive at Jazz Fest:
The Archive actively uses Jazz Fest to develop new content by producing high-quality recordings of the interviews with artists at the Alison Miner Music Heritage Stage. These oral histories provide first–hand documentation of the artistry that comprises Louisiana culture — and they’re fun.

Achievements:
The Library of Congress has selected materials from the Archive, including early broadcast recordings by radio station WWOZ, to be included in its prestigious National Recording Registry. The Crescent City Living Legends Collection of material from 1973 to 2001 includes recordings of the Como Drum and Fife Corps, the Olympia Brass Band, Clifton Chenier, Professor Longhair, James Booker and many others.

The Archive’s activities are supported by a crew of hard–working volunteers and by the Louisiana Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Grammy Foundation. The Archive is open to the public by appointment.

Volunteer Photographers Needed for Jazz Fest 2012
As it has for many years, the Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive will organize a team of volunteer photographers to document various aspects of the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell.

There are three categories for applicants: Student, Amateur and Professional.

The deadline to apply is Dec. 31, 2011. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Apply online here. The number of applications we can consider is limited to 150.

The Volunteer Photographer Program is a community outreach project of the Foundation Archive. The goal is to provide documentation of Jazz Fest for the Archive.

We’re looking for images that go beyond the music onstage to capture the "internal culture” of the festival: the food, art and especially the people whose fashions and customs are crucial in defining the Jazz Fest experience.

Volunteer Photographers must be able to manage and edit hundreds or even thousands of digital images. They must provide and be responsible for their own photography gear.

They also must understand that the work is physically demanding. Photographers often walk many miles a day around the Fair Grounds. There can be a variety of weather conditions, including rain, sun and heat.

Selected volunteer photographers are responsible for providing the Archive with a CD or DVD of the images taken at the festival along with a complete index of images on the disc. The images are owned by the photographer but may be used by the Foundation to promote the festival and other Founation programs, and for other educational or noncommercial purposes. All rights, responsibilities and obligations on the part of the Foundation and the photographers will be outlined in a separate Terms of Agreement for those invited to participate.

Applications will be reviewed by a four-person jury consisting of one member of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation Board of Directors and three volunteer photographer/curators. Decisions will be based on these criteria:

* Artistic merit (60 percent)
* Experience photographing live cultural events and professional reliability (40 percent)

The dates of the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival are April 27-29 and May 3-6.

For more information, please contact the Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive by calling (504) 558-6138. Or click on this link to send an email.

Contact Information:
The Jazz & Heritage Archive
901 Toulouse St.
New Orleans, LA 70112
Tel: (504) 558-6138
Fax: (504) 558-6137

E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)