Attendees from around the world have enjoyed the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for over 50 years, but it’s the important work of archiving Jazz Fest that ensures its history and memories are never forgotten. On Thursday, May 26, at 12 p.m., Rachel Lyons, archivist at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Archives will discuss her work in a Zoom presentation with Melissa A. Weber, curator of TUSC’s Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz. To register for the online event, visit here.

Lyons, who has done this work for 23 years, will discuss the origins of the festival’s official archive, what it takes to archive the multifaceted event, and interesting stories that archival work can reveal.

This is the closing event for “Music IS the Scene”: Jazz Fest’s First Decade, 1970-1979, a Tulane University Special Collections (TUSC) exhibition on view through Friday, May 27, in the TUSC Gallery located at Tulane’s Jones Hall, 6801 Freret Street in room 208A. A digital version of the exhibition will remain online at exhibits.tulane.edu. Hosted by Melissa A. Weber, curator of TUSC’s Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz. For questions, email [email protected].

Despite meager attendance during its first year in 1970, Jazz Fest is now one of the top 10 music festivals in the United States, bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors and hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the New Orleans economy. Though world renowned, the festival remains a local favorite due to its dedication to celebrating New Orleans and its surrounding regions.

“Tulane University Special Collections holdings contain extraordinary Jazz Fest materials that I hope will entertain, educate, and enliven gallery visitors as we welcome the return of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival,” says Weber. “This exhibition not only celebrates Jazz Fest, but also speaks to the power of archives to document history.”