Living New Orleans Project

Living New Orleans Project
Name	Living New Orleans Project
Established	2010s
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
Type	Oral history, digital archive, public humanities

Living New Orleans Project is an oral history and digital archive initiative focused on documenting the cultural, social, and environmental life of New Orleans and the surrounding Louisiana region. The project aggregates interviews, audiovisual recordings, and community-contributed materials to preserve memories related to Hurricane Katrina, neighborhood change, and regional traditions. It serves as a research resource for scholars, students, and residents studying topics ranging from Creole people and Cajun culture to urban resilience and coastal restoration.

Overview

The Living New Orleans Project curates oral histories, photographs, and maps that connect everyday experiences in New Orleans with wider narratives involving Hurricane Katrina, Civil Rights Movement, Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and post-disaster recovery. Its collections often intersect with institutions such as Tulane University, University of New Orleans, Louisiana State University, Dillard University, and cultural organizations like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Preservation Hall, and the Historic New Orleans Collection. The project supports interdisciplinary research spanning work by scholars associated with the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Endowment for the Humanities, and regional entities including the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

History and Development

Founded in the 2010s amid renewed scholarly and civic interest in documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and subsequent urban change, the initiative grew from collaborations between local universities, community archives, and nonprofit organizations such as The Data Center (New Orleans), Sustaining Places Project, and neighborhood groups across the Lower Ninth Ward, Bywater, Tremé, and the French Quarter. Early development was influenced by precedents in oral history practice exemplified by projects at the Oral History Association, the New Orleans Public Library, and digitization efforts modeled after the Digital Public Library of America and Internet Archive. Over time, partnerships expanded to include municipal agencies like the City of New Orleans planning offices, regional preservationists at Sweet Home New Orleans, and national funders such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Open Society Foundations.

Mission and Programs

The project’s mission emphasizes preservation of lived experience, public access, and education. Programs include oral history training modeled on standards from the American Historical Association and Oral History Association, school outreach aligned with curricula at New Orleans Public Schools, community archiving workshops with partners like Historic New Orleans Collection and Second Line Schools, and public programming in collaboration with New Orleans Museum of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and local festivals such as the Satchmo SummerFest and Essence Festival. Other initiatives have focused on resilience planning with stakeholders including the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority, Army Corps of Engineers, and environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy and Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition.

Collections and Resources

Collections comprise recorded interviews, transcriptions, photographic archives, interactive maps, and digitized artifacts documenting musical life tied to figures associated with Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Dr. John (Malcolm John Rebennack Jr.), and institutions like Tipitina's and Preservation Hall. The archive includes testimonies from residents, civic leaders, artists, activists from Hands On New Orleans, Common Ground Relief, ACT UP New Orleans, and practitioners from the Vieux Carré Commission. Technical infrastructure has drawn on platforms used by the Digital Library Federation and standards promoted by the Society of American Archivists and the National Archives and Records Administration. Metadata and cataloging practices reference controlled vocabularies used by the Library of Congress.

Community Engagement and Impact

Community engagement has emphasized equitable collaboration with neighborhoods such as Central City, Mid-City, Algiers, and Gentilly and with community leaders including clergy from St. Augustine Church (New Orleans), educators from Xavier University of Louisiana, and cultural workers from organizations like Krewe of Endymion and Krewe of Zulu. The project’s impact is evident in academic publications, exhibitions at institutions like the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and New Orleans Museum of Art, and policy briefs used by agencies including the Louisiana Recovery Authority and local planning commissions. Its oral histories have informed work by journalists at the Times-Picayune, documentary filmmakers collaborating with Public Broadcasting Service, and researchers publishing with presses such as Oxford University Press and University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding and partnerships combine support from national foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Ford Foundation, and corporate donors, alongside local entities including the City of New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, and university partners like Tulane University and University of New Orleans. Collaborative relationships with archives and cultural institutions—Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans Public Library, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, and national bodies like the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution—have enabled digitization, storage, and public programming. The project continues to seek diversified funding through grantmaking organizations such as the Knight Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and regional initiatives supported by the Louisiana Board of Regents.

Category:Archives in Louisiana Category:Oral history projects