Allison Miner Lecture Series

The Allison Miner Series is an initiative of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive to highlight research, scholarship, and projects that utilize the historic collection.


Allison Miner was a dedicated advocate for New Orleans music and culture, known for her significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the city’s musical heritage. She played a key role in the establishment and development of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and its Archive. Her passion and commitment to supporting local musicians and cultural traditions have left a lasting impact on the community. The Allison Miner Lecture Series was created to underscore the work of recipients of the Jazz & Heritage Fellowship Research Grants.


Lecture #3: November 6, 2024

Dancing the Politics of Pleasure at the New Orleans Second Line

When second liners dance, they are usually doing more than showing off fancy footwork. They might be building community, catching the spirit, fighting for freedom, or claiming home. Such is the point of view forwarded by Rachel Carrico’s new book, Dancing the Politics of Pleasure at the New Orleans Second Line, which was supported by a Jazz & Heritage Fellowship in 2017. To celebrate the book and the people’s lives it documents, Carrico will share stories and reflections, including a tribute to Joe Stern and Barbara Lacen Keller. Two SAPC presidents will join her for an audience discussion before a band ushers the community into the courtyard for book signing, drinks, and of course, dancing. Pre-Pay or pick up your book early from Frenchmen Art & Books!


Lecture #2: May 1, 2024

These Drums of Ours: Experiencing Cultural Heritage in two festivals (New Orleans and Cali, Colombia): Manuel Sevilla is a Colombian anthropologist who received a Jazz & Heritage Archive Fellowship in 2015. Sevilla’s exploration of the Petronio Alvarez Festival in Cali, Colombia, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival sheds light on the rich tapestry of Cultural Heritage across countries and cultures. By examining the parallel experiences of attendees and participants, Sevilla uncovers how these festivals foster the experience of Cultural Heritage through a combination of cognitive processes. The fusion of these processes creates a unique axis through which Cultural Heritage is both experienced and transmitted.


Lecture #1: September 20, 2023

Reel to Real: The Early Airwaves of WWOZ: WWOZ’s appearance on the radio dial in December of 1980 was nothing short of miraculous.  Learn about the struggle to secure the FCC license for the now lauded 90.7FM to how a handful of volunteers worked to overcome organizational and technological challenges.  ‘Reel to Real: The early airwaves of WWOZ’ is an engaging presentation about those efforts and features the voices of some of WWOZ’s original radio hosts, diehard supporters and the resourceful technicians who had made WWOZ a reality.  Presented by radio host and producer, George Ingmire. Watch below: