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COMMUNITY
ON THE JOB
Michelle Gaynor
Since 2014 The Collection has represented the archive of photographer Michael P. Smith at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
POSITION: Retail operations manager, on staff since 2006 ASSIGNMENT: Oversee the Michael P. Smith booth at Jazz Fest
Serving as an ambassador for THNOC and its Michael P. Smith Collection at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has been the highlight of my spring ever since I was lucky enough to garner our first invitation in 2014. Since then, we have represented Smith (1937-2008), who photographed Jazz Fest concerts and New Orleans culture for decades, by displaying and selling reproductions of his archival works at the festival. Our booth continues Smith’s tradition of selling at Jazz Fest, something many longtime festival goers remember and appreciate. Smith’s work actually introduces itself: you don’t have to be a music expert or a local to feel the emotion and spirit in, say, his portrait of Danny Barker and the Onward Brass Band leading a second line through the festival. Every year, when we submit our application for a booth at Jazz Fest, I feel honored to be able to say that THNOC, as caretaker of the archive, is committed to increasing the images’ audience and keeping Smith’s legacy alive. This commitment makes the months-long preparation and whirlwind execution truly rewarding.
As manager of The Shop at The Collection, I meet a wide range of visitors as they pass through the French Quarter, but there are special bonds you make with people at the
festival. I remember the nice Alabama family who helped when they saw us struggling to hold down tent flaps and photographs in the wind and rain last spring. The energy and camaraderie at Jazz Fest are incredible, and even the challenges make you feel more alive and connected—as long as you’re wearing the right shoes: tennis shoes on dry days, chukkas or barn boots on rainy days. (I am not going in a Portalet in flip-flops.) Dust can be almost as bad as the rain: at the end of a dry day, I leave with grass burrs stuck all over myself and everything else.
Smith’s images are well known, so many people seek out our tent; to catch their eyes and interest passers-by, I blow up several photos for display. My favorite part of the festival is talking and laughing with the Jazz Fest alums who recognize themselves or family and friends among the audiences in the photos. Remarkably, this happens several times a day. The pictures of Irma Thomas and Lightnin’ Hopkins, taken in the 1970s, tend to get the most self-recognition, which leads to lots of jokes and stories.
I also display some larger-than-life-size images, since people like to be photographed in front of them—the portrait of James Booker with a Schlitz beer can is popular—and in the evenings I love to browse through Instagram and Facebook to see all the selfies taken at our booth.
Jazz Fest days start early for vendors. Every morning, Arlo Guthrie’s “City of New Orleans” is played over the PA before the gates open, which feels like a personal
16 The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly