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Unlabored Remains: A Project by Harlin Miller

WHO HELPED BUILD THE NEW ORLEANS WE KNOW?

New Orleans is filled with things we recognize.

The music.
The food.
The architecture.
The neighborhoods.
The celebrations.
The traditions.

But behind the things we see are generations of people who made them possible.

Craftspeople. Laborers. Musicians. Builders. Cooks. Educators. Artists. Organizers. Business owners. Culture bearers. Families.

Some of their names are well known.

Others live mostly in photographs, family stories, objects, recipes, tools, memories, and the things they left behind.

Unlabored Remains is an ongoing artistic and documentary project exploring those stories—and I want to hear yours.

Maybe someone in your family helped build this city.

Maybe you know a person whose work deserves to be remembered.

Maybe there is a tradition, occupation, neighborhood story, family photograph, object, or piece of history that has been passed down to you.

Or maybe you're still doing that work today.

Tell me about it.

You don't need to know whether your story is historically significant. You don't need to be a historian. And you don't need to have all the details.

Sometimes the smallest memory is where the story begins.

ABOUT YOU

What is your name?

What is your email address?

What is your phone number?

What is your connection to New Orleans?

What neighborhood, community, or part of the New Orleans area is connected to your story?

TELL US THE STORY

Whose story would you like to share?

This can be your own story, a family member, ancestor, neighbor, mentor, organization, community, or someone you believe should be remembered.

Tell us about them.

Don't worry about writing this perfectly. Tell it the way you would tell someone sitting across from you.

What did they make, build, practice, preserve, teach, or contribute to New Orleans?

Why do you believe this story matters?

Is there a particular memory or story about this person that has stayed with you?

Is this tradition, craft, occupation, business, or work still being carried on today?

A
B
C

Who is carrying it forward?

WHAT REMAINS?

Stories often survive through things.

A photograph. A tool. A recipe. A uniform. A letter. A building. A piece of furniture. A musical instrument. A handwritten note. Something someone refused to throw away.

Are there photographs, documents, objects, tools, clothing, artwork, recipes, letters, recordings, or other materials connected to this story?

Tell us about anything that still exists.

If you have photographs or files you'd like to share, you can upload them below. Uploading materials at this stage is optional and does not transfer ownership of the original material.

HELP US FOLLOW THE STORY

Is there someone else you think we should speak with?

A
B

What is their name and how are they connected to this story?

Are there particular places in New Orleans connected to this story?

Would you be open to being contacted for a recorded interview or portrait as the project develops?

SOMETHING WE DIDN'T ASK

What else should we know?

PERMISSION

I acknowledge that submitting this form gives the project team permission to contact me about my story, but it DOES NOT automatically grant permission to publish my story, photographs, recordings, or other submitted materials. I understand that separate permission/release agreements may be requested before material is publicly reproduced or incorporated into the artwork, book, exhibition, or documentary.

Thank you for trusting us with your story.

Every city leaves evidence of the people who shaped it.

Sometimes it's written into history.

Sometimes it's standing on a corner.

Sometimes it's hanging on a wall.

Sometimes it's sitting in someone's attic.

And sometimes it survives simply because somebody remembered.

We're looking forward to listening.

— Harlin Miller
Unlabored Remains