Pop-Up Exhibit - “Jam Jam Jam”: Black New Orleans Nightlife Posters, 1979-1980

On view September 15, 2025, through May 22, 2026
Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, 6th floor

Presented by Tulane University Special Collections with Scholarly Engagement, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library
Sponsored by Tulane University Libraries

Starting September 15, 2025, in the Media Services area of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library (H-TML, 6th floor), a selection of posters from the newly digitized collection of Black New Orleans Nightlife Posters, 1979-1980, will be on view through May 22, 2026.

The collection consists of posters for music and dance events in the New Orleans area, revealing locations, events, businesses, photographs, and both locally and nationally known artists of Black New Orleans popular culture and youth culture of the time. At these events, young attendees were not only called on to attend as audience members, but were invited to participate – perhaps in a “Freak of the Week” or “Miss Gay New Orleans” contest – and to learn the newest dances from local dance crews such as Sugar Hill and the Youngblood Dancers, or to “jam jam jam” to their favorite radio or club DJ.    

Exhibit visitors can "Analyze and Win a Prize" by taking a short survey. One survey participant each month will be randomly selected to receive a gift from Tulane Libraries. 

The posters on display come from a larger Tulane University Digital Library collection of related posters, accessible for online viewing via libguides.tulane.edu/BlackNightlifePosters. The original posters are part of the Hogan Archive poster and calendar collection (HJA-095) at Tulane University Special Collections (TUSC). 

For more information, contact Melissa A. Weber of TUSC at mweber3@tulane.edu or Katherine Hicks of H-TML at khicks2@tulane.edu. 

Published August 22, 2025