FESTIVALS
ACADIENS
ET CRÉOLES

VOLUNTEERRESERVE SPACE

Revolution and Evolution Symposium

Friday, October 9, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hilliard Art Museum | 710 E. St Mary Blvd, Lafayette, LA 70503

Revolution and Evolution Symposium

Friday, October 9, 2026
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hilliard Art Museum
710 E. St Mary Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70503

This year’s pre-festival symposium will be expanded to explore in greater depth the festival theme, Revolution and Evolution: Celebrating 250 Years of Cultural Fusion on the Bayou. Presented from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the second floor of the Hilliard Art Museum, the daylong program is part of a special collaboration among the Center for Louisiana Studies, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, the Smithsonian, and the Hilliard. Scholars, musicians, folklorists, culture bearers, and media figures—including Sarah Le Menestrel, Maureen Loughran, Christine Balfa, Ibrahima Seck, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, John Troutman, Dexter Ardoin, Nick Spitzer, Herman Fuselier, and others—will consider how Louisiana culture has been formed, transformed, documented, and shared with the world.

Sessions will bring together representatives from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and other parts of the Smithsonian, along with participants connected to Valcour Records, Arhoolie, and Louisiana’s independent music and media communities. Conversations will examine the Indigenous, African, European, and other cultural currents that shaped South Louisiana; the state’s Revolutionary-era history; the recording and circulation of Cajun and Creole music; Ralph Rinzler’s influential Louisiana fieldwork; and the role of mass media in shaping regional identity. The symposium will conclude with a gallery conversation and opening reception for an exhibition of Elemore Morgan Jr.’s photographs from the 1976 Smithsonian National Folklife Festival.

This year’s pre-festival symposium will be expanded to explore in greater depth the festival theme, Revolution and Evolution: Celebrating 250 Years of Cultural Fusion on the Bayou. Presented from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the second floor of the Hilliard Art Museum, the daylong program is part of a special collaboration among the Center for Louisiana Studies, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, the Smithsonian, and the Hilliard. Scholars, musicians, folklorists, culture bearers, and media figures—including Sarah Le Menestrel, Maureen Loughran, Christine Balfa, Ibrahima Seck, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, John Troutman, Dexter Ardoin, Nick Spitzer, Herman Fuselier, and others—will consider how Louisiana culture has been formed, transformed, documented, and shared with the world.

Sessions will bring together representatives from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and other parts of the Smithsonian, along with participants connected to Valcour Records, Arhoolie, and Louisiana’s independent music and media communities. Conversations will examine the Indigenous, African, European, and other cultural currents that shaped South Louisiana; the state’s Revolutionary-era history; the recording and circulation of Cajun and Creole music; Ralph Rinzler’s influential Louisiana fieldwork; and the role of mass media in shaping regional identity. The symposium will conclude with a gallery conversation and opening reception for an exhibition of Elemore Morgan Jr.’s photographs from the 1976 Smithsonian National Folklife Festival.

9:00-9:45 a.m.

Braiding the Bayous

Speakers: Ibrahima Seck, Nathan Rabalais, Jeffery Darensbourg
Moderated by Sara le Menestrel

Explores how Indigenous, African, French, Spanish, and other cultural currents intertwined to shape the folklore, folklife, and distinct cultural identity of South Louisiana.

10:00-10:45 a.m.

Mass CommuniCajuns

Speakers: Noah Arceneaux, Joshua Benton, Drake LeBlanc, Nick Spitzer Moderated by Herman Fuselier

An exploration of how communication technologies—ranging from early radio and print to modern social media—have connected Cajun and Creole culture to wider audiences and shaped its public image.

11:00-11:45 a.m.

SongSmithing: Re-Visiting the Ralph Rinzler Louisiana Recordings

Speakers: Peter Schwarz, Jeff Place, Christine Balfa, and Dexter Ardoin
Moderated by John Troutman

Revisits mid-1960s fieldwork by Ralph Rinzler, exploring its role in cultural documentation and connecting local tradition-bearers with national audiences. 

11:45-1:00 p.m.

Lunchtime Talk: Rare Video from the 1976 Smithsonian Folk Festival

Speakers: Peter Schwarz, Jeff Place, Christine Balfa, and Dexter Ardoin
Presented by Barry Ancelet

View seldom seen video and audio footage from the 1976 Smithsonian National Folklife Festival featuring many Louisiana musicians.

1:00-1:45 p.m.

Louisiana on the Record: Bringing Cajun and Creole Music to the World

Speakers: Maureen Loughran, Joel Savoy, David Rachou, Floyd Soileau
Moderated by Wade Falcon

Traces how Cajun and Creole music has been recorded, preserved, and circulated globally through historic field recordings, commercial labels, and contemporary projects.

2:00-2:45 p.m.

Louisiana and the American Revolution: Rebellion, Resistance, and Cultural Survival

Speakers: Warren Perrin, Lt. Russel Honoré, Russ Godwin, Michael Martin

Examines Louisiana’s overlooked role in the Revolutionary era, exploring how diverse groups participated in resistance, armed struggle, and regional defense.

3:00-3:45 p.m.

Archive as Art: Elemore Morgan, Jr. at the ’76 Folklife Festival

Speakers: Ben Sandmel, Ann Savoy, Brian Piper
Moderated by Aubrey A. Daval

Situated within the Hilliard’s exhibition of Elemore Morgan, Jr.’s photographs from the 1976. A folklife historian, photography curator, and artist consider the impact of Morgan’s 1976 festival photography from multiple perspectives.

4:00-4:45 p.m.

Reception for Elemore Morgan, Jr. Exhibit

Closing reception celebrating the Elemore Morgan, Jr. exhibit.