Home

Ted Talk

Theme & Requirements

UNFINISHED
We celebrate the finished product. The polished performance. The success story with a bow on top.
But what about the mess in between? The draft that’s still being written? The idea that hasn’t landed yet? The dream you’re still chasing?
What if the most honest version of you is unfinished?
This year, we’re asking: what if we stopped pretending we’ve arrived? What if we showed up as we are? Still learning, still growing, still becoming?
Because the truth is, none of us are done. We’re all works in progress. And that’s not a weakness. That’s the whole point.
Application Requirements

The application states:
This stage is not for motivational or inspirational speakers.

Not for promoting a book, brand, or product.

Not for sharing your personal story alone.
You must agree to that before continuing.
They also disqualify applicants who:
Have spoken at another TEDx within 12 months
Are booked to speak at another TEDx within 6 months of this event
And as always, TEDx speakers are not paid.
Topics They Are Specifically Interested In

They are looking for ideas related to:
Advances and new discoveries in health
Inclusive technology for sustainable and resilient communities
Arts and activism
Empowerment of women and girls
Climate and environmental science
Design and engineering for social change
Ethics in science and technology
Gender and race equality research
LGBTQIA+ rights
Breakthrough interdisciplinary collaborations
If your idea fits one of these lanes, highlight that clearly.

Timelines And Sign-Ups

TEDx Speaker Guide

Outline

“How Preservation Can Help Grow Community”

Introduction

Body 1

What has been lost & local preservation

Body 2

Accessibility Points In Archival: Anyone Can Assist In Many Ways

Body 3

The Local Community of Today & Tomorrow

Closing

Preservation Work Is An Unfinished Effort

Draft #1

Intro

In 1981, Johnny Cash released his album “The Baron” which featured a track titled “Chattanooga City Limit Sign”. The song tells the story of Cash hitch-hiking a ride from Nashville back to Chattanooga after lending a local woman his car (that he never got back). He eventually hitches a ride into a precarious situation, and I quote “them fools was drinkin’ whiskey and wine, and chasin’ it down with beer.” This was of course about his driver he’d hopped in with, and as they approached the Chattanooga city limit sign, Johnny pleaded to be dropped off in fear. While the story in the track likely never really happened, it led to a humorous cultural moment. [SHOW PICTURE] Chattanooga Public Works Commissioner Paul Clark welcomed Cash to the city after this song’s release to gift him a replica of the Chattanooga City Limit sign, and Johnny went onto praise the Chattanooga area in interviews when asked about the song in years to come.

I say this all to present, Nashville & Memphis are not the only music cities in Tennessee. Chattanooga has a long-rooted, and often not well-documented musical history. Throughout town, there used to be countless places to cut a record. Local acts performed weekly at bars and establishments that are no longer standing. Public officials plucking guitar on their front porch. A transition into the digital age has led to a collective forgetfulness at how musically rich our Scenic City is. My name is Noah Marr and I own the archival project Chattanooga Folk. I began this operation after discovering a swathe of local works through vinyl records and cassette tapes I purchased locally. This led me into rabbit holes to see musical unavailable to the public eye and stories left untold. The generations before me know of this town’s history quite well, but as these analog sources dwindle out and become unreliable or obscure, we are losing the cultural representation of our mountain music, regional traditional music, and private press gospel. Chattanooga’s history is something we still unearth and process even today. Audio preservation is extremely important in an area like Chattanooga with such a dense, wonderful musical heritage. Through celebrating the bands of yesterday, and ongoing archival efforts, we can uplift our city’s great history and create new opportunities for the artists of today and tomorrow.

Body #1

I’d love to take a minute to talk about the local impact of these lost albums and collections for a moment. Since beginning this archival project, I have single-handedly preserved 2,500 (estimation for that time, currently at 2,100) songs. Almost all of this music is from the southern Appalachias, and a large portion of what I have processed is from the Cleveland, Chattanooga, and Soddy Daisy areas. This small region is a piece of the map I have always called home. By having the privilege to tackle this area first, I have preserved recordings that are sensitive to time, like cassette tapes, and unearthed communities and friendships that were at risk of being completely forgotten. Figureheads from Chattanooga, that used to be known throughout town, and weekly performers, are now names we remember from hearing in passing. Their albums becoming more obscure, while the tapes age and become less reliable.

This leads me to mention some small-town heroes, The Dismembered Tennesseans and Dalton Roberts. There are many amazing legends from this city I have digitized and created archival spaces for, but the two I have mentioned are well-known throughout the city. Being known doesn’t necessarily mean well-preserved or taken care of, I have learned, as when I started both Dalton and the Tennesseans had less than 10% of their discographies and catalogs available to the public. As I processed their records, I began to learn the human qualities of the people who came before us in this great city.

Dalton, a country-music-loving sweetheart that loved a crafty joke, led the riverfront restoration project, and created the role of county mayor through a diligence and understanding of his people that is unmatched still to this day. Dalton Robert’s Riverpark was an amazing nod to his accomplishments here in town, however his music was largely left forgotten as we have transitioned into a more (air quotes) digital world. This left behind an album of Folk Songs for Teachers he created in the late 60s with Sherry Landrum, and a slew of originals he wrote about East Ridge & the Lights Of Chattanooga. Dalton’s history is a testimony to the necessity for preservation, and a stable reminder of how this city worked tirelessly to stray from the environmental disaster we were in the mid 1900’s, to the first North American park city that we are today.

Let’s talk about the Dismembered Tennesseans. I know we may have a few out-of-towners today, but most Chattanoogans will recognize the name Fletcher Bright through the realty company, or maybe by the amazing Three Sisters Festival they bring to us each year. Maybe you have heard of the New Dismembered Tennesseans, or have been lucky enough to hear Brian Blaylock pick a tune in a tavern or festival here in town. These events, companies, and people all reflect the life the Dismembered Tennesseans used to breathe into the city of Chattanooga. For a quick history, the original members of the DT’s assembled the group in 1945, when they were schoolboys at McCallie. Most of the members, like Doc Cullis & Fletcher Bright had friends in the music field they frequently picked with. Doc & John Hartford were great pals. Fletcher has plucked on records with local legend Norman Blake. Anyone born locally before the 1990s will be able to spin a yarn or two about the hilarious, humble musicians these gentlemen were.

Unearthing and preserving local albums from people such as this can be an emotional weight to bear at times. In order to best catalogue and remain a resource for the cultural and informational aspects of these recordings, one must read obituaries, consult with next of kin, and perform interviews when the Internet has no answers.

Body 2

So, as I speak about the countless cassette tapes, 45s, locally burned CDs, and vinyl records I digitize, one may begin to see how an aspect like presenting an unfinished version of oneself could align well for me to speak at. The research and statistics conducted in the past are not able to quantify the time, materials, and equipment necessary to complete projects like the one I am working on at Chattanooga Folk. Unknown materials cannot be tracked, calculated, or reasonably guessed about. Everything is an approximate estimation, often excluding smaller non-formal entities like myself. Even with considering the amount of materials I have gathered and preserved from this region, there is nothing stopping me from discovering an earth-shattering revelation within the history here that would re-write it all as I know now.

With a project like this, processing obscurities will always be an unfinished task. To add some hope to a rather bleak sounding metric, the beauty lies in some accessibility points that allow any and all newcomers:

  1. Anyone can join in a preservation effort, the bar is the floor.
  2. Archival work is only as formal as you make it, and that it has to be.
  3. It can be fun!
  1. Before gathering more equipment, and setting up an “office” for processes at home, I ran this archive exclusively at the Chattanooga Library & on my smartphone. Our amazing public libraries offer CD readers, computer access, and scanners that are 11×17, which is large enough to process a record or show flyer in high quality detail. These spaces laid the foundation, a public-access, free space to wrap my head around the organization, processing, and creation of a formal space for preserving obscurities from this region. With Chattanooga Folk, we now have one laptop available to be leased out, and an iPad as well. I personally am actively working to weaken the barrier that may stop all of you from engaging with and assisting other efforts similar to mine we are discussing. I am a firm believer that anyone, at any level or capacity, has the ability to impact a community more than they ever thought possibly with some grit and good intentions.

2. As mentioned, I have processed all 2,500 songs I have preserved in a closet in my apartment that was converted to be a formal space for archival works. I myself am an average Joe that works full-time in a grocery store. An MLIS, college education, or other credentials are not important nor necessary. Ensuring these materials are handled with respect, fragility, and some sense of haste, due to their time sensitivity, is, on the other side is completely necessary. Standards exist, but I am a firm believer anyone with enough passion and determination can make it happen and learn. The more I have preserved and processed has led to more categorical systems and collections in the website that filter and gather media based on its collection type or relevancy. As we vouch for more volunteers and push for larger community archival efforts, I will be hosting some workshops throughout Chattanooga that give lessons on the proper steps to ensure beginners can avoid mistakes I made in my first few months running this in early 2025.

3. Keep things engaging for yourself and this will never feel like work. Involve your community, gauge interest for local recordings. There are more than likely recordings or albums that need to be prioritized, due to local histories or some sort of significance, and local townsfolk are a great way to navigate those waters. I frequently encourage people to visit the archive to see what recordings may be lying around that I have not processed yet. As I have become well-known in the area for these efforts, more people bring recordings needing processed and will ask me to dig through my records and tapes to see if I have one they would like to be brought to light. Personally, for me, I often pick out a local record that looks like fun to process. There is nothing wrong with enjoying what you do and making preservation work something that can be engaging or enjoyable.

Body 3

Everything I have said thus far has focused on our communities of yesterday, but in reality those friendships and local connections laid the groundwork and foundation that artists in the city today walk upon. Our music community of 2026 is no different than the groups that collaborated, performed together, and recorded in studios here in town 20-40 years ago. We can bring ourselves closer to our local history, and gain a better understanding of how music has played an essential part of this city’s development by moving forward with library exhibits, pushing for cultural spaces, and celebrating our artists of today & yesterday simultaneously. People like Allen Pace, a local musician and Paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division, have sadly passed away without any formal recognition from the city nor landmarks, and I personally look forward to collaborating with the city to create more highlights and spaces of remembrance for folks just like Allen. We are 100% headed in the right direction as a city and I plan to work tirelessly to ensure more time and money is allocated towards artist celebration and rememberance.

To center back in on our communities of today, and preservation work also being an unfinished process, our artists of today need local opportunities to cut a record, or create a cassette tape. That responsibility has been shelled out to smaller indie labels, while vinyl record creation has been moved to a nearly online-only process now. I think the private press needs to make a strong comeback in the city of Chattanooga, and that more artists in the current age need affordable options when it comes to creating physical copies of their music. Most artists today are one bad music distribution deal away from fading into obscurity, and media is still lost everyday in this digital age. This city is moving with kinetic energy and what feels like, at times, the nation’s eyes on our development. We can use this driving force to push for investment in art history, local arts of today, and initiatives to connect the youth and citizens of this city with some of the amazing artist works that encapsulate such a rich and diverse cultural heritage that we have here.

One of my last points I want to make when discussing the here and now are some amazing local nonprofits and organizations that are flooding the scene with paid opportunities and workshops for budding artists of the city today. I cannot go into great detail for each and every wonderful entity here, but companies like Soundcorps & ArtsBuild are great to start with. Soundcorps issues grants two grants a month at $500 that go directly towards musicians ready to make next steps in their journeys. This totals to $12,000 a year directly in artists’ pockets that can be allocated towards musical works, recording processes, and a plethora of great things that directly enrich our communities of today. Artsbuild exceeds at this exact kind of thing. ArtsBuild gives individual artist grants, mission support grants, and create opportunities for historical deep-dives like the one I am providing you with today (though this is not in collaboration with them). From 2024-2025 Artsbuild invested $1.5 Million dollars throughout Chattanooga and Hamilton County, with $800,000 of that going to local arts organizations.

This does not end here though, this city truly amazes me with the chances we give artists and the intentionality we carry to ensure artists are given paid opportunities that the city can enjoy as a cultural moment. Chattanooga is renowned for our Porch Fest series, this is a FREE growing event series that has taken over the city by storm. No matter what area you live in, the rules are usually close to this: Where Porches Become Stages, Yards Become Seats, And Radical Generosity And Goodwill Rule The Day. I personally love that. There are 3 fests on porches each year, with Highland Park’s being last month, Southside’s occurred in June, and the Redbank one… you can still make it to. That will be happening in three days and if anything I have said today aligned with your heart or soul, I implore you to get out in RedBank amongst your fellow Chattanoogans and experience an event like this. The Highland Park Porchfest was the first of its kind here in Chattanooga, and the second Porchfest in the state of Tennessee. Since then we have obviously expanded, and I believe this is growth we will continue to see. This is a year-round work that reminds me of what I do, putting time and money into something with the pure intention of growing a presence we all can enjoy. Our porch fest in town actually varies from almost every other one similar elsewhere in the country-ours remains a free event, while being a paid opportunity for the musicians. The artists of this year were paid out $7,000 amongst them all, turning a gig they would have done for free into an opportunity to have their time and dedication respected, in an age where being a local artist is less lucrative than ever arguably.

Summation

Thank you all for bearing with me as I speak about this town and the arts, as we wiped the literal and figurative dust off some of these subject matters and recordings today. I am only getting started, and the promises of workshops, cultural spaces, and continuing my life mission are just those, promises made my someone that has delivered in the past. This work may never be finished, but we can turn it into a passion project that represents the relentlessness for all to be represented. No person should ever dedicate their heart and soul into art or music for it to be lost to time and forgotten.

Let’s make sure no one ever has to recover this generation’s art and music the way I am for people before me. This work I am doing is meaningful and impactful, but it also represents a deficit that was created here. No music should be lost. We can do better and learn from this transition into the digital age just how fragile some of these works can be, and my archival processing work should serve as a reminder that we cannot allow this to happen again in 15-20 years as technology continues to evolve and change before our eyes. I encourage you as my final statement to look around you in this city, not at the large entities or or corporate giants that creep their way in at times, I ask you to look on the street level. Find a hoper or a dreamer, we have plenty of them, and become a part of something tangible, palpable, and rewarding as it is strenuous. The fight worth fighting is never easy, and this city lies in the hands of passionate do-gooders that I have full confidence in. Thank you again for listening to me.