Over 100,000 “exclusive cultural treasures” from The Bob Dylan Archive will be viewable to the public at the newly-announced Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, OK, which is set to open one year from now on May 10, 2022. The museum is said to be “world-class facility,” designed by architectural/exhibit design firm Olson Kundig’s Alan Maskin.
The Bob Dylan Archive was revealed to the public in 2016, and many more artifacts and works from across the singer/songwriter’s career have been added to it since then, thanks to the public’s help. Some of the pieces found in The Bob Dylan Archive will include handwritten lyric sheets, notebooks, correspondences, previously unreleased songs and concert recordings, rare photographs, visual art and many items significant to Dylan’s incredibly impactful seven-decade-long career.
Aside from curated displayal of pieces from the archive, there will be a film exhibit, a separate screening room for Dylan-related films, documentaries and concerts, a timeline of Dylan’s life through to the present day, a recreated version of one of the studios where Dylan recorded some of his most historic sessions, a gallery relating Dylan’s creative process to that of other forward-thinking artists and a gallery diving in-depth into the creation of some of Dylan’s songs, including “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Chimes of Freedom.”
The museum’s exhibits will feature multimedia technology designed to immerse visitors in Dylan’s work. Folk music fans will be happy to hear that the center is located next to the Woody Guthrie Center, which offers a similar experience for Guthrie’s life and work.
The Bob Dylan Center also encourages Dylan aficionados and Oklahoma locals to join as members. Founding members will gain access to lifetime membership, exclusive merchandise and VIP deals for many associated events.
Bob Dylan naturally endorsed the center, stating, “I’m glad that my archives, which have been collected all these years, have finally found a home and are to be included with the works of Woody Guthrie and especially alongside all the valuable artifacts from the Native American Nations. To me, it makes a lot of sense and it’s a great honor.”
There are many things to be said about Dylan and his work, as evidenced by the scope of the archive and scale of the new three-story museum. He’s widely regarded as one of the most important musicians of all time and still releases music and tours to this day. With over 50 albums, countless live performances and some of the most famous songs ever written under his pen, there’s much to be learned from a museum dedicated to his life and works.
He’s also one of the most frequently-covered artists ever, as evidenced by the amount of covers of his work released just this month alone by artists like Chrissie Hynde, Marissa Nadler and The Flaming Lips. In late 2020, Dylan sold his publishing catalog to Universal Music for the massive figure of $300 million. He was subsequently sued by the estate of former collaborator, which many found unsurprising given the price of the catalog sale. In February, Dylan released a 50th anniversary box set edition of his 1970 recording sessions.
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