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The Bob Dylan Archive is a rare collection of documents and objects relating to notable American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, stored in a 29,000 square feet facility in Oklahoma. The archive consists of two floors full of galleries showcasing a majority of Bob Dylan items that have never been seen by the public eye.[1]
More than 6,000 items, including notebooks, contracts, essays, poems, unreleased concert films and even the leather jacket Dylan wore at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival can be found exhibited at the archive.[2] While a large majority of this archive are associated with Dylan's efforts in the 1960s, others follow his personal activity, and changing attitudes that shaped the works that he created.[3] The material will now be made available for research and will form the basis of public exhibitions.[1]
As of March 16, 2016, nearly 1,000 items from the Archive had been brought to the Hardesty Archival Center inside the Helmerich Center, to be preserved and digitally recorded. The remainder of the archive has been brought to Tulsa from various locations over the past few years.[4]
It was announced on March 2, 2016, that the archive had been acquired by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) and The University of Tulsa (TU). It will be under the care of the university's Helmerich Center for American Research.[4] The choice of bringing the two organizations together for this acquisition was very significant for Tulsa's future, and wasn't an easy choice as countless suitors desired to be host this historical gallery.[4] Additionally, the archive stands right next to the Woody Guthrie Centre Archives, which were purchased earlier by the GKFF and are already housed in Tulsa.[5]
Additionally, after this Guthrie acquisition, the Dylan archive is striving to make the city a central location to conduct research on popular music and encourage artistic activities--this aligns with the fact that Woody Guthrie had significant influence and served as an inspiration for Bob Dylan himself.[3]
Many people of the public eye were confused as to why such a gallery bursting with culture was heading to Oklahoma of all places. The notable pop culture figure from Minnesota explains that he finds comfort in the "casual hum of the heartland" that Tulsa poses in his mind.[6] Dylan is quoted 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."[2]
In comparison to other institutions that enshrine various artists from the past, such as the Elvis Presley Graceland where you can explore the singer's mansion in Tennessee, or the Jimi Hendrix gallery showcased within the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington, the Bob Dylan Archive is unique, dedicated to a living musician of our present day.[6] It serves as a real life representation of the influences that shaped the way Bob Dylan came to be.
The Archive presents an insider's look on Dylan's mind at work, his stylistic choices transforming through his artistic process that has been kept so private for so long. By visiting the archive, anyone can immerse themselves in the extensive timeline---from an original thought, putting it onto paper, making revisions, altering the sound, making enormous changes to cater to the band when things don't work out, to finally resulting in the Bob Dylan songs as the world knows it.[7]
All guests interested in visiting the Bob Dylan Archive Center can purchase tickets online.[1] The archive is open for visitation on Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am-6pm, and admission provides a 2-hour long visitation window.[1] More information can be found on the Bob Dylan Archive Center homepage.
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