The Bob Dylan Archive

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The Bob Dylan Archive is a collection of documents and objects relating to American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The archive facility consists of 29,000 square feet and two floors full of galleries showcasing a majority of Bob Dylan items that have never been seen by the public eye. [1]

Contents

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. [2] 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. [2]

The archive consists of 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. [3] 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. [4] The material will now be made available for research and will form the basis of public exhibitions. [1] The Woody Guthrie Centre Archives were purchased earlier by the GKFF and are already housed in Tulsa. [5]

Additionally, after this recent acquisition of the Woody Guthrie Centre Archives, the 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. [4]

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 infamous pop culture icon 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." [3]

Preservation

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 will be brought to Tulsa from various locations over the next two years. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 "The Collection". The Bob Dylan Archive. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Tramel, Jimmie (March 2, 2016). "Kaiser Family Foundation, TU acquire Bob Dylan Archive". Tulsa World. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "The Bob Dylan Archive To Be Permanently Housed In Tulsa, Oklahoma". PR Newswire. March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Archive – Bob Dylan Center | Tulsa, OK". bobdylancenter.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  5. ↑ "About the WGC Archives". Woody Guthrie Center. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Brinkley, Douglas (2022-04-21). "An Exclusive First Peek at the Bob Dylan Museum". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2024-10-20.


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