One of our stops in Tulsa, Oklahoma earlier this year was the Bob Dylan Center, located in the center of the Tulsa Arts District. The Center serves to educate, motivate and inspire visitors as creators. While the center has a permanent exhibit on the life and work of Bob Dylan, it also has additional exhibits, and offers public programs, performances, lectures and publications. The Center features rotating exhibits, a 5,000+-square-foot archive, a 55-seat screening room and more.
Bob Dylan is one of our culture’s most influential and memorable artists. His first steps into the music industry were in New York City’s Greenwich Village folk music scene in the early 1960’s. He was heavily influenced by the work of Woody Guthrie and other folk artists at the time.
Bob Dylan has sold over 125 million records, released more than 50 albums, and over 600 songs during his career. Dylan was unique in that he used his music to highlight major issues of the times through intellectual lyricism. Dylan was always on the side of people who were struggling. He even played for peace and equality during the Civil Rights Movement.
The Bob Dylan Archive, a collection of Dylan’s own items and photos, is displayed around the Center. Items range from handwritten lyrics, previously unreleased recordings, never-before-seen film performances, rare and unseen photographs, and visual art. Among the items are Christmas cards from The Beatles, letters from Johnny Cash, and Dylan’s Newport Folk Festival leather jacket.
In one area of the Center, the walls are covered in screens and visitors are welcomed into an immersive film experience. The film goes through a series of archival music and films of Dylan, directed by Jennifer Lebeau. Around the room, pages of lyrics appear to fly in the air, attached to intricate wire work.
Visitors can also immerse themselves in a replica of an authentic recording studio environment, sitting behind the glass at the mixing console, as if Dylan was recording in front of them. You can also sit and enjoy Dylan related films, documentaries, concerts, and rare footage in the Darby Family Screening Room.
The Center opened a new exhibit in February called How Many Roads: Bob Dylan and his Changing Times. The exhibit highlights Dylan’s political awareness, including his involvement in the civil rights and anti-war movements of the early 1960’s. The exhibit will feature never-before-seen photographs and memorabilia from the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, and rare footage and photographs from the 1963 March on Washington and historic 1963 voter registration drive in Greenwood, Mississippi.
You can purchase tickets to this amazing interactive Center on their official website. Tickets for adults are $15, seniors (55+), veterans and students (18+ with ID) are $12, and youth (17 and under) and K-12 teachers may enter for free. You may have known of Bob Dylan’s, but you’re sure to learn more about this iconic musician’s uniting music at the Bob Dylan Center.
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig