The facility that will house and exhibit more than 100,000 artifacts created and owned by folk singer Bob Dylan will open May 10, 2022.
The Bob Dylan Center will be in the Tulsa Arts District, facing Guthrie Green and steps away from the Woody Guthrie Center.
The George Kaiser Family Foundation and University of Tulsa acquired the Bob Dylan Archive in 2016. Items in it include handwritten manuscripts, previously unreleased recordings and rare photographs.
One example of treasures in archive is a recording of Dylan performing “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” in the fall of 1962. This previously unknown recording was made by Milton (Mell) and Lillian Bailey, friends and early champions of the young Dylan when he was a fixture in New York’s Greenwich Village folk scene. This version of the song, recorded in the Baileys’ apartment, features alternate lyrics and is the earliest known recording of the song that was eventually released in 1963.
The center is being designed by architectural and exhibit design firm Olson Kundig, led by design principal Alan Maskin. Stage and live event company 59 Productions, which worked on the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, is collaborating on exhibition design and media development.
The Bob Dylan Center will feature cutting-edge, immersive technology in a multimedia environment designed for visitors new to Dylan’s work and long-time fans.
Public admission information will be released later this year.
Note: GKFF is a financial supporter of KWGS, and TU holds the station's broadcast license.
