Cultural Heritage: The Bob Dylan Center to Open in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 10, 2022
From a Bob Dylan Center Announcement:
The Bob Dylan Archive®. These include handwritten lyric manuscripts to some of the world’s most treasured songs, previously unreleased recordings, never-before-seen film performances, rare and unseen photographs, visual art and other priceless items spanning Bob Dylan’s unparalleled seven decades as one of the world’s most important cultural figures.
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Among the many highlights that will be found at The Bob Dylan Center® are:
- An ever-evolving curated display of elements that illuminate the depth and breadth of the Bob Dylan Archive® collection.
- An immersive film experience that will initiate visitors through an innovative cascade of archival music and film, directed by renowned Dylan chronicler Jennifer Lebeau.
- A recreation of an authentic studio environment where visitors will experience what it was like to be present at one of Dylan’s historic recording sessions.
- The Columbia Records Gallery, which will provide an in-depth look at the creation, performance and production of timeless Dylan songs such as “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Chimes of Freedom.”
- A screening room that will showcase Dylan-related scripted films, documentaries and concert performances, including never-before-seen material unearthed from the Archive.
- A multimedia timeline of Dylan’s life from his early years in Minnesota through the present day, written by award-winning historian Sean Wilentz.
- The Parker Brothers Gallery, which will explore the creative process through the work of other innovative artists, in an initial exhibit curated by influential author Lewis Hyde.
One sterling example of the treasures to be found in The Bob Dylan Archive® is a recording of Dylan performing “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” in the autumn of 1962. This heretofore-unknown recording was made by Milton (Mell) and Lillian Bailey, friends and early champions of the young Bob Dylan when he was a fixture in New York’s Greenwich Village folk scene. This version of the song, recorded in the Baileys’ apartment at 185 East 3rd St., features alternate lyrics and is the earliest known recording of the song that was eventually released in 1963 on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Another example is a recently unearthed image of Bob Dylan on stage during his 1974 tour with The Band, taken by renowned photographer Barry Feinstein.
Direct to Complete Announcement and BDC Website
Direct to Bob Dylan Archive Website
The archive is located at the University of Tulsa’s Helmerich Center for American Research at Gilcrease Museum.

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.