The Bob Dylan Center built by Olson Kundig in collaboration with 59 Productions

Envisioned and designed by Olson Kundig based out the U.S, the Bob Dylan Center opened to public on 10th of May this year. The Center is in the city of Tusla in the Oklahoma state of the U.S. which is in close proximity to the renowned Woody Guthrie Center, belonging to one of America’s highly acclaimed song writer and folk-musician.

The Bob Dylan Center is therefore an open invite to fans and visitors around the world to once again witness and memorise the legacy left behind by the most acclaimed international song writer of all times. The Center will grant access to the exclusive cultural treasures found in The Bob Dylan Archive.

Alan Maskin, principal of Olson Kundig who is also the architect and exhibit designer of the museum, comments that “Olson Kundig is thrilled to lead the amazing design team creating the Bob Dylan Center, the new home for the Bob Dylan Archive as it will include immersive exhibit experiences with rarely seen artifacts that illustrate the creative trajectory of one of the world’s greatest and most prolific artists.”

A collection of more than 100,000 items spanning nearly 60 years of Dylan’s career, from handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence, to films, videos, artwork, memorabilia and original studio recordings would become the source of appreciation and tribute towards the Bob Dylan era.

The Center will be a dynamic, multifaceted venue, housing permanent, temporary and traveling exhibitions readily accessible by artists, historians, musicologists and the general public seeking a deeper comprehension of Dylan’s work, his influences and the offshoots inspired by his legacy.

The design of the museum emphasise firstly on the large scale mural on the building facade, which is a rare image of Bob Dylan from the 1965 donated to the center by renowned photographer Jerry Schatzberg.

Further, the museum will hold an ever-evolving curated display of elements illuminating the entire Bob Dylan Archive collection and a multimedia timeline of the artist’s life from his early times in Minnesota as written by historian Sean Wilentz. It will also lead the visitors through an innovative cascade of archival music and film to offer an immersive film experience. A screening room will showcase Dylan-related scripted films, documentaries and concert performances, including never-before-seen material unearthed from the Archive.

In collaboration with the Olson Kundig studio is 59 Productions, the award-winning team, earlier involved in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games who are global specialists of exhibition design and media development and have come together for the completion of the latest Bob Dylan Center.

An authentic reinterpretation of a studio setting will enable audience to confront one of Dylan’s historic recording sessions, whereas 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.” Also, the second gallery by the name ‘Parker Brothers Gallery’ will explore the creative process through the work of other innovative artists, in an initial exhibit curated by influential author Lewis Hyde.

FACTFILE

• PROJECT: The Bob Dylan Center
• ARCHITECTS: Olson Kundig
• LOCATION: Oklahoma, U.S.A

• Text: Nikitha Sunil Vallikad | Contributor, A+D