The Bob Dylan Archive Now Officially Open To Qualified Entities And Individuals; First Research Projects Focus On Dylan's Mid-1970s Albums & Blues, Gospel Roots

TULSA, Okla., March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bob Dylan Archive has officially opened its doors to qualified entities and individuals who wish to access the archive's wealth of elements spanning nearly 60 years of Bob Dylan's extraordinary life and career. It was announced today by Ken Levit, executive director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), and Dr. Gerard Clancy, president of The University of Tulsa (TU). Concurrently, GKFF has issued a request for qualifications from agencies interested in submitting proposals for The Bob Dylan Center, which will be dedicated to the study and appreciation of Dylan and located in Tulsa's vibrant downtown Brady Arts District.

Noted author and historian Douglas Brinkley has begun accessing archive elements for his forthcoming book, Dusty Sweatbox Blues: Bob Dylan and the Open Road 1974-1978. The book will focus on Dylan's mid-1970s albums – Planet Waves, Blood on the Tracks, Desire and Street Legal – and be published by Harper Collins/Infinitum Nihill in 2018. Guggenheim Fellow and TU Chapman Professor of English Randall Fuller is currently examining the archive's rich trove of manuscripts and rare audio and video for a book-length study that examines the relationship between Dylan and African-American music. "The Bob Dylan Archive is an invaluable resource for this project," he said. "I'm discovering so many revelations in the songwriter's exploration of blues, gospel and soul forms. Without access to the Archive, my book would be all but impossible." Fuller has published several works, including Emerson's Ghosts: Literature, Politics, and the Making of Americanists and The Book That Changed America: How Darwin's Theory of Evolution Ignited a Nation.

For further information regarding access to The Bob Dylan Archive, visit www.bobdylanarchive.com/archive-access.  

The Bob Dylan Center will be the primary public venue for The Bob Dylan Archive, curating and exhibiting a priceless collection of more than 6,000 items spanning nearly 60 years of Dylan's singular career. The archive's priceless contents include handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence; films, videos, photographs and artwork; memorabilia and ephemera; personal documents and effects; unreleased studio and concert recordings; musical instruments and many other elements. Agencies interested in submitting proposals for the center should visit www.gkff.org/bobdylancenter to read and download a copy of the RFQ document.

Since elements of The Bob Dylan Archive began arriving in Tulsa a year ago, a significant portion of the collection has been processed through proprietary methods of storage, cataloguing and digitization. While the processing work continues and early access to the archive has been granted to some researchers, staff will officially begin making substantial parts of the collection available to qualified researchers, writers and scholars this fall. These elements will include hundreds of pages of Dylan's writing, including song manuscripts, early iterations of his first novel Tarantula and Dylan's annotated "copyright edits." In addition, archive staff is making available hundreds of hours of audio, film and video, including session tapes from several of Dylan's albums as well as nearly 50 hours of rushes and outtakes from Dylan's two major film projects of the 1960s: D.A. Pennebaker's landmark documentary Dont Look Back (1967) and Dylan's first directorial effort Eat the Document (1966/71).

About The Bob Dylan Archive:
Comprised of more than 6,000 items spanning nearly 60 years of Bob Dylan's unique artistry, singular career and worldwide cultural significance, The Bob Dylan Archive includes decades of never-before-seen handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence; films, videos, photographs and artwork; memorabilia and ephemera; personal documents and effects; unreleased studio and concert recordings; musical instruments and many other items. The archive was acquired in 2016 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) and The University of Tulsa (TU) and is housed in Tulsa under the stewardship of TU's Helmerich Center for American Research. The Bob Dylan Archive will eventually be housed in the city's flourishing Brady Arts District and exhibited to the public. For more information, visit bobdylanarchive.com.

About George Kaiser Family Foundation:
George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) is a charitable organization based in Tulsa, Oklahoma supporting organization of the Tulsa Community Foundation, dedicated to providing equal opportunity for young children in the Tulsa community through investments in early childhood education, community health, social services and civic enhancement. The foundation sponsors more than 2,000 children from birth to three years of age at high quality early childhood education centers, is leading the effort to build a nearly 100-acre community park along Tulsa's riverfront as well as efforts to reverse Oklahoma's high rates of female incarceration and teen pregnancy. GKFF has also played a significant role in the revitalization of Tulsa's downtown and Brady Arts District, home of the Woody Guthrie Center. For more information, visit gkff.org.

About The University of Tulsa:
The University of Tulsa is a nationally ranked private research university where excellence in scholarship, dedication to free inquiry, integrity of character and commitment to humanity are central to our mission. In its thriving urban environment, TU offers more than 4,500 students a diversity of learning experiences, a balance between liberal education and career preparation, teaching and research. The university is home to four undergraduate colleges – the College of Engineering & Natural Sciences, Kendall College of Arts & Sciences, Collins College of Business and Oxley College of Health Sciences – as well as a comprehensive Graduate School and College of Law. For more information, visit utulsa.edu.

SOURCE The Bob Dylan Archive

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