The Bob Dylan Center will present “Going Electric: Bob Dylan ’65,” a groundbreaking exhibition opening July 24, 2025, and closing in the spring of 2026.
Presented by Bob Dylan Center founding members Bob and Debbie Russell, the exhibit offers an immersive, multimedia exploration of one of the most transformative years in Dylan’s career and the cultural upheaval that followed.
The exhibit traces the lead-up to Dylan’s infamous “going electric” set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival — one of the most controversial and influential moments in the history of popular music. Through never-before-seen original manuscripts, film footage and rare artifacts from the Bob Dylan Archive as well as numerous loans from private collectors, “Going Electric” places visitors at the heart of Dylan’s evolution from acoustic folk hero to trailblazing rock ’n’ roll icon.
Key highlights include:
• Never-before-displayed manuscripts from “Bringing It All Back Home” and “Highway 61 Revisited”
• A recently discovered series of typescript drafts with handwritten edits of Dylan’s landmark song “Mr. Tambourine Man”
• Photographs, artifacts and ephemera from Dylan’s final all-acoustic concerts, including his spring 1965 outings with Joan Baez and his UK tour, as immortalized in D. A. Pennebaker’s essential documentary “Dont Look Back”
• Mike Bloomfield’s 1963 Telecaster, played at the Newport Folk Festival, courtesy of Family Guitars
• Sally Grossman’s red jumpsuit from the cover of “Bringing It All Back Home”
The exhibit will explore the events of the landmark year by offering an immersive, multimedia look at Dylan’s career at the time, including his Newport performance and the cultural upheaval that followed.
The exhibition will feature rare memorabilia and film footage from the Bob Dylan Archive and loaned from private collectors.
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“Dylan’s Newport moment is widely regarded as one of the most pivotal moments in the history of 20th-century popular music, but there’s much more to the story,” Mark Davidson, the exhibition’s curator, said in a statement. “Drawing upon our considerable archival collections, this exhibit cuts through the myths to present a dynamic, kaleidoscopic portrait of an artist in a way that only the Bob Dylan Center can.”
A private pre-opening reception offering Bob Dylan Center members a first look at the exhibition will take place July 23. In addition, a public concert presented by the Bob Dylan Center in celebration of the exhibit’s launch will be held at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa on July 26. More details about the show, including ticketing information, will be announced soon.
About the Memorabilia That Will Be Displayed
Among the many artifacts that will be featured in the exhibit are previously unseen manuscripts of songs from Dylan’s 1965 albums Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited.
A recently discovered series of typewritten drafts of Bob’s classic song “Mr. Tambourine Man,” with handwritten notes, also will be on display.
Another item that will be showcased will be the 1963 Fender Stratocaster guitarist Mike Bloomfield played during Dylan’s set at the Newport festival.
Also on display will be a red jumpsuit worn by Sally Grossman in the cover photo of the Bringing It All Back Home album.
Sources: BobDylancenter.com -Americansongwriter reports
