June 28, 2018

Olson Kundig picked to design Bob Dylan Center in Oklahoma

Renderings from Olson Kundig [enlarge]

Construction of The Bob Dylan Center is expected to start in 2019, with opening slated for 2021.

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The center will let people explore six decades of Dylan’s work, from songwriting and recordings, to books and films.

The George Kaiser Family Foundation selected Seattle's Olson Kundig as lead architect and exhibit designer for The Bob Dylan Center, which will be located in the Tulsa Arts District in Oklahoma.

Tulsa-based Lilly Architects is the architect of record, and Plains of Yonder of Seattle will design audio and multimedia experiences, Olson Kundig said in a press release.

The Bob Dylan Center will be the public-facing home of The Bob Dylan Archive. It will be on Martin Luther King Boulevard, just southeast of the Woody Guthrie Center, which the foundation established in 2013 after acquiring the archives of the influential singer and songwriter.

In 2016, Dylan cited the Guthrie center as a reason he chose Tulsa for his own archives.

“I'm glad that my archives, which have been collected all these years, have finally found a home and are to be included with the works of Woody Guthrie and especially alongside all the valuable artifacts from the Native American Nations. To me, it makes a lot of sense and it's a great honor,” Dylan said.

Construction on The Bob Dylan Center is expected to start in 2019, with the opening slated for 2021. It is dedicated to the study and appreciation of Dylan, and over six decades of his creative work, from songwriting and recordings, to live performances, books and films.

The center will curate and exhibit a collection of more than 100,000 items spanning his career, including handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence; films, videos, photographs and artwork; memorabilia; personal effects; unreleased recordings; and musical instruments. It will house exhibitions, and be accessible by artists, historians, musicologists, critics and the public.

Before the center opens, the foundation plans to stage Dylan-related events in Tulsa. Information will be posted at http://www.BobDylanCenter.com.

The center also will work with The Institute for Bob Dylan Studies at the University of Tulsa.

The Tulsa-based George Kaiser Family Foundation focuses on early childhood education, community health, social services and civic enhancement.

Olson Kundig is the architect for the $100 million renovation of the Space Needle in Seattle.

Plains of Yonder's website says it works in film, installations, interactive art, music and audio design, virtual reality, sculpture and interior design.