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”
“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. 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.”
– Mark Davidson, curator of the exhibit and senior director of archives and exhibitions at American Song Archives
The exhibit culminates with Dylan’s controversial July 25, 1965, performance at the Newport Folk Festival. The center’s Darby Family Screening Room will be transformed into an immersive multimedia experience that will transport visitors to the center of the storm, as Dylan shocked the thousands of folk-music devotees in attendance by moving from acoustic to electric performances. Never-before-seen interview footage with key attendees, including Joan Baez, Joe Boyd, John Cohen, Al Kooper, Bruce Langhorne, Maria Muldaur and Pete Seeger, will reveal the truths behind the myths of that cataclysmic day.
The exhibit also explores Dylan’s musical roots in ’50s rock ’n’ roll and R&B, and the ways in which early influences such as Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Little Richard shaped the artist’s sonic experimentation long before Newport. In addition, the exhibit examines the ripple effect that Dylan’s plugged-in set had on legions of contemporary artists — including The Beatles and The Byrds and their folk-rock peers — and those who followed in his wake.
“Going Electric: Bob Dylan ’65” challenges decades of mythmaking and celebrates Dylan’s enduring legacy as a visionary who redefined the possibilities of popular music.
The Bob Dylan Center will host a members-only reception on Wednesday, July 23, providing members with a first look at “Going Electric” prior to its public opening.
In addition, a public concert will be presented by the Bob Dylan Center at Cain’s Ballroom on Saturday, July 26 to celebrate the launch of the exhibit. Further details and ticketing information will be announced at a later date.
Presenting Sponsor:
Bob and Debbie Russell
IN THE PRESS
To read more about this exhibit in recent media coverage, visit our Press Room page.
