Props from “A Complete Unknown” will go on display at the Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie Centers in Tulsa, Okla., as part of a new exhibit, “Stepping Into the Unknown,” opening on Feb. 28. It’s the first exhibit to run concurrently at both centers.
The exhibit, presented in partnership with Searchlight Pictures, will “illuminate the deep bond between the two hugely influential American songwriters.” One of the first scenes in the Timothée Chalamet biopic sees Dylan visiting Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) in the hospital immediately upon his arrival in New York City.
Among the props from the James Mangold-directed film are Guthrie’s harmonica; Dylan’s letter to Guthrie; Johnny Cash’s letters to Dylan; “Blowin’ in the Wind” lyrics handwritten on a cocktail napkin; and a handful of fabricated album covers featuring the actors (like Chalamet and Elle Fanning’s rendition of “Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan”).
“As moviegoers learned from ‘A Complete Unknown,’ the relationship between Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie is essential to an understanding of 20th century American music,” said Steve Higgins, managing director of the American Song Archives. “This exhibit will amplify that story by connecting it to the real-life artifacts in our collections.”
Ahead of the public opening, the centers will host a private event on Feb. 27 with Arianne Phillips, the Oscar-nominated costume designer of “A Complete Unknown,” and music supervisor Steve Gizicki, at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema.
Members have early access to reserve their free ticket during a pre-sale beginning Feb. 13 at noon CT. Tickets will become available to the general public at noon CT on Feb. 17
“A Complete Unknown,” which chronicles Dylan’s early years in New York City leading up to his “going electric” moment at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, is nominated for eight Academy Awards, including best picture, best actor for Chalamet, best director for Mangold, best supporting actress for Monica Barbaro (Joan Baez) and best supporting actor for Edward Norton (Pete Seeger).
