Tulsa, Okla.’s Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center have officially announced “Stepping Into the Unknown,” a new exhibit showcasing items from A Complete Unknown and archival rarities that illuminate the story of Dylan and Guthrie’s origins. Opening on Feb. 28 at the museums’ shared campus, the installation will be the first spanning the two enterprises operated by American Song Archives and demonstrate the deep bond that grew between their honored artists. 

“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,” says 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.”

Among the many storytelling items in the “Stepping Into the Unknown” collection are props like Dylan’s letter to Guthrie, Guthrie’s harmonica, Johnny Cash’s letters to Dylan, Fabricated album covers and the “Blowin’ in the Wind” lyrics etched on a cocktail napkin. Many of the items created for the film were inspired by research conducted by the prop master and creative team at the Tulsa museums.

“The exhibit is a full-circle moment in a sense,” Higgins says. “We are bringing to Tulsa items from the film that were inspired by our collections in the first place.”

For an opening event on Feb. 27, the Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center will host A Complete Unknown’s Oscar-nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips and music supervisor Steve Gizicki. Following a screening of the tremendously acclaimed film, Phillips and Gizicki will reflect on their creative process and the making of the 8x Oscar-nominated biopic. Members of the museums will have access to a presale before a general on-sale on Monday, Feb. 17 at noon CT. Find more information on the exhibit at bobdylancenter.com and woodyguthriecenter.org.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bob Dylan Center (@bobdylancenter)