Dylan and the Festival organisers in 1969

Stealing Dylan exhibition opens at Dimbola next week

Elissa shares details of this upcoming exhibition at Dimbola Museum and Galleries. Ed


Fifty years ago, three brothers stole Dylan and the Band from Woodstock, to headline instead a festival in Woodside Bay on the Isle of Wight.

It has entered musical legend, with guest appearances from Tom Paxton the Who, the Bonzo Dog Band, the Nice, Liverpool Scene, and leading poets and performance artists in a beautiful setting close to the sea.  

Only show in eight years
Dylan and the Band had been putting together what became known as the Basement Tapes in Woodstock, and some of that joy of down home music seeped into their set, as did the Band’s debut Album Music from Big Pink into their own separate set, preceding them joining Dylan, in a white suit, short hair and a shy smile where the same combo in the explosive concerts of 1966 had faced their fans with snarls and the odd expletive.

This was the only complete show that Dylan was to play in nigh on eight years.  A newly released CD shows singer and musicians in close harmony and playing with great depth and clarity.

One-off exhibition commemorating Dylan’s Island visit
Now Ray Foulk, the one of those brothers who went over to New York and persuaded Dylan and his management team to sign up, is curating a special one-off show to commemorate Dylan’s visit to the Island, with rare family photographs, press releases, memorabilia and newspaper articles.  

Ray is coming over in person to open the show on the evening of 23rd August. (Listen to OnTheWight podcast with Ray Foulk recorded in 2010 at Hawkfest)

To match Ray’s exhibition and put it into context, Guy Portelli will be putting up in the Festivals galleries some responses by modern painters and sculptors to Dylan, and Dr Brian Hinton is sharing some items from his own personal collection including the  rare Martin Sharp silk screen print of ‘Mr Tambourine Man’.

This is a once in a lifetime insight into a private archive of inestimable cultural worth, and must not be missed

Head to the preview
The exhibition preview will be on Friday 23rd August 6-8pm. The exhibition runs 24th August to 23rd October 2019.

Please RSVP to [email protected] if you intend to attend the preview event.

Refreshments will be available.