Props from Bob Dylan biopic go on display in Tulsa exhibit

Several props from the Bob Dylan biopic 'A Complete Unknown' starring Timothée Chalamet will soon be on display in Tulsa. The exhibit is the first to run concurrently at both the Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center. 'Stepping Into the Unknown' will open on Friday, Feb. 28.

Movie Plot

'A Complete Unknown' is based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald. It was released in 2024 and directed by James Mangold.

The biopic is based in the 1960s when an unknown 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York City with his guitar and forges relationships with musical icons on his rise to fame, according to IMDB.

It leads up to his "going electric" moment at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

Director of the Bob Dylan Center, Steven Jenkins said, "It was a cataclysmic moment in music and in culture. The film really gets to that and tells the story of that amazing moment at Newport."

However, one of the first scenes in the film sees Dylan, played by actor Timothée Chalamet, visiting Woody Guthrie in the hospital.

"Bob was a huge fan of Woody and knew every song and when he got to New York he wanted to look up his hero," said Cady Shaw, Director of the Woody Guthrie Center. "Bob learned that Woody was in the hospital from his family and so he went to the hospital and visited Woody and sang his songs to him."

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Props Featured in Tulsa Exhibit

'Stepping Into the Unknown' at the Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center aims to highlight the deep bond between the two American songwriters.

The movie props and real historical artifacts from their careers are hanging together in the exhibit. Some of the items from the film include a record player and letters from Dylan 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.

"You can take a very close look at props that perhaps just showed up for a moment in the background in a scene in the film and really see the attention paid to period detail," said Jenkins.

The hope is that visitors will see both the originals and their imitations and appreciate the real people behind the characters.

"I really hope people find a new appreciation for the relationship of Bob and Woody but also the importance of that relationship and how Woody helped form Bob," added Shaw.

Bob Dylan & Woody Guthrie Center Hours

The Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center are located in the Tulsa Arts District along Reconciliation Way.

Every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. the museums host tours about the movie and the history behind it, including this new exhibit.

Both locations are open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets for adults are $12 at the Woody Guthrie Center and $15 for adults at the Bob Dylan Center. Members receive free admission.

For more information about memberships to one or both museums, click here.