Events & Symposia
Below you can find a selection of events and symposia held as part of Dylan at FIU. For a full list of events, please visit the Dylan at FIU website.
This series was co-sponsored by the FIU Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab, the FIU College of Communications, Architecture + The Arts, Heaven's Door and the Tonkinson Foundation.
Graduate Seminar on Dylan
Rebecca Friedman, director of the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab, offered a course on social change in the ’60s with an emphasis on Bob Dylan—The Global 60s: Public History in Theory and Practice.
The graduate seminar focused on the contradictory nature of cultural production and social change beginning in the the 1960s across the globe, with a particular emphasis on the emergence of Bob Dylan as a cultural icon.
Student Docent Training
In preparation for the opening of Retrospectrum, the Frost Art Museum and the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab put out a call for students of all ages from around the FIU community to work as student docents and lead tours throughout Bob Dylan’s exhibit. Richard Thomas, Harvard professor and author of the book Why Bob Dylan Matters, joined us for a lecture/training session to teach our student docents about Bob Dylan’s life and reiterate the significance of Dylan’s visual art and musical impact. Professor Thomas sparked new dialogue between the student docents and answered any questions they had about the art on display at the Frost Museum, Dylan’s life as a musician, and Dylan’s origins/progression as a visual artist. This prepared students to lead tours through the Retrospectrum exhibit and make sure their knowledge of Bob Dylan is adequate for any questions they may get from visiting guests and Dylan fans.
Talking Dylan: Sound to Sight
On November 30, 2021 the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab held a half-day “Teaser Symposium” Talkin Dylan: Sound to Sight to accompany the public opening of Retrospectrum.
The event was both live for special VIPS and streamed live on dylan.fiu.edu and there was a tour at the Frost Museum as well as a music-filled reception for all those in attendance.
The brief talks included opening remarks and personal reflections on Dylan by Dr. Kimberly Green of the Green Family Foundation. The next few hours were filled with a combination of sharp analysis and heart-felt meditations on Bob Dylan and his oeuvre, including remarks by Rebecca Friedman, Governor David Patterson, Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Robert Politio, Richard Thomas, and Shai Baitel, who curated the exhibition that showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in Shanghai in 2018. The reception on the back pation of the Frost Museum included music by Stillblue and Uncle Scotchy, with a special appearance by Maryel Epps.
Beyond Generations: Bob Dylan: Thinker, Writer, Artist
In April of 2022, a series of symposia were held in three acts:
- A View From the Upper Room: Bob Dylan and Greg Tate
- The Rear View: Folkways and Dylan’s Origins
- Conversations About Dylan as Artist, Thinker, Poet, Performer
Additional Information
For a full list of events including photos and art, please visit the Dylan at FIU website.