David and Alex Graham

Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution was organized by the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles. Featuring iconic psychedelic concert posters, rock memorabilia, photographs, films, and ephemera, the exhibition explores the momentous cultural transformations of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s through the lens of rock & roll. The exhibition includes more than 200 objects from lenders across the country—many being shown in public for the first time, including Janis Joplin’s tambourine, a handwritten note from Donovan to Graham, Pete Townshend’s 1968 Gibson SG Special used during a performance of Tommy, and Graham’s personal scrapbooks. Treasured photographs and artifacts from Graham’s early life and career are loan from the Graham family, many on view to the public for the first time. Also for the first time ever, preparatory drawings and the original artwork of several iconic Fillmore concert posters will be on museum display, revealing the signature visual styles and creative process of poster artists Bonnie MacLean, Wes Wilson, David Singer, and Greg Irons. A New Year’s Eve themed concourse takeover featuring Graham’s famous Father Time costume will be featured, as well as an installation of “The Joshua Light Show,” the trailblazing liquid light show conceived in 1967 by multimedia artist Joshua White, which served as a backdrop to many Graham-produced concerts. Unique to NMAJH’s run of the exhibition will be a number of items from Philadelphia’s Live Aid concert and the city’s music scene. Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution will be complemented by several public and education programs to be announced at a later date. Bill Graham and the Rock and Roll Revolution is organized and circulated by the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, in association with the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, and made possible by the support of Alex Graham, David Graham, and Danny Scher.