Grateful Dead's Legacy Honored by New York Historical Society Exhibit

Posted on Mar 8th 2010 4:00PM by David Chiu
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he Grateful Dead are making a special appearance in New York City not at a venue like Madison Square Garden, but at a museum.

The New York Historical Society, an institution that is usually devoted to spotlighting the city's past, is presenting the exhibit, 'The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society,' which is open now. It features Dead-related items such as photographs, T-shirts and posters made available by the University of California at Santa Cruz's Grateful Dead Archive.

"Despite the Grateful Dead's close association with California, the band and New York have been an important part of each other's history from the first time the Dead played here in 1967 to the band's year-on-year performances in New York from the late 1970s through 1995," Dr. Louise Mirrer, the New-York Historical Society's CEO and president, said in a press release. "This exhibition not only celebrates the band's relationship with New York but its tremendous impact on American culture."

'The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society' features early photographs of the Dead, including one by Herb Greene of the late Jerry Garcia with an American flag behind him in 1967. Colorful posters, including Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse's "Skeleton and Roses" artwork, and T-shirts are on display. There are also ticket stubs from past concerts, such as one for a 1995 Giants Stadium show with Bob Dylan.

Other highlights from the exhibit are musical instruments from the band (i.e. former keyboardist Pigpen's harmonica), the skeletons used in the 'Touch of Grey' music video and a notebook by archivist Dick Latvala containing notes and a set list from a Los Angeles Dead show in 1978. The exhibit is not only about the Dead but their fans, whose admiration for the band is represented through artwork on envelopes.

Merchandise has also been a part of the group's history -- in the exhibit are Grateful Dead stickers, comic books and boxer shorts. In addition to featuring official Dead products, the collection also includes merchandise not endorsed by the band such as a yarmulke and a "Boogie Till You Barf" bag.

In a New-York Historical Society press statement, Christine Bunting of the University Library at University of California Santa Cruz's Special Collections and Archives said, "We are delighted that the Historical Society is presenting this unprecedented exhibition, providing the public and the thousands of fans with such an exciting overview of the band's musical journey."

'The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society' will run through July 4.