Good News!
The Monmouth Museum is opening up a new exhibition, spotlighting one of the most iconic, and memorable music festivals that occured in 1969; Woodstock!
The exhibition will go by the name of Woodstock at 50: Summer of Love, and be held from June 8th, 2019 at 8:00pm, through September 1st, 2019. The Monmouth Museum is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00am - 5:00pm, as well as Sundays from 12:00pm - 5:00pm.
There will be an Opening Reception for this exhibition, being held on Saturday, June 8th, from 5:00pm - 7:00pm, and admission to this event will be free and open to the public. This Opening Reception will also feature live music from Poppa John Bugg, who has played with Richie Havens.
Following the Opening Reception, the same night on June 8th, at 8:00pm, a Panel Discussion with 90.5 the Night Radio Station and some very well known hippies will be held...such as Elliot Landy, the official photographer of Woodstock; Sea Gudinski, Novelist who just released a work of historical fiction called 1969: A Brief and Beautiful Trip Back; Tommy Fuller, One of the Jersey Shore's most underrated musical gems, who went to the festival as a 23 year old, fresh out of the army; and Brad Hunt, Long time music industry executive and artist manager, who went to the festival as a 19 year old. For more information on the panel discussion or for tickets (both available online and at the door) visit
wbjb.org/woodstock .
"By the time we got to Woodstock; We were half a million strong; And everywhere was a song and a celebration..." - Songwriter: Joni Mitchell
The Monmouth Museum's Main Gallery summertime exhibition, Woodstock at 50: Summer of Love, will journey through the explosive era that gave life to the 1969 Woodstock Festival, the pivotal outdoor music and art fair held 50 years ago on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains.
This exhibition will feature 50 pieces of the renowned documentary and rock photography of the Official Woodstock Photographer, Elliot Landy. Elliott's images of Bob Dylan and The Band, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Van Morrison, and many others documented the music scene during the classic rock and roll period of 1967-1969.
Woodstock at 50: Summer of Love will also feature vintage concert posters and vinyl albums, immersive video and audio experiences, 1960's memorabilia and ephemera. All summer the Museum will also be offering art workshops for adults, teens and kids, tours and more, so be on the lookout!
To add to the fun, the Monmouth Museum will also be hosting a Preview Party on Friday, June 7th from 7:00pm - 9:00pm, where partygoers will have the opportunity to meet Elliott Landy as he presents his Woodstock Vision. There will also be opportunities to get a first-hand account about the creators, builders, hippies, and straights that describe the spirituality, the trials and tribulations, and overall sheer joy of being at the festival! The night will also include live performances by Edward Brennan and Joe LaFragola of the Glen Burnik Summer of Love Show and the band Styx.
Tickets are available at monmouthmuseum.org .
Elliot Landy is proudly one of the first music photographers to be recognized as an "artist". He is an author of six photographic books, and his images have been exhibited in major museums and galleries throughout the world. His photographs have even appeared on the covers of major magazines, such as Life, The Saturday Evening Post, and Rolling Stone, as well as all media internationally for the past 40 years.
Elliot Landy was born in 1942, and began photographing the anti-Vietnam-war movement and the underground music culture of New York City in 1967. He has photographed many of the underground rock and roll superstars, from angles including both backstage and onstage, from 1967 to 1969. His images of Bob Dylan and The Band, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Joan Baez, Van Morrison, Richie Havens, and many others, had truly documented the music scene during that classic rock and roll period which culminated with the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
The Summer of Love occurred in June – August of 1967. Usually this description refers to 1967, in and around San Francisco when the "hippie movement" was in full flower, and full bloom. Specifically during the summer months, thousands upon thousands of young individuals flocked to the Haight-Ashbury to take part in a somewhat pale imitation of the true hippie experience. Many of these individuals were drawn by the gentle lyrics of a song penned by John Phillips, member of The Mamas & the Papas. Phillips' song San Francisco (written in anticipation of the Monterey Pop Festival in June) romanticizes both the era, as well as the atmosphere. In comparison, Scott McKenzie's cover-version of the song was in the airwaves by May -- just in time for summer vacation.
“If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair... If you come to San Francisco, Summertime will be a love-in there.”
The iconic 1969 Woodstock Art and Music Fair took place on August 15 - 17, 1969, and was branded Woodstock: Three Days of Peace, Music & Love. An estimated audience of over 400,000 people gathered for three days of music near Bethel, NY, swarming across the pastures of Max Yasgur's dairy farm. This festival was the brainchild of four men under the age of 26 (including one with a multimillion-dollar trust fund). Only 186,000 tickets were sold, so around 200,000 people were expected - but the amazing lineup of bands and musicians drew out many more. Fences were pushed to the ground and tickets became pointless. On opening night, sponsors declared free admission to all, and the word spread like wildfire. Police estimated a million more people were trying to reach Woodstock, stuck in traffic jams up to 50 miles away. Thousands listened to to Janis Joplin, The Who, Canned Heat, the Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and Country Joe & The Fish in the rain and mud. On the last morning, guitarist Jimi Hendrix woke up the crowd with a riveting solo version of the national anthem, and the final cost of the Festival was a whopping $2.4 million. The following year, a film of the concert was released.
All summer long, from June 7th - September 1st, 2019, there will be a raffle, with the grand prize being a Martin DX Woodstock 50th Anniversary Guitar, donated by Russo Music.
This model includes colorful custom artwork by Robert F. Goetzl that replicates elements from the original, famed 1969 festival poster. This X Series D-14 model produces the rich, dynamic sound and look that made Martin the choice of many artists who played at Woodstock.
Chances are only $10 each.
Exhibition Partners for the Woodstock at 50: Summer of Love exhibition include: Red Bank FrameWorks; Brookdale Community College - History, Library and Theater Departments; 90.5 the Night; Jack's Music Shoppe; Russo Music; Habitat for Humanity in Monmouth; Vintage Variety Shop; Classic Metal Productions; Tracy Walter Ferry, Artist and filmmaker.
The Monmouth Museum, an independent, non-profit organization was founded in 1963 as a Museum of Ideas, presents changing art, history and science exhibitions to educate and entertain while providing a destination for creative expression and life-long learning to the diverse community it serves.
The Monmouth Museum Hours are,
Tuesday-Saturday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
Admission is $8.
The Museum is located at 1 Museum Drive, Lincroft, NJ on the campus of Brookdale Community College, Parking lot #1.
For more information about the Museum exhibitions and programs visit our website at www.monmouthmuseum.org or call 732-747-2266.
You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Image: “The sound tower, Woodstock Festival, 1969, NY,” by Elliott Landy, Official Photographer of Woodstock 1969
