Kislak Center Celebrates 50th Anniversary of The Beatles: “Tomorrow Never Knows: The Beatles in Text and Image” Symposium and Exhibition |
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February 18, 2014, Volume 60, No. 23 |
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(Above) Postcards from the Boys (2004) courtesy of Genesis Publications; a limited edition, two-volume set featuring postcards sent from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison to Ringo Starr. |
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History was made on February 9, 1964, when The Beatles twisted and shouted their way into the American psyche with their legendary television performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Penn Libraries’ Kislak Center marks the 50th anniversary of that pivotal evening with a two-day symposium on February 28–March 1, held in conjunction with an ongoing exhibition in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library’s Kamin Gallery from February 24-August 11, 2014.
The Beatles in Text and Image—Materiality and Meaning Symposium will explore the phenomenon of the Fab Four’s extraordinary popularity that spawned a musical and cultural revolution during the rapidly changing political and social climate of the Sixties. David McKnight, director of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, began planning the symposium two years ago. An avid book collector and Beatles’ fan, Mr. McKnight says his interest in the group resurfaced with the 1995 publication of The Beatles Anthology.
“I was impressed with the range and volume of high-end publications documenting The Beatles’ career(s),” said Mr. McKnight, “and I’m excited to convene a panel of experts who will be able to illuminate the broader cultural meaning that can be derived from the study of these text-based materials.”
The purpose of the symposium is to examine the materiality of the texts and images and to explore the broader cultural meaning which can be derived from the study of books on The Beatles and to place these print artifacts in a larger cultural and social context.
Participating on the symposium panel are:
• Larry Kane (Keynote address): Philadelphia author, journalist and broadcaster, author of two books on The Beatles and one on John Lennon, and one of several journalists who accompanied The Beatles on their first tour of America
• Walter Everett: University of Michigan, professor of music theory, is the leading expert on the music of The Beatles
• Gordon Thompson: Skidmore College, professor of music, explores The Beatles in the context of the British Invasion
• Al Sussman: Executive Editor of Beatlefan magazine, and former radio analyst for ASCAP, Al Sussman has just published an new book, Changin’ Times: 101 Days That Shaped A Generation with Parading Press
• Donna Parsons: University of Iowa, professor of English, teaches courses on the cultural impact of The Beatles
•Jude Southerland Kessler (New Orleans): author of “She Loves You,” the 3rd volume of her nine-volume biography of John Lennon
• Eugene Halus: Immaculata University, professor of history
• Anthony DeCurtis: University of Pennsylvania, faculty lecturer in the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone Magazine. An award-winning writer, he has published numerous articles and reviews on The Beatles during the past 30 years.
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The symposium takes place in the Class of 1978 Pavilion, at the Library’s Kislak Center, on Friday 4-7:30 p.m., and on Saturday 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Registration for the symposium is $45 ($20 for students with ID). To register for the symposium and to learn more about these events and other related programming, visit www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/thebeatles.html
There will be an opening of the exhibition, Tomorrow Never Knows: The Beatles in Text and Image and the Philadelphia launch of She Loves You by Jude Southerland Kessler on Thursday, February 27, 5:30-7 p.m., in the first floor Kamin Gallery, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center. There will be a book signing at the reception. The activities on February 27 are free and open to the public. Registration for this event is appreciated but not required.
The exhibition in the Kamin Gallery will feature materials from Mr. McKnight’s personal collection dating from 1964 to the present that illustrate the British Invasion in the form of limited-edition books, periodicals, ephemera, commercial products, memorabilia, and recordings.
Related: Brought to Light: The Houses of Louis Kahn
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