This photograph of Bob Dylan playing chess is just one of many snapped by Daniel Kramer who enjoyed extraordinary access during the prime of Dylan’s career. Kramer’s collection is in Hibbing, Minnesota through the summer. PHOTO: Daniel Kramer
During Dylan Days almost two weeks ago I was able to see the premiere of the GRAMMY Museum traveling exhibit “Daniel Kramer: Photographs of Bob Dylan” at the Paulucci Space Theater on the campus of Hibbing Community College in the singer’s Minnesota hometown. The event was a who’s who of Hibbing, and a wonderful display of the town’s growing appreciation of its most famous son. After a grumpy spring, it was nice to see something positive happening on the Iron Range.
The Star Tribune‘s Jon Bream was there, too. He wrote this review and posted a video this past weekend. His views were similar to my own.
The highlight for me was attending the opening reception where Daniel Kramer gave a Skype talk to 150 folks in attendance. In this we learned that Kramer was never an aspiring music photographer, just someone who was drawn to Dylan as a photography subject before he or most of the country even knew who Dylan was. When Kramer started photographing him in 1964 Dylan was up-and-coming folk musician named Bobby Dylan; when he concluded his work in 1965, Dylan was just Dylan, the man who changed popular music around the world.
These Daniel Kramer Dylan photos show that transition, and you should make plans to slide over to Hibbing to see them. Make it an event. Catch dinner and a show. It’s worth the trip.
You can see the exhibit from 9 a.m-5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The exhibit is free and will remain open until Aug. 23, 2014.
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