MPD charts the magic time in the Bay Area rock scene from the folk-infused early ‘60s to the last days of the Fillmore West an unprecedented, in-depth examination of this incredibly diverse era—charting its trajectory, identifying its causes and effects, dispelling its myths, and offering a fresh look at this well-known subject.

Download a two page self-guided tour (pdf) here.

Seminal local bands like The Beau Brummels, The Charlatans, Country Joe and the Fish, David Laflamme and It’s a Beautiful Day, and Quicksilver Messenger Service receive their due alongside better-known Bay Area names like The Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Grateful Dead and Sly and the Family Stone. Above all, the show celebrates the timeless appeal of this signal moment in 20th-century popular culture, enveloping visitors in a blaze of sight and sound.

Co-curators Melissa Leventon and Alec Palao evoke this rich era using a wealth of rarely seen footage, posters, images, and costume from private and public collections and from the artists themselves. Visitors are able to sample extremely rare audio and video clips, some of them drawn from the important archive of recordings from San Francisco’s KSAN that are now in MPD’s permanent collection.

Just a few of the key original items on display include:

The exhibition is open to the public September 25, 2009-August 28, 2010.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $5.

Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 12:00-5:00 pm.