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Beat Museum

January 01, 1970

The Beat Museum is located in San Francisco, California and is dedicated to preserving the memory and works of the Beat Generation.

Beat Museum
Beat Museum
Beat Museum (California)
Beat Museum (the United States)
Established2003
Location540 Broadway
San Francisco, California
Coordinates37°47′53″N 122°24′22″W / 37.7981°N 122.4062°W / 37.7981; -122.4062
TypeLiterary museum
WebsiteOfficial website

The Beat Generation was a group of post-WWII artists who challenged the social norms of the 1950s,[1][2] encouraged experimentation with drugs and sexuality, practiced various types of Eastern religion, and desired to grow as humans. Also known as 'The Beats', they became famous in the 1950s and remain influential today. While dozens of personalities were involved in the formative years of the movement, the most celebrated members were Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg,[3] William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady.[4]

Some musicians are also considered to be part of the Beat Generation's legacy including The Doors, Bob Dylan,[2] The Beatles, and Tom Waits. Thomas Pynchon and Tom Robbins are examples of authors influenced by the Beat generation.[5]

The Beat Museum is dedicated to spreading the values of the Beat Generation, “Compassion, Tolerance, and of Living One’s Own Individual Truth.”. Its collection holds thousands of pieces of memorabilia from the era, hundreds of photographs of the Beats and their contemporaries, and an extensive book selection.

History edit

The Beat Museum began in Monterey, California in 2003 because the founders, Jerry and Estelle Cimino, were living there at that time.[1] Estelle had some surplus office space which included a separate entrance at her downtown location for her career counseling business called the Career Action Center. Jerry had recently left corporate America and was ready to try something new, so he placed his personal collection of Beat memorabilia on display in downtown Monterey.

The Beat Museum on Wheels edit

Wanting to share the Beat Museum with the rest of America, Cimino and John Allen Cassady, son of Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarty in On the Road) and Carolyn Cassady, founded the Beat Museum on Wheels. Traveling from California to Maine to Florida and back again in an Airstream 345 motorhome in the fall of 2004 and 2005, Cimino and Cassady spoke at universities, high schools, and community centers. Stops included Penn State, Wayne State University in Detroit, SUNY Geneseo, Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, University of Maryland, Baltimore County as well as performances at community centers such as the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio, KerouacFest in Windber, Pennsylvania, ArtSplash in Rockaway, New York and Lowell Celebrates Kerouac in Lowell, Massachusetts.[6]

The Beat Museum relocates to San Francisco edit

Coming off the success of The Beat Museum on Wheels two year roadshow, The Beat Museum moved from Monterey, California to San Francisco's North Beach District in 2006. Initially, the museum secured a space for three months at the Live Worms Gallery on Grant Avenue.[2][7] Later, it moved to a much larger location at 540 Broadway (at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Broadway Street) directly across the street from City Lights Bookstore, at the epicenter of the 1950s San Francisco Beat hangout spots.[1][3][8]

The building the museum currently occupies was formerly the Swiss American Hotel where many people lived off and on: Hube the Cube, Bob Kaufman, and others. It is also the building where Lenny Bruce fell from a window, broke his arm, and suffered back injuries. [9]

Carolyn Cassady was the guest of honor for the opening weekend at the Beat Museum in North Beach and both the Associated Press and Reuters ran articles that ran in hundreds of newspapers around the world.[7] Special guests at the opening included Michael McClure, Wavy Gravy, Al Hinkle, Magda Cregg, John Allen Cassady,[10] Anne Marie Maxwell and Stanley Mouse.[11]

Exhibitions and acquisitions edit

 
City Lights as seen from the Beat Museum

The museum has both permanent exhibitions and rotating exhibitions.

Much of the Beat Museum's acquisitions are items donated by family members, friends, and fans of the Beat generation. Recently donated pieces include the archives of publishers Arthur and Kit Knight; memorabilia from Kerouac's funeral; and Allen Ginsberg's typewriter. The referee shirt worn by Neal Cassady in Ken Kesey’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is on permanent display in the museum,[1] as is Jack Kerouac’s tweed jacket,[12] an original acid test card, and many other novelties from the Beat era.

Walter Salles, director of 2012’s film adaptation of On the Road, donated the 1949 Hudson car to the Beat Museum. Per Salles’s request, the car is not to be cleaned: the dirt and grime of the famous cross-country road trip are to remain as part of the car.[13][1][14]

 
The Beat Museum as seen across the street

Permanent exhibits include details and memorabilia from the 1957 Howl obscenity trial, original art by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Harold Norse, and Gregory Corso, a first edition copy of Kerouac’s first novel, The Town and the City, an advance copy from his hometown library, 'Women of the Beat Generation', which showcases the oft-forgotten Beat women,[15] a room to display a continuously playing documentary, an exhibit called Passing the Torch: How the Beats Became the Hippies, and more. As of 2021 David Woodard's iteration of the Brion Gysin Dreamachine, along with original manuscripts, first editions, and letters, rounds out the permanent collection.[1][16][2]

Past visiting exhibitions include: Harold Chapman photography of the Beat Hotel; Jim Hatchett photography of Lew Welch, Philip Whalen, and Michael McClure, and Brother Antoninus a.k.a. William Everson.

Celebrity supporters edit

Celebrity visitors to the Beat Museum include musicians Van Morrison, Patti Smith and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Former governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura,[17] actors Owen Wilson, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Michael Ornstein (Sons of Anarchy), Michael Imperioli (Sopranos), film maker John Waters and comedian and magician Penn Jillette, and singer Tom Waits. Waits’s song “California, Here I Come” is inspired by On the Road.

The Beat Museum is highlighted in Jillette’s book Every Day is an Atheist Holiday!: More Magical Tales from the Author of God, No!, “For a Beat fan, beatnik, peacenik, old hippie capitalist guy like me, this is the only museum that matters. Who needs old dinosaur bones?”.[18] Jillette also poses semi-nude in a photograph in the book in homage to a similar photograph by Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso that hangs in the museum. As a comedian and entertainer, Jillette says he can relate to a story about Allen Ginsberg being heckled at a poetry reading and then shedding his clothes, “The poet stands naked before the world. Are you willing to stand naked before the world?”.[18]

Public programs edit

The Beat Museum holds regular readings and book signings and takes part in literature events such as the Litquake.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Hanc, John (October 26, 2012). "At Shrine to Beats, Squares Are Welcome, Too". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Adams, Jane Meredith (February 14, 2006). "He's got the Beats". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  3. ^ a b Baker, Kenneth (July 22, 2009). "Beat Museum a 'Howl' of a time". SF Gate. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  4. ^ Editor, FCJ. "The Beat Goes On". Fog City Journal. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  5. ^ Adair, Galen. "The Beat Goes On: The Lives and Legacy of a Generation". Signature. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  6. ^ "The Beat Museum on Wheels". The Beat Museum. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  7. ^ a b Norton, Justin M. (January 15, 2006). "Beat Museum opens in City by the Bay". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  8. ^ Sanchez, Don (c. 2006). "The Beat Museum ABC7 Interviews Jerry Cimino". ABC7 San Francisco. ABC. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  9. ^ https://www.villagevoice.com/lenny-bruce-falls-out-a-hotel-window
  10. ^ "John Allen Cassady at the Beat Museum's Grand Opening - Sept. 27th, 2006". YouTube. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  11. ^ Foremski, Tom. "diggrz: Beat museum Gala opening; Beethoven in bondage and Liszt in leather". Silicon Valley Watcher. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  12. ^ Harngel, Anne (February 23, 2013). . Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 3, 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  13. ^ Coe, Alexis (January 23, 2012). "The Beat Museum Finally Gets a '49 Hudson Like the Car in On the Road". San Francisco Weekly. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  14. ^ Russell, Ron (October 26, 2012). "In advance of Kerouac movie, Beat Museum gets a shout-out". San Francisco Bay Area Observer. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  15. ^ Elkholy, Sharin N. (January 1, 2012). The Philosophy of the Beats. University Press of Kentucky. p. 20. ISBN 9780813135809. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  16. ^ Beat Museum (September 27, 2021). "The Dreamachine". Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  17. ^ Post Staff Reporter (December 20, 2009). "In my library: Jesse Ventura". New York Post. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Jillette, Penn (November 13, 2012). Every Day is an Atheist Holiday!: More Magical Tales from the Author of God, No!. Penguin. p. 83. ISBN 9781101600740. Retrieved 6 January 2018.

Sources edit

Further reading edit

January 01, 1970
beat, museum, located, francisco, california, dedicated, preserving, memory, works, beat, generation, show, francisco, county, california, show, california, united, states, show, united, statesestablished2003location540, broadwaysan, francisco, californiacoord. The Beat Museum is located in San Francisco California and is dedicated to preserving the memory and works of the Beat Generation Beat MuseumBeat MuseumShow map of San Francisco CountyBeat Museum California Show map of CaliforniaBeat Museum the United States Show map of the United StatesEstablished2003Location540 BroadwaySan Francisco CaliforniaCoordinates37 47 53 N 122 24 22 W 37 7981 N 122 4062 W 37 7981 122 4062TypeLiterary museumWebsiteOfficial website The Beat Generation was a group of post WWII artists who challenged the social norms of the 1950s 1 2 encouraged experimentation with drugs and sexuality practiced various types of Eastern religion and desired to grow as humans Also known as The Beats they became famous in the 1950s and remain influential today While dozens of personalities were involved in the formative years of the movement the most celebrated members were Jack Kerouac Allen Ginsberg 3 William S Burroughs and Neal Cassady 4 Some musicians are also considered to be part of the Beat Generation s legacy including The Doors Bob Dylan 2 The Beatles and Tom Waits Thomas Pynchon and Tom Robbins are examples of authors influenced by the Beat generation 5 The Beat Museum is dedicated to spreading the values of the Beat Generation Compassion Tolerance and of Living One s Own Individual Truth Its collection holds thousands of pieces of memorabilia from the era hundreds of photographs of the Beats and their contemporaries and an extensive book selection Contents 1 History 1 1 The Beat Museum on Wheels 1 2 The Beat Museum relocates to San Francisco 2 Exhibitions and acquisitions 3 Celebrity supporters 4 Public programs 5 References 6 Sources 7 Further readingHistory editThe Beat Museum began in Monterey California in 2003 because the founders Jerry and Estelle Cimino were living there at that time 1 Estelle had some surplus office space which included a separate entrance at her downtown location for her career counseling business called the Career Action Center Jerry had recently left corporate America and was ready to try something new so he placed his personal collection of Beat memorabilia on display in downtown Monterey The Beat Museum on Wheels edit Wanting to share the Beat Museum with the rest of America Cimino and John Allen Cassady son of Neal Cassady Dean Moriarty in On the Road and Carolyn Cassady founded the Beat Museum on Wheels Traveling from California to Maine to Florida and back again in an Airstream 345 motorhome in the fall of 2004 and 2005 Cimino and Cassady spoke at universities high schools and community centers Stops included Penn State Wayne State University in Detroit SUNY Geneseo Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo University of Maryland Baltimore County as well as performances at community centers such as the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton Ohio KerouacFest in Windber Pennsylvania ArtSplash in Rockaway New York and Lowell Celebrates Kerouac in Lowell Massachusetts 6 The Beat Museum relocates to San Francisco edit Coming off the success of The Beat Museum on Wheels two year roadshow The Beat Museum moved from Monterey California to San Francisco s North Beach District in 2006 Initially the museum secured a space for three months at the Live Worms Gallery on Grant Avenue 2 7 Later it moved to a much larger location at 540 Broadway at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Broadway Street directly across the street from City Lights Bookstore at the epicenter of the 1950s San Francisco Beat hangout spots 1 3 8 The building the museum currently occupies was formerly the Swiss American Hotel where many people lived off and on Hube the Cube Bob Kaufman and others It is also the building where Lenny Bruce fell from a window broke his arm and suffered back injuries 9 Carolyn Cassady was the guest of honor for the opening weekend at the Beat Museum in North Beach and both the Associated Press and Reuters ran articles that ran in hundreds of newspapers around the world 7 Special guests at the opening included Michael McClure Wavy Gravy Al Hinkle Magda Cregg John Allen Cassady 10 Anne Marie Maxwell and Stanley Mouse 11 Exhibitions and acquisitions edit nbsp City Lights as seen from the Beat Museum The museum has both permanent exhibitions and rotating exhibitions Much of the Beat Museum s acquisitions are items donated by family members friends and fans of the Beat generation Recently donated pieces include the archives of publishers Arthur and Kit Knight memorabilia from Kerouac s funeral and Allen Ginsberg s typewriter The referee shirt worn by Neal Cassady in Ken Kesey s The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test is on permanent display in the museum 1 as is Jack Kerouac s tweed jacket 12 an original acid test card and many other novelties from the Beat era Walter Salles director of 2012 s film adaptation of On the Road donated the 1949 Hudson car to the Beat Museum Per Salles s request the car is not to be cleaned the dirt and grime of the famous cross country road trip are to remain as part of the car 13 1 14 nbsp The Beat Museum as seen across the street Permanent exhibits include details and memorabilia from the 1957 Howl obscenity trial original art by Lawrence Ferlinghetti Harold Norse and Gregory Corso a first edition copy of Kerouac s first novel The Town and the City an advance copy from his hometown library Women of the Beat Generation which showcases the oft forgotten Beat women 15 a room to display a continuously playing documentary an exhibit called Passing the Torch How the Beats Became the Hippies and more As of 2021 David Woodard s iteration of the Brion Gysin Dreamachine along with original manuscripts first editions and letters rounds out the permanent collection 1 16 2 Past visiting exhibitions include Harold Chapman photography of the Beat Hotel Jim Hatchett photography of Lew Welch Philip Whalen and Michael McClure and Brother Antoninus a k a William Everson Celebrity supporters editCelebrity visitors to the Beat Museum include musicians Van Morrison Patti Smith and Led Zeppelin s Jimmy Page Former governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura 17 actors Owen Wilson Garrett Hedlund Kristen Stewart Michael Ornstein Sons of Anarchy Michael Imperioli Sopranos film maker John Waters and comedian and magician Penn Jillette and singer Tom Waits Waits s song California Here I Come is inspired by On the Road The Beat Museum is highlighted in Jillette s book Every Day is an Atheist Holiday More Magical Tales from the Author of God No For a Beat fan beatnik peacenik old hippie capitalist guy like me this is the only museum that matters Who needs old dinosaur bones 18 Jillette also poses semi nude in a photograph in the book in homage to a similar photograph by Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso that hangs in the museum As a comedian and entertainer Jillette says he can relate to a story about Allen Ginsberg being heckled at a poetry reading and then shedding his clothes The poet stands naked before the world Are you willing to stand naked before the world 18 Public programs editThe Beat Museum holds regular readings and book signings and takes part in literature events such as the Litquake References edit a b c d e f Hanc John October 26 2012 At Shrine to Beats Squares Are Welcome Too The New York Times Retrieved 25 October 2017 a b c d Adams Jane Meredith February 14 2006 He s got the Beats Chicago Tribune Retrieved 25 October 2017 a b Baker Kenneth July 22 2009 Beat Museum a Howl of a time SF Gate Retrieved 25 October 2017 Editor FCJ The Beat Goes On Fog City Journal Retrieved 30 October 2017 Adair Galen The Beat Goes On The Lives and Legacy of a Generation Signature Retrieved 30 October 2017 The Beat Museum on Wheels The Beat Museum Retrieved 17 October 2017 a b Norton Justin M January 15 2006 Beat Museum opens in City by the Bay The Spokesman Review Associated Press Retrieved 6 January 2018 Sanchez Don c 2006 The Beat Museum ABC7 Interviews Jerry Cimino ABC7 San Francisco ABC Retrieved 23 August 2018 https www villagevoice com lenny bruce falls out a hotel window John Allen Cassady at the Beat Museum s Grand Opening Sept 27th 2006 YouTube Retrieved 6 January 2018 Foremski Tom diggrz Beat museum Gala opening Beethoven in bondage and Liszt in leather Silicon Valley Watcher Retrieved 6 January 2018 Harngel Anne February 23 2013 Beat Museum Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on June 3 2014 Retrieved 25 October 2017 Coe Alexis January 23 2012 The Beat Museum Finally Gets a 49 Hudson Like the Car in On the Road San Francisco Weekly Retrieved 25 October 2017 Russell Ron October 26 2012 In advance of Kerouac movie Beat Museum gets a shout out San Francisco Bay Area Observer Retrieved 6 January 2018 Elkholy Sharin N January 1 2012 The Philosophy of the Beats University Press of Kentucky p 20 ISBN 9780813135809 Retrieved 6 January 2018 Beat Museum September 27 2021 The Dreamachine Retrieved 11 January 2022 Post Staff Reporter December 20 2009 In my library Jesse Ventura New York Post Retrieved August 23 2018 a b Jillette Penn November 13 2012 Every Day is an Atheist Holiday More Magical Tales from the Author of God No Penguin p 83 ISBN 9781101600740 Retrieved 6 January 2018 Sources editKarp Evan The museum that Jack Kerouac built Examiner 7 August 2010 McManis Sam Discoveries Beat generation lives in San Francisco museum The Sacramento Bee 16 June 2013 http www sacbee com 2013 06 16 5495388 discoveries beat generation lives html permanent dead link Nolte Carl New Museum public display pay homage to Beat Generation Kerouac fan opens Grant Avenue digs On the Road scroll be shown at library SF Gate 13 January 2006 http www sfgate com bayarea article SAN FRANCISCO New museum public display pay 2506622 php Russo Tony Attention Cool Cats Frisco s Beat Museum Welcomes You The Air Space 27 October 2012 http theairspace net commentary attention cool cats friscos beat museum welcomes you Mickleburgh Rod Kerouac and Me and the Beat Museum Mickleblog 10 October 2013 http mickleblog wordpress com tag jerry cimino Petruccelli Kathryn The Beats Go On Jerry Cimino s shrine to Kerouac et al keeps the flame of the 50s alive Monterey County Weekly 27 November 2003 http www montereycountyweekly com news local news article 8c147295 9ff8 53ea a741 56f665cdac91 html Odegard Dave Big Change Big Sur Is Jack Kerouac Actually Filmable Word amp Film 11 November 2013 http www wordandfilm com 2013 11 big change big sur is jack kerouac actually filmable Samay Melanie The Making of The Beat Museum Contemporary Jewish Museum no date given http cjmvoices blogspot com 2013 08 the making of beat museum html Staff Writer SF Examiner Beat Museum Gets Permanent Digs on BroadwayFurther reading editLeland John Carolyn Cassady Beat Writer and Muse Dies at 90 New York Times 23 September 2013 https www nytimes com 2013 09 24 books carolyn cassady beat generation writer dies at 90 html The Beats Go On Interview with Jerry Cimino UMBC Magazine 7 June 2012 https www youtube com watch v fFwDWg FxEU Cimino Jerry 4 000 Miles in a 49 Hudson On the Road Exclusive Huffington Post 12 July 2011 http www huffingtonpost com jerry cimino 4000 miles in a 49 hudson b 890802 html Cimino Jerry Heroes and Anti Heroes Huffington Post 4 August 2011 http www huffingtonpost com jerry cimino heroes and antiheroes b 915529 html Cimino Jerry On the Road Delivers Huffington Post 23 May 2012 http www huffingtonpost com jerry cimino on the road delivers b 1538463 html Cimino Jerry On the Road Movie Trailer Promises as Adaptations Worthy of Keroacu Huffington Post 9 March 2012 http www huffingtonpost com jerry cimino on the road movie trailer b 1335975 html Cimino Jerry Katy Perry Firework Inspired by Jack Kerouac s On the Road Huffington Post 21 February 2012 http www huffingtonpost com jerry cimino katy perry firework kerouac b 1291618 html No author given The Beat Museum campaign Communication Arts 28 February 2008 http www commarts com exhibit beat museum campaign No author given The Beat Museum Poster 6 Ads of the World no date given http adsoftheworld com media print the beat museum poster 6 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Beat Museum amp oldid 1197440675, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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