I visited the de Young Museum in San Francisco a few days ago to escape the heat wave here in the Bay and got a chance to see the "Summer of Love" exhibition featuring photographs, video clips, artwork, and other psychedelic memorabilia from the iconic 1960s.
Trippy Pop Art Floor to Ceiling
First off, I was pretty impressed by the massive collection of psychedelic pop art and lithography posters - the three other walls of this room were all plastered floor to ceiling like this.
Haight-Ashbury district flooded with progressive youth seeking social change, 1967
Kaleidoscopic Cubicle or Torture Chamber?
This swirling kaleidoscopic cubicle was one of the first features in the exhibition which played an eerie, almost sinister black-and-white recording of a trip gone wrong with original film footage of a woman and man seemingly freaking out on acid in public. Given how dimly-lit this room was, there was almost a palpable feeling of vague trepidation among the other attendees for what the rest of the gallery had in store.
Acid Ethos - Turn on, Tune in, Drop out
This photograph by Ted Streshinsky depicts Ken Kesey's famous (infamous?) "acid tests" where LSD was broadly distributed and consumed to spread the counterculture lifestyle involving Civil Rights activism, anti-war sentiments, Free Love, and of course, rampant drug use.
"Pot Hits the Spot"
I thought this collection of buttons was interesting, including more dubious statements like "STAMP OUT REALITY" and the iconic anti-Vietnam War slogan "Make Love Not War."
An Unusual Wardrobe...
I talked to a few other people visiting the museum and they quietly agreed that the outfits were WAY off base in terms of accuracy. A staff member mentioned that the clothing was curated by a group of employees in their 40s, meaning many of them weren't even alive in the '60s. Still, I thought it was somewhat amusing to see how many of these hapharzardly-dressed mannequins were staged throughout the exhibit.
Too High to Enjoy the Museum? Relaaaaaax.
About halfway through the exhibit, there was a pretty cool curtained-off "trip room" complete with a light show, beanbag chairs, area rugs and a psychedelic soundtrack (featuring Jefferson Airplane at the moment I walked in). I glimpsed a young guy seemingly tripping out and looking pretty mind-boggled by the colorful display but didn't want to stress him out by asking for his photograph. I wonder how many other attendees were having their own "Summer of Love" that day?
Overall it was a rather small exhibit despite the advertising hype, but overall it was worth seeing given how befitting the theme was for San Francisco in particular. After my visit I hit up the Haight-Ashbury district for lunch, musing all the while on how in some ways, the psychedelic spirit of the '60s has left a lasting mark on the aesthetic, reputation and culture of the city ever since.
Thanks for reading!
Interesting post and whole your chanel. Much more different than others.
Thank you! I should have more psychedelic-related posts coming up soon. :)
How many psychedelic museums are there? Have you been to the blotter art one?
Probably not many, but who knows. And I haven't been there yet but have been meaning to check it out. Have you seen it?
Thanks for sharing - it looks quite cool:)
Thank you for re-steeming! It was definitely worth the visit. :)
Thanks looks really cool!
Sometimes I think I should have been born in the 40s or early 50s to have the chance the be there in the so well known summer of love. Jimmy Hendrix on stage, hundred of thousands kids off of their heads on LSD... even rain. <3
Peace
I've imagined the same thing, but I suppose now we have Burning Man and huge EDM festivals, so that's something at least! Thanks for reading.
I will have to check out your previous blogs and sorry if I repeat something you've already blogged on, but have you written on anything about the CIA involvement, such as the book by Albarelli, "A Terrible Mistake" very interesting read or the 2017 documentary "The Sunshine Makers" on the makers of Orange Sunshine.
Thanks for the post.
SDG
Thanks for commenting, I haven't written about those topics yet but they're good ideas for the future. Did you hear about Nicholas Sand's recent death? I've been meaning to watch The Sunshine Makers, thanks for the reminder.
No I did not, how recent? I also just messed up on upvoting this post. I failed to check whether randowhale was used. I couldn't figure how come it wasn't working on this post. I should have looked closer. Oh well, a 2SBD donation to him. I will have to hunt up my custom made VHS tape of Ken Kesey's that I bought several years ago, on the Merry Pranksters footage. It was like a psychedelic spin art. Pretty neat. When I bought it online it was pretty cool as he sold it without a charge and then just said when you receive it just mail him the amount due. I just spent a few minutes looking for the tape, thinking it might be where I last saw it. Wrong. I'm guessing it's gonna take a little bit to find which box I stuffed it into.
Oh gosh, thank you for wanting to promote my post! Hopefully my upvotes on your comments help recoup most of the 2 SBD, I really appreciate it. :)
Sand died on April 24 so a few months back unfortunately. I'd be really interested in seeing that tape if you find it and can somehow upload a clip, it sounds pretty rad. Memorabilia like that has a way of hiding deep at the bottom of storage boxes haha, but maybe you'll find it.
I am going to do my best to find that tape now, I just checked out when Ken Kesey died and that was Nov 10, 2001. I remember hearing about him dying and thinking, "ok, maybe that will be worth something someday." So I probably bought it in 1999 or maybe 2000. Wow, that's like 17 years ago, ouch it seemed like yesterday. I will definetly do a blog on it, so that ought to give me incentive to find it. Trust me, I thought of sending you a picture of where it might be stored. We are talking lots of boxes, and several places where those boxes could be. I probably put it in a box 7 or 8 yrs ago. Now, I have concern since it was a VHS tape it my have deteriorated.
Don't worry about the 2SBD, I am using a percentage of my SBD's to promote worthy posts.
I hear you about how quickly life flies by... I'm following you so I'll keep an eye out for your upcoming posts and I especially look forward to seeing that tape when you find it.
Wow, looks like a really great place, i'd love that visuals room with the beanbags. Great post! i followed too. :)
Thanks for reading, likewise about following! :)
awesome posters and buttons! 😍
haha I liked the relaxing room :P :)
Me too, if only all the beanbags weren't taken I would have relaxed for a while hehe.
Oh those were the days , my friends, we thought they'd never end...
I totally agree the clothes are way offbase! We wore long skirts, bell bottom jeans, anything from India or Mexico, and all kinds of jewelry. I made or altered most of my own clothes, slitting regular jeans and adding some cloth to make them into bell bottoms. Empire waisted long dresses were one of my favs. Fringes were popular, so were soft floppy hats, patchouli, and sandalwood oils...
Ohhh, maybe you can do a post on your own summer of love - I'd love to hear more about it! Were you in CA?
No was there a few years too early. I was east coast , Baltimore , MD. I'm trying to dig through old pictures for multiple Steemit projects. Will look for a few of me and friends in that era.
Looks like a lot of fun! I would love to get in the kaleidoscope cubicle and see how it is. Thanks for posting
Haha it'd be an interesting space for an actual cubicle, too, that's for sure. Thanks for reading. :)
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I love those posters! 😍
Me too! If only there were copies for sale in the gift shop.
The last photo is so relaxing !! Thanks for sharing
Wow, looks like a thorough show and maybe a bit overwhelming! Sf Moma has a great painting by Fred Tomaselli who is considered within this genre but his paintings that I love most aren't really the most psychedelic. I like the ones from this grouping: (MUCH more incredible in life)
Somehow I missed your comment until now - thank for for sharing this, that's an incredible piece! Love it.
I LOVE the button that says 'God is in a sugar cube' lmao!
You seem so much like a person I'd want to trip with, sit down, talk about the 60's counterculture, philosophy, consciousness and life. So glad to be able to read your blog and connect with you.
Peace.