Bob Seidemann, James Gurley, of Big Brother and the Holding Company, 1967 (2002.39.2)

San Francisco Psychedelic

Saturday, February 10, 2007—Sunday, June 10, 2007
Harrison Photography Gallery
Free Exhibition

During the mid-1960s, psychedelic music emerged in San Francisco as a distinctive and internationally influential sound. Bands with roots in blues and folk music improvised and jammed freely, allowed their songs to go on at length, and utilized unusual sounds such as feedback. This music was central to the American counter-culture ("hippie") movement, spawning free-form dance concerts, flashing light shows, and psychedelic posters. Among the leading groups were Big Brother & the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin), the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Steve Miller Band.

Photographers easily integrated themselves into the psychedelic music scene. They made portraits of the musicians in the controlled settings of their studios, captured band members on the streets of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, where many of them lived, and photographed the frequent and energetic live performances. A handful of talented photographers made iconic images of the bands, which were used in magazines, and on posters and album covers. Prominent among them were Herb Greene, Jim Marshall, Bob Seidemann, and Thomas Weir.

This exhibition is made possible in part with support from Ameriprise Financial.
Media sponsorship is provided by Cities 97.