Museum Seeks Stories of Woodstock, 1960s

By EMILY HILBERT
ONEONTA

The Museum at Bethel Woods is searching for stories of those who worked, volunteered or otherwise participated in the Woodstock music festival in 1969. They are also looking to hear from anyone who participated in similar social events or activist groups that shaped the trajectory of the 1960s.

The Museum at Bethel Woods was founded in 2008 and served as the site of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Festival history is not the only thing on display, however; the museum also features exhibits related to the counterculture, fashion, and technology of the 1960s, and the multitude of events leading up to Woodstock.

A pop-up event in support of the museum’s mission will take place on the SUNY Oneonta campus from April 19-21. Rooms on campus will be set aside to conduct oral history interviews, which will last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. The interviews will be recorded both audibly and visually.

Julia Fell, curator of exhibits at the Museum at Bethel Woods, said, “I’m really excited to come to the area and bring this program to central New York. As a Cooperstown Graduate Program alum [Class of 2017], I’m still very connected to the community within Cooperstown, and also Oneonta.”

The goal of this event is to collect and preserve stories which will be archived by the museum for later use. The museum is currently digging into stories surrounding camping experiences at Woodstock, but officials are open to hearing anything related to the festival, as well as the experiences of those who participated in other major events during the 1960s.

Stories are not the only thing being collected. If experiences are better told through objects, organizers urged participants to feel free to bring them for a “show and tell,” or to donate them to the museum. Paperwork will be available on site.

To participate in this event, or to ask any questions, e-mail oralhistory@bethelwoodscenter.org. More information on session times and frequently asked questions will be available upon inquiry. Participants can be added to the interview list up to a day in advance, but it is recommended to sign up as early as possible to ensure all voices are heard. If participants cannot make it to Oneonta on the appointed days, a Zoom session can be set up for a later date via the e-mail listed above.

To learn more about the museum and its oral history initiative, visit www.bethelwoodscenter.org/oral-history-intiative.