Photos from 1968: A Folsom Redemption / Courtesy
The Clinton House Museum is now hosting a special photography exhibition about country music legend and Arkansas native Johnny Cash.
1968: A Folsom Redemption is a collection of photographs and memories of two journalists who were among a handful of eyewitnesses to Cash’s historic concerts at Folsom Prison in California. It runs through Oct. 20.
From a release:
For the first time ever, this travelling road show collection of thirty-two photos features a wide range of intimate photos with friends and family to a backstage meeting between fellow country music legend Merle Haggard and the Man in Black. This exhibition highlights Cash’s golden era from the January 1968 Folsom prison album recording to a March 1, 1969, concert in Anaheim, California when he was getting ready to launch his network television show. 1968: A Folsom Redemption is organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.
The exhibit is free, and gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, including details about coinciding events, visit clintonhousemuseum.org or call 479-444-0066.
Other upcoming events at the museum
History Happy Hour – The Man in Black
September’s History Happy Hour will celebrate the anniversary of the show that Johnny Cash performed in Fayetteville in 1968. The show included an appearance with then-Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. This day is also historic as Arkansas native Bob Wootton came to Fayetteville to see the Cash show and ended up on stage playing guitar for Cash.
The event, held in collaboration with the Fayetteville Ale Trail is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The evening will feature an outdoor showing of the making of the Folsom Prison concert on a big screen. Guests are encouraged to wear black. Snacks will also be available, along with beer from Ozark Beer Co.
Tickets are $5 at the door and will include a pint glass with the History Happy Hour logo, two pours, non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, and entertainment.
Rock-n-Roll Prison Reform: Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison
The Fayetteville Town Center will host Rock-n-Roll Prison Reform: Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison as part of the Atkinson Speaker Series from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24. at the center on the downtown square.
During the event, Dr. Lisa Corrigan, author of the nationally acclaimed book Prison Power: How Prison Influenced the Movement for Black Liberation will give a talk examining the importance of Cash’s recording at Folsom in light of his longstanding role as a prison reform advocate.
Tracing his earliest prison performance in Huntsville, Texas through his iconic recordings at Folsom and at Cummins Prison, the talk discusses the landscape of prison reform during the period as well as Cash’s relationship to imprisonment as both a performer and as a political advocate.
The second half the evening will include a panel with Corrigan; Zachary Crow, Director of DecARcerate; and Raven Cook, Museum Educator at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and frequent contributor to KUAF on African American history.
Journalist in Concert: Gene Beley at Folsom Prison
Another Atkinson Speaker Series event is set for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the Fayetteville Town Center.
The event features journalist Gene Beley who will give the back story of how he and photographer Dan Poush got invited to fly with Johnny Cash and June Carter from Los Angeles to Sacramento for a weekend concert at Folsom Prison on Jan. 13, 1968.
Beley will tell some behind-the-scenes stories of how the song “Greystone Chapel,” written and sung by a Folsom Prison inmate on a small demo tape, was discovered the night before the famous concert while Cash was sitting in a motel room with Beley, Poush, and Cash’s good friend, Rev. Floyd Gressett. Following Beley’s presentation, Dr. Robert Cochran, Director of the Center for Arkansas and Regional Studies will interview Beley and moderate a Q and A session.
Clinton Anniversary Dinner: Celebrating Arkansas Icons
A celebration of the wedding of Bill and Hillary Clinton is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 at the Clinton House Museum.
This year’s event includes a farm-to-table dinner with locally sourced food and wine pairings.
The theme this year is “Celebrating Arkansas Icons.” Individual tickets are $75 per person and include food, drinks, an exhibit viewing, program and entertainment.
Individual tickets are available online, as are event sponsorships. Or you can text Clinton44 to 41444.
