Aug 31, 2023–Jul 28, 2024
Travel through some of the most electrifying moments in music history through the lens of Bay Area–based photographer Jay Blakesberg. RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped presents photographs of legendary musicians that reveal the evolution of San Francisco’s unique music culture and its wide-reaching influence. The exhibition brings together more than 200 photographs and related ephemera from the years 1978–2008, when Blakesberg shot exclusively on film. Growing up as a Jewish kid in New Jersey, Blakesberg chased his passion for music and photography to San Francisco, where he chronicled era-defining musicians and moments across rock, grunge, blues, psychedelic, folk, and every genre in between. Featuring images of the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Neil Young, Soundgarden, and many more alongside original tickets stubs, press passes, and other ephemera, this exhibition invites visitors to experience a visual history of the sounds and stories that have shaped the Bay Area and beyond.
View accessible exhibition text, or explore more accessibility resources at The Museum, below.
Click below to listen to audio recordings from Jay Blakesberg about the stories behind some of the photographs on view. These recordings are also accessible through QR codes in the gallery.
Bay Area music photographer steps out from the shadows in new SF exhibit, NBC
Rock photography of Jay Blakesberg at the CJM, Marina Times
The Amazing Rockstar Photo Exhibit at The CJM, Broke-ass Stuart
The Contemporary Jewish Museum opening 'RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped,' ArtDaily
The Contemporary Jewish Museuj: Jay Blakesberg: RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped, The Eye of Photography
'Those Artists were Rebels': Bay Area Photographer Jay Blakesberg gets Rockin' Retrospective at The CJM, The J.
Jay Blakesberg - Acclaimed Rock Photographer Of The Grateful Dead And So Many More. Over 300 Photos For Rolling Stone. Album Covers, Concert Films And Videos. Upcoming Career Exhibition!, Follow Your Dream podcast
RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped at The Contemporary Jewish Museum, Musée
Major support for RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped is generously provided by Joyce Linker, the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, Marilyn Yolles Waldman, Another Planet Entertainment, the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, Randee Seiger, ChromaLuxe, and Magna Chrome.