“There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin!
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.”
~ Bob Dylan, from “The Times They Are A-Changin’,”
1963
Vietnam . . . Student Demonstrations
. . . Freedom Marches . . . Women’s Liberation .
. . Hallucinogens . . . Flower Power . . . Free
Love . . . The 1960s and 1970s were tumultuous
and volatile decades in American history, a
period of extraordinary political, social, and
cultural change. As the standard-bearer for
American values, organized baseball was not
immune from the winds of change; in fact, it was
an appealing target for those seeking to
challenge established structures and traditional
authority.
The Baseball Reliquary returns to
Burbank, California with an exhibition, “The
Times They Were A-Changin’: Baseball in the Age
of Aquarius,” to be presented at the Burbank
Central Library, 110 N. Glenoaks Blvd., from
October 4-October 29, 2004.
The exhibition will spotlight the
impact that the issues of free speech, racial
unrest, economic grievance, and player
unionization had on the national pastime from
1960 through 1976. Through artifacts, artworks,
photographs, and text, “The Times They Were A-Changin’:
Baseball in the Age of Aquarius” will examine
how the relationship between players,
management, and fans was profoundly changed
during this transformative period in baseball
history. Ballplayers to be featured include
those who critiqued the baseball establishment
and assaulted its conservative image: Dick
Allen, Bo Belinsky, Jim Bouton, Dock Ellis, Curt
Flood, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Joe Pepitone, and
others. Also to be highlighted are owner Charlie
Finley and union leader Marvin Miller. In
addition, the exhibition will explore the
relationship between baseball and popular
culture, including style and fashion, music, the
counterculture, and the sexual revolution.
“The Times They Were A-Changin’:
Baseball in the Age of Aquarius” is presented by
the Baseball Reliquary, a Southern
California-based nonprofit organization
dedicated to fostering an appreciation of
American art and culture through the context of
baseball history.
Burbank Central Library hours are
Monday through Thursday from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM;
Friday from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM; Saturday from
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; and closed Sunday.
For further information on the
exhibition, contact the Baseball Reliquary by
phone at (626) 791-7647 or by e-mail at
skpubs@earthlink.net. For directions,
contact the Burbank Central Library at (818)
238-5600.
This exhibition is supported in part
by a grant from the Los Angeles County Arts
Commission. |