Photo Credit: Jay Blakesberg

This summer, The Haight Street Art Center will present “Between the Dark and Light: Grateful Dead 1965-1995,” which will run from July 12 through September 3, coinciding with the final Dead & Company concerts–to take place at Oracle Park on July 14 through 16. To help kick off the event, a special preview and reception will be held on July 11 from 5 to 9 p.m. local time.

The impending presentation of historic images was curated by acclaimed rock photographer Jay Blakesberg, with exhibition text by Grateful Dead historian Blair Jackson. “Between the Dark and Light: Grateful Dead 1965-1995” provides a visual journey of the band’s halcyon beginnings in the famed Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to the tragic passing of bandleader Jerry Garcia in August 1995. 

Through Blakesberg’s photographic presentation, paired with Jackson’s words, the duo lead viewers through a number of memorable occasions, from the Dead’s free concerts in Golden Gate Park to legendary New Year’s Eve shows in the Bay Area, and history-making gigs in Europe and Egypt, just to name a few. In addition, celebrated rock posters from The Haight Street Art Center’s collection will be on display, piecing together the Grateful Dead’s ever-evolving visual style, which twisted and turned throughout their three-decade long run. 

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Jay to host this extraordinary collection of photographs that capture the musical and cultural journey through the Grateful Dead’s career,” said Kelly Harris, the Haight Street Art Center’s Executive Director. “When combined with posters from the Art Center’s permanent collection, the exhibition poignantly tells the story of a Bay Area treasure that came of age during the golden age of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury.”

Blakesberg dug into his superb collection for the show, tapping the Retro Photo Archive and pulling 100 rarely-seen images, from 20 different photographers. “The Grateful Dead has always allowed fans to bring cameras into their concerts,” Blakesberg says, “which has left us Dead Heads with a vast photographic history of this band. Some of us started our careers photographing the Grateful Dead, myself included. The photographs on display show the band on and off stage and create a wonderful historical look at the band’s 30-year career.”

“What a great trip it is to see the Dead’s incredible journey told through so many rare or never published photographs, as well as iconic images by some of the best photographers who documented the Grateful Dead experience,” Jackson added. “From the group’s humble beginnings to its shows in football stadiums packed with dancing Dead Heads, the contours of the Grateful Dead story really come alive in new and exciting ways on the walls of the Haight Street Art Center.”

To help kick off the event, the opening reception will feature music from Bay Area keyboardist Scott Guberman. In addition, The Art Center will host a live screen-printing demo and poster giveaway. Moreover, the exhibition is made possible in part by the generous Haight Street Art Center sponsors Alex B, the Haight Street Voice, Relix Magazine, Anchor Steam, Grateful Guitars, and Humboldt Family Farms featuring Full Moon Farms. 

For those interested in attending the opening night festivities, click here to purchase tickets.