Exhibit explores musical diversity of Kern County

New exhibit features interviews, records, photos and other materials from local artists

By California State University, Bakersfield

October 6^th, 2022

When it comes to music in Kern County, many immediately think of the country music scene exemplified by the iconic Bakersfield Sound — but what about the region’s impact on other genres of music?

That is the focus of the Historical Research Center’s new exhibit, “Bakersfield SoundS: Exploring the Musical Diversity of Kern County.” The exhibit examines jazz, rock, hip-hop and other forms of music produced and performed in Kern County.

“Growing up in Kern County, I have noticed that the Bakersfield Sound seems to get most of the attention and publicity as being the music of Bakersfield. I know that there is much more to the music here,” said Interim Director of Library Operations and Development Chris Livingston, who came up with the concept for the exhibit. “Bakersfield has very diverse and rich cultures which are amplified and celebrated through music such as soul, jazz, Tejano, rock and a variety of other genres. My hope is that this exhibit will allow the campus and the community to celebrate our diversity and view culture through the lens of music.”

The exhibit — which will be on display throughout the entire 2022-23 academic year — can be found in the center’s gallery, located on the second floor of the Walter W. Stiern Library.

This is the first new exhibit the HRC has had since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The center’s exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of CSUB was kept on display for two years.

“Bakersfield SoundS” features a series of short video interviews with artists and groups such as The Rhythm Kings' Al and Manny Garcia and Moe Adame of goth-punk band Burning Image.

The exhibit also includes displays of materials such as letters, photographs, records and guitar pics from nu metal bands Korn and Adema, among others.

“We’re covering the entire breadth of music and genre here in Kern County and in Bakersfield,” said Temporary Archives Librarian Luz Villarreal, who organized the exhibit.

Villarreal, who just joined CSUB this academic year, said this exhibit is the first in their career that they have designed from start to finish.

“I’m very proud of it,” they said. “It’s much more expansive than the exhibits that have been here in the past, specifically in terms of graphic design and utilization of the space. We wanted to make it feel like a professional museum experience.”

The biggest challenge Villarreal faced was producing the graphic design elements that have been placed on the walls of the gallery, as they said the HRC was using a new reusable poster material called Photo Tex and there were time and budget restrictions.

“We could only afford to do one printing of everything, so you have to get every single detail right. There was a lot of pressure with that,” Villarreal said. “I had to learn a number of new skills and plan things space-wise for an exhibit that could not afford many mistakes.”

Villarreal said they are happy with how the designs turned out and said they allowed the HRC to use parts of the gallery space that had been underutilized. They hope graphic design will continue to be incorporated in future exhibits.

“There’s never been a graphic design element to the exhibits at this level before,” Villarreal said. “It really lays the groundwork to creating designs on a professional level that I think the HRC will continue with in the future.”

Villarreal also enjoyed getting the opportunity to partner with local artists for the exhibit and help tell their stories.

"Like working with any donor of historical materials, it was a bit humbling to know you're being trusted with an individual's life work," they said. "In the case of the exhibit, to be trusted to reflect their stories and experiences through this gallery in a very tangible way is a lot of responsibility."

Several students and alumni also volunteered their time as part of the Gallery Group to help develop the exhibit through writing, conducting research and more.

Now that the exhibit is finally up, Villarreal said they’re excited for students, faculty and staff to be able to experience it, along with the artists whose contributions helped create it.

"It’s a great feeling to know so many people can see it and are going to enjoy it,” they said. “We really hope visitors will come away with an appreciation for the musical history of Bakersfield and the local artists who have performed and continue to perform in Bakersfield. We really want students to interact with the exhibit and be encouraged to pursue history and research.”

The exhibit can be viewed between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays in the Walter W. Stiern Library. For more information about this and other exhibits put on by the HRC, visit hrc.csub.edu/exhibits.