Avalon Archives Museum

About me:

In late 1983, the Avalon Archives, a premier collection of Rock & Roll Art, first appeared in public on the walls of Uncle Willy's on Broadway. Uncle Willy's was a nightclub in Kingston, New York, operated by Ned Moran and Bill Guldy. Ned was a retired New York City fire fighter and Bill was Uncle Willy; a much loved, colorful character who appeared at Yankee games in his king crown, cape, and long beard, leading the fans in cheers. The Nightclub itself became a legend hosting thousands of musicians, nationally and internationally known, as well as most of the musicians in the Woodstock artists community.

Many of the players are now in The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers), John Sebastian (Lovin' spoonful), Rick Danko (The Band), and Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) to name a few.

In 1989, the collection was invited to a major exhibit at The Museum of Art, Science, and Industry in Bridgeport, Connecticut: Annie Liebowitz, Linda Eastman McCartney, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Robert Mappelthorpe, Fred W. McDarrah, Jim Marshall, Ron Wood, and Richie Havens were some of the artists on the wall along with the Avalon Archives collection. Since that very successful exhibit, the collection has been around the U.S.A. and in the Hudson River Valley for almost twenty years: schools, museums, radio stations, concerts, festivals, and even hardware stores (the Marbletown Hardware store is the world's only Rock & Roll hardware store).

The collection consists of original posters and handbills from San Francisco's Fillmore, Fillmore West & Avalon Ballroom (our namesake), and New York's Fillmore East, as well as Woodstock, Watkin's Glen, and The Newport Jazz Festival. (The Boston Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum in New York City recently did major exhibits (Summer of Love) with these posters)

Painting and photographs by published photographers such as Fred W. McDarrah (photo editor of The Village Voice), Woodstock's Elliot Landy, Lisa Law, John Cohen, Susan Wallach Fino, Henry Diltz, Mick Rock, Rita Weigand, David Spindel (who photographed John Lennon's last recording session), and Charlotte Brooks (Look Magazine's only female photographer) are also part of the Avalon Archives. A library of 5,000 vinyl records, video tapes, audio tapes, and hundreds of books on music add to this vast collection. Ninety percent of the collection is framed,and under glass, not an easy feat (many of them framed by our own professional in-house Avalon Framer/ Beacon, NY) . The Avalon Archives pays tribute to musicians through art and education.

Located at the Tilly Foster Farm: 100 Route 312 Brewster, NY Right off of Exit 19 on RT-84. Open Saturday & Sunday from 12-4pm Contact Ned at:(845)225-9135