The Museum at Bethel Woods Collection of Historic Photos

Photographs can reveal and cloak, ask questions, and offer up answers.

historic Bethel Woods

A photograph stops time, capturing a moment suspended between past and present.

In 2018, The Museum at Bethel Woods launched an online archive of photographs and videos collected from nearly 30 contributors – all bringing new life and context to the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair. The photographs capture candid moments from before, during, and after the festival, each providing a glimpse into the everyday moments of the festival. The archive captures and preserves the joyous experiences of festival attendees – as well as the less-than-perfect aspects like the mud and the traffic jams on rural country roads.

The archive is a link to the past, a bridge that spans more than 50 years of human history, chronicling an endeavor to be better. It is a reminder that the past still has lessons to teach, and that we are capturing our own history through the photographs we take every day. Photos are one of the truest forms of storytelling that exists today.

In the spirit of these stories, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts continues to foster budding storytellers, historians, and photographers through its creative programming. Efforts include Project:Identity, a free 12-week photography intensive for local teens, which provides an opportunity to learn the basics of photography, composition, camera use, as well as editing tools in Adobe Photoshop. A culminating photobook and exhibition of artwork are created and shared with the community.

Move through history with our online archive of iconic, aerial photographs showing the epic sprawl of the festival, and explore intimate snapshots taken during the festival. Then, join us at Bethel Woods for an only-found-here experience.

Join Our Community

Project: Identity Photography

Project: Identity Photo is free digital photography intensive for high school teens. This unique 12 week program provides an opportunity to learn the basics of photography, composition, historical photo processing and Adobe Photoshop.

Project: Identity Photography program

Rediscover The Historic Site

people at the historic Woodstock festival

The Museum at Bethel Woods

From a permanent collection to rotating special exhibits, discover the decade that changed everything.

main exhibit at bethel woods museum