Past Exhibitions ● 2006

Woodstock: Small is Beautiful

June 3 through October 30 , 2007
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
—Romeo and Juliet (Act II, Scene ii)

That which may have been true for Shakespeare is not true in comic strips…at least in the story line of Peanuts.

For the first two decades of the strip, Schulz's birds appeared as incidental props, serving as sight gags or background filler, like movie extras in a crowded street scene.  Give the extra a name, though, and one’s attention becomes focused. In the 1960s, Schulz reflected on this transformation: “I’ve been drawing birds in the strip for some time—at least 10 years. Like a lot of things in this medium, suddenly your drawing starts to work. At one point I began to draw the bird a little better.”

Once Schulz christened him Woodstock in 1970, the bird gradually developed a personality. Schulz didn’t think out this new character, with a plan for his development; rather he gradually saw the possibilities this “extra” provided, and once named he provided more and more opportunities, which Schulz exploited.

Woodstock: Small is Beautiful is comprised of original Peanuts comic strips, artifacts, and photographs. The strips reveal Woodstock’s personality, his relationship with Snoopy, and the many non-birdlike roles he assumed over the years, and the Woodstock-themed products display character's popularity over four decades. Visitors will also enjoy a look at the City of Santa Rosa’s “Summer of Woodstock” tribute and learn how the 76 five-foot high Woodstock statues were created and decorated. An exhibition catalogue is available through the Schulz Museum Gift Shop!

January 11, 1977