More than 100,000 artefacts related to Bob Dylan will no longer be left blowing in the wind, after plans were revealed to open an archive dedicated to the singer-songwriter.

An archive of more than 6,000 artefacts – collected by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) – already sit in the Tulsa University in Oklahoma, however the collection is largely inaccessible to the public and only available for academic research. When the centre opens, a vast majority of items – including unrecorded song lyrics, photographs and private correspondences – will go on public display for the first time ever.

The land, acquired in 2016 by GKFF for the centre, sits next to a museum dedicated to Woody Guthrie – a musician who had a big influence on Dylan’s career.

“I’m glad that my archives, which have been collected all these years, have finally found a home and are to be included alongside the works of Woody Guthrie,” said Dylan. “To me, it makes a lot of sense and it’s a great honour.”

Architects Olson Kundig will design the visitor attraction, with Tom Kundig handling architecture and Alan Maskin exhibit.

Olson Kundig was awarded the project as part of an international competition. The entry, said the competition judges, was “focused on the notion of Bob Dylan as a master of change”.

According to Kundig and Maskin, the centre has been envisioned as “the embodiment of continual change”, from its architectural approach to its exhibit design.

“We are not only acting as architectural support to Bob’s transformational legacy and creative, disciplined force,” said Kundig. “We are also helping to preserve the teaching value of his legacy for future generations”.

The architects envision the centre as a dynamic venue, to house permanent, temporary and travelling exhibitions readily accessible by artists, historians, musicologists, and members of the public who are seeking deeper understanding of Dylan’s work. The centre will open in 2021.