Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

The Museum will be closed to the public until May 29th, 2026 while we install our next exhibition! In the meantime, check out this early 1940s photo of students working at the Lake Eden Campus. ⁠ ⁠ Want to know more about the upcoming exhibition? Our summer show will be all about collage and its pervasive presence throughout the history of BMC. From Josef Albers’ matière exercises to the 1951 “Glyph Exchange,” cutting up and rearranging found material was a way of life at Black Mountain College. And in true BMC transdisciplinary fashion, we’re not limiting collage to just the visual arts! This show will feature three-dimensional assemblages, poems, performances, and more. Additionally, the exhibition will assemble both historic and contemporary artists together, highlighting how collage continues to exert a powerful influence on today’s art ecosystem. ⁠ ⁠ ___⁠ John Harvey Campbell, Students during the work program at the Lake Eden campus, circa 1941 – 1944. Gelatin silver print. Gift of the children of Faith Murray Britton. ⁠

A new exhibit is coming soon! The Museum will reopen on May 29th, 2026 with Black Mountain COLL(A)GE, curated by Kira Houston. From Josef Albers’ matière exercises to the 1951 “Glyph Exchange,” cutting up and rearranging found material was a way of life at Black Mountain College. Techniques of accumulation, selection, and reinterpretation—broadly interpreted here as collage—can encompass two-dimensional visual works, three dimensional assemblages, poems, performances, and more. This exhibition traces the presence of collage through the history and legacy of the renowned liberal arts college. Some of the 20th century’s most influential collage practitioners, including Robert Rauschenberg and Ray Johnson, studied at BMC. Many other students took up collage as a life-long medium, including Irwin Kremen, William Douglas McGee, Jo Sandman, John Urbain, Mary Parks Washington, and Susan Weil. Still others continued to experiment with cut-ups while working in other realms of creative production, such as the writer and critic Suzi Gablik. Finally, collage continues to exert a powerful influence on today’s art ecosystem. Selected works from contemporary collagists will contextualize the medium’s trajectory and provide a window into the future. This exhibition pieces together a wide array of ever-shifting stories, rearranging the moving parts to assemble a visual and sonic exploration of Black Mountain COLL(A)GE. Learn more about the exhibition and it’s related programming on our website at /black-mountain-collage/ ___ In order of appearance: John Urbain, Green Sky, 1988. | Ray Johnson, NOITHNG, c. 1980s. | Roberta Blair, Untitled [Color Study], c. 1944. | William McGee, Untitled, 1990. | Suzi Gablik, The Tangled Bank #6, 1978. All artworks are from the Collection of BMCM+AC. Reel audio by @farewellphoenix

Installation for our next exhibition, Black Mountain COLL(A)GE is well underway! We picked up some exciting exhibition loans earlier this week: we're up to our ears in Ray Johnson! Just how we like it. These fabulous Ray Johnson collages, and many more artworks, will be on view this summer as we explore the pervasive presence of collage across BMC history and follow its thread of influence to exciting works by contemporary artists. Learn more about the exhibition on our website at /black-mountain-collage/⁠ ⁠ We'd like to extend a huge thank you to the Ray Johnson Estate for loaning these works! Another shoutout to Ellen Levy, author of "A Book About Ray" (pictured in the first slide), which is an invaluable resource.⁠ ⁠ Black Mountain COLL(A)GE opens on May 29th, 2026! We invite you to the opening reception from 5:30-8 pm on the day of. This event is free and open to all, and will take place at the museum at 120 College St.

We recently had a fabulous in-person gathering with some of our Board members! We headed out to Lake Eden for a walking tour of the historic Black Mountain College campus – we've sure been spending a lot of time out there recently between the annual {Re}HAPPENING, BMC Active Archive Residency, and our on-site archival analysis adventure with the Rauschenberg Foundation Catalogue Raisonné team! Jeff and Alice, our Executive Director and Director of Preservation respectively, tailored the walking tour to the specific BMC interests of our Board members, who all bring their own interests and expertise to the team.⁠ ⁠ It's always great when our board members, who dedicate so much time to our organization, can go to the source and learn more about the rich history they help preserve and continue. Thank you so much to everyone who came out and to those who were unable to join! We are deeply appreciative of the amazing folks who make up our Board of Directors. ⁠ ⁠ Pictured from left to right: Jeff Arnal, Hedy Fischer, Ralph Burns, Alice Sebrell, Grant Henegan, Cherry Lentz Saenger, Brooke Dorsch, Nan Zander, and Tyler Householder.

Happy Birthday to American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments, Lou Harrison (b.1917-d.2003)! Harrison was at BMC as faculty during the Summer of 1951 and in 1952. ⁠ ⁠ Before coming to Black Mountain College, Harrison was struggling mentally after moving to New York from the west coat. Harrison was openly gay at the time, and homophobic social stigmas combined with a hostile work environment took a toll on him. John Cage came to Harrison’s aid, helping him get psychiatric help and later personally inviting Harrison to come to Black Mountain College, thinking it would help his nerves. ⁠ ⁠ While at Black Mountain College, Harrison continued to paint and compose, despite the stresses plaguing him. He is remembered for his significant contribution to American experimental music, pushing the boundaries of what was possible, and refusing to hide his sexuality in an era of prejudice and violence. ⁠ ___⁠ Jonathan Williams, Lou Harrison, Music Hut, Black Mountain College, 1951. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Gift of the Artist.⁠

Our research library contains a wide array of books, even extending beyond BMC history into a wider network of artists and writers. In addition to collected works by a great number of Black Mountain poets, our Janssen Collection features poets who were greatly influential to this school. H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), an essential modernist poet, served as a large influence and mentor to several poets of the Black Mountain School, such as Hilda Morley (who took her name from H.D.) and Robert Duncan. Duncan, who briefly attended the college in 1938 and was a faculty member in 1956, was notable for his devotion to the works of H.D., and even published a work titled “The H.D. Book,” a grand-sweeping account of 20th-century poetry. Our Janssen Collection features a large portion of H.D.’s output, as well as a wonderful book of correspondence between H.D. and Robert Duncan, titled “A Great Admiration.”⁠ ⁠ From the book:⁠ “I think I have most of your books. Your imagist poems were a beginning point, given, in High School. Then years later, as The Walls Do Not Fall began to appear in Life and Letters ToDay, I read and gradually found for my own use whatever of yours I could. The War Trilogy made it possible, gave a link in a tradition, for me to follow lines of my inheritance within the main body of a given poetics.” - Robert Duncan, in a letter to H.D., dated July 20th, 1959

This is your reminder to submit your papers and proposals for this year’s International Black Mountain College Conference, ReVIEWING BMC 📝 All disciplines invited! The 16th annual ReVIEWING is coming up October 2 through 4, 2026 at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. Co-hosted by BMCM+AC and UNC Asheville, this year’s conference explores the theme: Architecture and design at Black Mountain College — inspired by our upcoming exhibition, Imaginary Landscapes: Black Mountain College Architecture + Design.⁠ ⁠ We’re seeking proposals from scholars, artists, performers, and educators working across disciplines. Share your work in the form of papers, panels, performances, multimedia projects, or workshops — anything that honors the experimental spirit of BMC as well as the theme of performance.⁠ Proposals on any theme related to Black Mountain College and its legacy are encouraged and will be considered⁠ ⁠ 🗓 Deadline to submit: June 22, 2026⁠ 📬 Notifications by: July 6, 20256⁠ 🔗 Submit + learn more: blackmountaincollege.org/reviewing/ – link in bio!⁠ ___⁠ Slide 1 photo credit: Paris Jewell

Today is the last day to see the current exhibitions, "Dialogue: Lindenfeld / Lindenfeld" and "Art Nexus"! Woven works and experimental textiles can be found in both exhibitions, including this geometric wall hanging by Lore Kadden Lindenfeld titled "Reflection". Made in 1982, this piece was created well after Lore studied weaving at Black Mountain College, where she graduated in 1948. However, the BMC spirit of experimentation is alive in this work, which features ribbons meticulously folded over and woven into the wool, creating depth and dimension across the surface of the textile. ⁠ ⁠ After today, the Museum will be closed until May 29th, 2026 while we flip the exhibitions and reopen with our exciting upcoming show, "Black Mountain Coll(A)ge"!⁠ ⁠ ___⁠ Lore Kadden Lindenfeld, Reflection, 1982. Wool and ribbon. Courtesy of the Lindenfeld family.

Happy Mother’s Day weekend! Today we’re celebrating a special mother-daughter duo who are both currently on view at the Museum: Naomi and Lore Lindenfeld! Lore studied weaving at Black Mountain College, graduating in in 1948. She went on to have an incredible career as a textile designer, fiber artist, and college-level instructor. Her daughter, Naomi, is a contemporary ceramic and mixed media artist who, following her mother’s passing, began a project of creating work that responds directly to her mother’s art. ⁠ ⁠ This cross-generational, cross-medium conversation is on view for just 2 more days! Come see “Dialogue: Lindenfeld / Lindenfeld” before it closes at the end of the day on May 9th, 2026. Afterward, the museum will be closed until May 29th when we reopen for our summer show, “Black Mountain Coll(A)ge”! ⁠ ⁠ The Museum is open today and Saturday from 11am-5pm. Admission is donation-based.⁠ ⁠ –––⁠ Second slide: Students in college truck outside Dining Hall on the last day of the 1946 Summer Art Institute, Black Mountain College. Photograph by Richard Brunell, Kodachrome color positive film, 1976.35.1129. Courtesy The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. ⁠

Last week, the Rauschenberg Foundation Catalogue Raisonné team visited us from NYC for an adventure. We headed out to the historic Black Mountain College campus at Lake Eden to analyze and compare photos from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation collection that were taken during Rauschenberg’s time at BMC. The process was hands-on and detailed, as we analyzed stone and wood patterns on buildings to determine whether they matched the archival photos. It was a very successful mission!⁠ ⁠ Together, we were able to discover new insights about Rauschenberg and his time at BMC by visiting the campus. The Rauschenberg Foundation team also paid a visit to the Western Regional Archives and to our own collection and archives at BMCM+AC. As the wonderful folks at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation continue to build their Catalogue Raisonné documenting this important figure in American art history, we are so thrilled to be a part of new discoveries and preserving Rauschenberg’s legacy.⁠ ⁠ Thank you so much to Kate Claman, Jackie Foster, and Tim Clifford from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation for paying us a visit and for all the incredible work the Foundation does. And happy centennial to Robert Rauschenberg!⁠ ⁠ ___⁠ Photograph by Robert Rauschenberg ⁠ Leonard Billing standing behind early state of Black Painting (c. 1953) beside North Lodge at Black Mountain College, c. 1952⁠ Courtesy of Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Archives, New York⁠

Check out a snippet of our PERSPECTIVES Artist Talk with currently-featured artist Naomi Lindenfeld as she talks about how her mother, Lore Kadden Lindenfeld, came to study at Black Mountain College! Our current exhibition, Dialogue: Lindenfeld / Lindenfeld showcases artwork by both mother and daughter in a cross-generational, cross-medium dialogue with one another. There’s just a few more days to see the exhibition and learn more about both of these incredible artists. You can access the full virtual talk through our website, vimeo, and YouTube feed!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Today we're highlighting a team-favorite from the bookstore: Black Mountain College and Mexico (BMC/MX) Edited by Eric Baden and Diana Stoll, published by BMCM+AC, and printed in Mexico. ⁠ ⁠ Over the course of its short life, Black Mountain College (1933–1957) was a hotbed of creativity, welcoming and inspiring artists and intellectuals from around the world. In the same period, Mexico’s innovations and age-old traditions—in visual arts, poetry, music, performance, design, and more—dovetailed with global impulses toward modernism. Black Mountain had crucial ties to Mexico that until now have been little investigated. Black Mountain College and Mexico (BMC/MX) explores these links, and broadly considers ways in which cultural legacies of the 20th century impact artists and thinkers of today.⁠ ⁠ Numerous key Black Mountain College figures were indelibly touched by experiences in Mexico—from Anni and Josef Albers to Ruth Asawa, John Cage, Lou Harrison, Robert Motherwell, and Charles Olson, among many others. The progressive educational theories of John Dewey were vitally formative both at the school and in Mexico. And ideas and philosophies crossed the border in both directions: several prominent Mexico-based artists traveled to BMC to visit or teach, among them, painters Jean Charlot and Carlos Mérida, and designer Clara Porset. ⁠ ⁠ In turn, engagements with Black Mountain College and its cultural legacy have helped shape contemporary approaches to art in Mexico, as seen in works by Jorge Méndez Blake, Iñaki Bonillas, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Jose Dávila, ektor garcia, Gerda Gruber, Alberto Gutiérrez Chong, Lake Verea, Edgar Orlaineta, Gabriel Orozco, Damián Ortega, and Ygnacio Rivero—all featured in BMC/MX.⁠ ⁠ You can purchase BMC/MX in-person or online – link in bio