Black Mountain College was a pioneering art institution in North Carolina, known for its avant-garde experimentation in art, music, dance and design. The college only operated from 1933 to 1957, but its short-yet-significant lifespan left a solid mark on the world of education and art. The history of this establishment is explored in the documentary exhibit “Idea + Place, The Legacy of Black Mountain College,” on view now at eyedrum Art Gallery. “City Lights” senior producer Kim Drobes discussed the exhibition with curator Alice Sebrell, Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center executive director Jeff Arnal and eyedrum co-founder Will Lawless.
Interview highlights:
Progressive art philosophy with democracy under threat:
“Black Mountain College was an extraordinary place with an extraordinary cast of characters, and between ’33 and 1957, 24 years where it has a lasting impact in arts and culture in the 20th and 21st century. The founders really believed in their responsibility to shape a resilient and inclusive society with democratic governance, communal living, experiential learning with a focus on the arts,” explained Arnell. “I think another thing to point out too is really from the very beginning, the connection to the Bauhaus. Hitler was rising to power in the early ’30s. By ’33, he had closed the Bauhaus, and at that moment … Josef Albers accepted a teaching position at Black Mountain College.”
Arnal continued, “The idea of a search for innovation, an allowance for this idea of experimentation is a running theme throughout those 24 years, and again and again, we see that coming up in creative writing and visual arts and performance. So experimentation and the idea of… this non-hierarchical community, experimenting community, this real hope or strive for democracy is all part of it.”
Preserving BCM’s treasures at the Museum and Arts Center exhibit:
“The Museum was founded in 1993, and actually with five folks on staff. We do a lot of different kinds of work. We really look to Black Mountain College for a blueprint as far as … our public programs, our exhibitions, our publications. We really exist to preserve the history of Black Mountain College, but also support artists and curators whose work carries on the legacy, the multidisciplinary innovations of Black Mountain College. So that in itself is, we connect ourselves to contemporary art, dance, theater, music, performance and lots of other things,” said Arnal.
“We knew we wanted to do a history show and we didn’t have unlimited space to do it in. So the idea of looking at the history of Black Mountain College through the various places that inform that history, that was kind of the kernel of the idea,” said Sebrell. She later added, “There definitely are original pieces, artwork, ephemera. There’s a syllabus that Joe Fiore typed up for his painting class … There’s original artwork, original photographs, as well as digital images.”
On the present and future of eyedrum, itself a 24-year-old art haven:
“We initially started so we could have local artists and musicians have a place to perform and show their work, as well as a place for national and international artists and musicians to come and present their work as well,” said Lawless. “Going into this next year in 2023, we’re looking to explore additional opportunities for artists and musicians here in Atlanta by potentially going to Mexico City and starting a cultural exchange with artists, filmmakers, musicians and writers from Mexico City and Atlanta. And then we’re also discussing working with arts organizations and artists from West Africa and parts of Africa, as well as arts organizations here in the Southeast. We’re trying to do what we’ve always done in creating these opportunities but being a little bit more forward thinking as to what these opportunities can be.”
The exhibition “Idea + Place, The Legacy of Black Mountain College” is currently on view at eyedrum in Atlanta through Nov. 12. More information is available here.
