Black Mountain College: Seedbed of American Art

Black Mountain College, which was open in western North Carolina from 1933–57, was a site of collaboration among people, practices, disciplines, and performances that generated astonishing creativity and continues to spark innovation among contemporary writers and artists. It was a college for free spirits, where both faculty and students could explore new ways of learning and fresh approaches to the varied subjects that comprise the liberal arts.

This exhibition is curated by Thomas Frank. Dr. Frank is professor emeritus from Wake Forest University and an editor of the Black Mountain Studies journal. He has selected works by former students and faculty of the short-lived experimental college from the collections of Reynolda and Wake Forest, including Josef and Anni Albers, Jacob Lawrence, Lyonel Feininger, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Image: Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956), Rainbow II, 1928. Oil on canvas, 10 7/8 in x 22 3/8 in. Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Gift of Charles H. Babcock, Sr.