BMCM+AC calls for proposals for ReVIEWING Black Mountain College 9

Press release:

Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center (BMCM+AC), in partnership with University of North Carolina Asheville, is thrilled to announce the 9th Annual ReVIEWING Black Mountain College, an international conference that explores the history and legacy of the world’s most acclaimed experimental educational community, to be held September 29–October 1, 2017. BMCM+AC and UNC Asheville are issuing a call for papers and proposals for this year’s event, themed Process + Performance. Proposals are due July 9 with notifications made by July 17. In conjunction with the conference, BMCM+AC will launch two new programs: the BMCM+AC Performance Initiative, which partly inspired the theme, and the ACTIVE ARCHIVE.

ReVIEWING Black Mountain College preserves BMC’s legacy by presenting the work of contemporary scholars, cultural thinkers, and art appreciators who offer new insights into the college’s life; it is open to the public. In previous years, presenters have examined topics such as “The Writers of Black Mountain College,” “Bauhaus + USA,” “Buckminster Fuller’s Legacy,” and “Shaping Craft + Design.” Individuals and groups are invited to submit ReVIEWING proposals related to the theme of Process + Performance; however, any projects dealing with BMC are encouraged and will be considered for inclusion. Furthermore, in the spirit of the college, the conference challenges disciplinary boundaries, and therefore performances, multi-media panels, and workshops are welcome. Those interested in submitting their ideas can find a submission form and details online at blackmountaincollege.org/reviewing. More conference specifics, including ticket information and the 2017 keynote speaker and schedule, will be posted there soon.

“BMC was dedicated to process as journey, and teachers from Josef Albers to M.C. Richards encouraged students to examine the world around us and other creative practices, look past creative silos, and to see with open eyes,” says Jeff Arnal, the museum’s executive director. “We decided this year’s conference should honor that facet of the college, along with its focus on performance and, in particular, how performance connects with the process of creating traditional arts and crafts, theatre, dance, and music alongside expanded interdisciplinary time-based work.”

To further highlight this aspect of the revolutionary college, BMCM+AC will launch their new Performance Initiative over conference weekend with the southeast premier of Black Mountain Songs, an interdisciplinary collaboration inspired by BMC, performed by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and curated by Bryce Dessner and Richard Reed Parry. The initiative, made possible through a grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to UNC Asheville, adds a new dimension to the museum’s existing ambitious visual art exhibitions. ReVIEWING weekend will also see the launch of BMCM+AC’s ACTIVE ARCHIVE, with an exhibition featuring the museum’s permanent collection curated by interdisciplinary artist Martha McDonald. ACTIVE ARCHIVE is a new stream of programs that pairs the museum’s extensive collection of works by BMC alumni with contemporary artists, curators, and cultural thinkers. To learn more about these fresh efforts, and BMCM+AC’s current exhibitions, visit blackmountaincollege.org.