Press release from Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center:
POLITICS AT BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
curated by Connie Bostic, Jon Elliston, Jay Miller and Alice SebrellThe BMC community faced political differences, both internally and externally, throughout its 24-year history. The college was born in 1933 during the Great Depression, lived through WWII, was deeply affected by Hitler’s rise to power, and closed during the Cold War. Though often viewed today as an idyllic mountain refuge, isolated from tumultuous global politics, BMC took shape in the context of (and in response to) world events. Through a rich variety of media—artworks, images, texts, and audio—this exhibition will explore the various political dimensions of BMC, both internal and external, that shaped the trajectory of the college and its community of people.
AARON SISKIND: A PAINTER’S PHOTOGRAPHER AND WORKS ON PAPER BY BMC ARTISTS
Curated by James BarronThis exhibition of photographs by Aaron Siskind reveals his elegant approach to abstraction through photography. Siskind taught photography at BMC during the summer of 1951 (along with Harry Callahan, Arthur Siegel, and Hazel Larsen Archer). As the only photographer accepted as an equal by the abstract expressionist painters, Siskind’s work remains as powerful today as it was in the 1950s. The exhibition also includes selected works on paper by BMC artists John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Willem de Kooning, Ray Johnson, and Jack Tworkov from a private collection.
OPENING RECEPTION
Friday, February 1st, 5:30PM – 8:00PM
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.