Traces the history of Black Mountain College and looks at the art produced by its teachers and students

The Arts at Black Mountain College

Arts & Photography

Harris, Mary Emma

History & Criticism

Mit Pr

Although it lasted only 24 years (1933-1957), was beset by financial woes, and enrolled fewer than 1,200 students, Black Mountain College provided an extraordinary legacy an abundance of creative talent that shaped a whole movement of modern art in America. Those who taught included Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Agnes de Mille, Paul Goodman, and Walter Gropius. Among the students were Robert Rauschenberg, Arthur Penn, Joel Oppenheimer, and Francine du Plessix Gray. Mary Emma Harris has written the definitive account of this tiny outpost of experimentalism, uncovering many little known facts and correcting distortions about the school.

It was at Black Mountain College that Merce Cunningham formed his dance company, John Cage staged his first "happening," and Buckminster Fuller built his first dome. Although it lasted only twenty-four years (1933-1957) and enrolled fewer than 1,200 students, Black Mountain College launched a remarkable number of the artists who spearheaded the avant-garde in America of the 1960s. The faculty included such diverse talents as Anni and Josef Albers, Eric Bentley, Ilya Bolotowsky, Robert Creeley, Willem de Kooning, Robert Duncan, Lyonel Feininger, Paul Goodman, Walter Gropius, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, and Charles Olson. Among the students were Ruth Asawa, John Chamberlain, Francine du Plessix Gray, Kenneth Noland, Arthur Penn, Robert Rauschenberg, Kenneth Snelson, Cy Twombly, Stan Vanderbeek, and Jose Yglesias. In this definitive account of the arts at Black Mountain College, back in print after many years, Mary Emma Harris describes a unique educational experiment and the artists and writers who conducted it. She replaces the myth of the college as a haphazardly conceived venture with a portrait of a consciously directed liberal arts school that grew out of the progressive education movement. Proceeding chronologically through the four major periods of the college's history, Harris covers every aspect of its extraordinary curriculum in the visual, literary, and performing arts.

The MIT Press

This book is a unique document of a Black Mountain College reunion held in 1995. All former students were invited to decorate a 18 X 24 panel with work that reflected themselves or their Black Mountain College experience. A hundred and ten responded, and the catalogue reproduces all their contributions. The variety, richness, humor, and profundity of their voices are amazing.

Remembering Black Mountain College

Education & Teaching

Schools & Teaching

Four Corners Pub Co Inc

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harris, Mary Emma. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Harris, Mary Emma

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harris, Mary Emma. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Arts at Black Mountain College

The Arts at Black Mountain College

The Arts at Black Mountain College

Remembering Black Mountain College