The Mythical College of Appalachia
Ever wonder if there was a college that didn’t follow the typical educational norms and allowed for students to truly explore what they wanted. In 1933, such a fantastical dream was made possible by a man named John. A Rice who created the now fabled Black Mountain College (Black Mountain College). John was a professor at Rollins College before being removed due to controversy where he encouraged his fellow teachers to revolt among many other things (Amcghee). Through being a free-willed spirit, John A. Rice created Black Mountain college to create a new type of college that was based around John Dewey’s principles of progressive education. The intent of the new founded college was to be an experimental liberal arts college, where the arts became the focus to the course curriculum. The creation of the college occurred around the time of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Artists and intellectuals in Europe were being persecuted and many sought refuges in the U.S. Some even found their way into helping lead Black Mountain College (Black Mountain College). It was decided that the college was owned by the faculty however decisions were made through a democratic process, where students would be able to voice their opinions. In addition, both students and faculty maintained, built and did farm work at Black Mountain College. This college was almost one of a kind, where there were no grades and extremely limited structure (Amcghee). The primary goal of the college was for students to study what they wanted to learn and, in a way, discover themselves. With such a unique institution it led to my proposed research question, which is why Black Mountain College is important when discussing Appalachian studies and art in general.
The background of my research question stemmed from my interest in the visual arts. I have always wanted to pursue art for a career ever since the fourth grade. Growing up I looked up many different artists and their art styles to determine which one suited me. While doing this I always looked up potential art institutions that I would to attend. So, when given the opportunity to research a topic I knew it had to be art related. Fortunately, my Appalachian teacher mentioned and gave me the idea of Black Mountain College. Upon researching the college, I was thoroughly intrigued by it. I watched a short video about Mountain College, and within the first 20 seconds of the video it mentioned that this institution had a, “major influence on the arts that we know today” (Tate). After hearing that, I knew that this would be the backbone of my research question. I wanted to know more about how a small college in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina had such a lasting impact on Appalachian education and art in general.
Methods I used to conduct the primary bulk of the research was looking through the library database and find any articles related to Black Mountain College and discover through the articles why this institution is so crucial in Appalachian studies. However, my first step involved looking up the very basics of Black Mountain College, so I could get a better understanding of the topic. I first began my search by going to the Black Mountain Museum website. It provided the perfect starting point for my research. In addition to reading the quick summary of Black Mountain College, I watched a five-minute video about the institution which provided more information to get a basic understanding of the topic. Now I could start looking into databases to get more in-depth research of the institution. My intent now was to get personal accounts of both student and faculty to learn how their experience shaped their future careers. This would give me the insight needed to determine why Black Mountain College is important in Appalachian Studies and art.
Through my research I concluded that Black Mountain College had a massive impact on Appalachian studies and art in general because it gave rise to many influential figures and made a lifelong lasting impression on its students and faculty who continued to keep its legacy from fading away into history.
The main reason why Black Mountain College is important in both Appalachian history and art was because the school gave rise to important and influential public figures. According to the Black Mountain College museum website, it was the institution that created individuals who were, “well known and extremely influential individuals in the latter half of the 20th century” such as Robert Rauschenberg, Josef and Anni Albers, Jacob Lawrence, and Dorothea Rockburne (Black Mountain College). These individuals were primarily artists whose art lead to change and movements in their respective fields of expertise. One individuals of notice are Robert Rauschenberg.
According the article Robert Rauschenberg life, he was such a pivotal, “figure in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to later modern movements”. Rauschenberg initially went to the institution after he read about the director Josef Albers, whom he admired. Although, Rauschenberg did constantly criticize Josef’s work, Josef’s course materials would shape and influence Rauschenberg’s later art. After four years attending Black Mountain College, Rauschenberg moved to New York and had a new goal in life, which was to be the center of the art world (Robert Rauschenberg’s life). The article reveals that without Black Mountain College, Rauschenberg would most likely would not have become such an important figure. He would not have been exposed to Alber’s influential course material which helped shape his art. In addition, with the unusual and unorthodox method of education the school provided, Rauschenberg may have not been influenced to pursue and expand his horizons. It is a possibility if he had attended a regular college, he may have pursued a different career. Black Mountain College gave Rauschenberg a space of true freedom to discover what he truly wanted which made him the pivotal figure in the arts movement that he is still remembered for today. With how successful and well-known Rauschenberg became he expanded the name of Black Mountain College. Not only Rauschenberg, but without all the influential figures, Black Mountain College would have just been considered a failure of an institution due to its short lifespan. It would have most likely disappeared from people’s memory. Fortunately, with the number of influential figures who came from the school, it brought the public’s attention to the school situated in the Appalachian region. Many of the people who admire Rauschenberg and the many other artists would want to learn where they studied and would learn about Black Mountain. Therefore, Black Mountain College would cement itself in history as one of the biggest impacts in those artist’s career. Black Mountain College gives Appalachia Studies a very important historical landmark to teach students who may have the stereotype that Appalachia is only known for their drug problem, coal mining and poverty rates.
Black Mountain College not only gave rise to inspirational figures but made a lasting impact on both students and faculty who would preserve its legacy for future generations to learn about it. This included writing articles and opening a museum where people would be able to get a glimpse of how the famous artists became inspired.
The articles that were written revealed some individual’s experience and how the unique school shaped their education. One individual that will be focused on is Robert Duncan. According to the Poetry Foundation, Robert Duncan, “was one of the most influential of the postwar American poets”. Robert was an integral part of the Black Mountain school of poetry which was led by his inspiration Charles Olson. According to the Poetry Foundation, “many of Duncan’s best-known poems were shaped by ideas associated with Olson and the Black Mountain School of poetry” (Poetry Foundation). This sheds light on the importance that Black Mountain College had on Robert Duncan. Going back to the previous point, not only did this institution give rise to such an important figure in poetry but it made a lasting impression on Duncan to where he wrote his experience from the school.
In the article Black Mountain College, Duncan discusses his year teaching in the Spring and Summer of 1956 at Black Mountain. He explains that pay was not the best and that the school had changed significantly. At the end of his short article, he discusses that when the school closed, “it seemed appropriate that it should be as it was in the inaccessible wastes of Northern wilderness” (Duncan, 270). Although Duncan was initially denied as a student to the college, he had no resentment towards it. Rather he cherished the limited time at the college, mainly due to his inspiration Olsen. As previously mentioned, the school and Olson shaped his poetry that threw him into fame. Without the Olson, Duncan would not have paid any attention to Black Mountain. However, since his inspiration was Olson, Duncan was in a way forced to focus and go to Black Mountain. By writing his account at the institution, future generations will be able to read about it and see a glimpse of why this school had an impact in their career. Therefore, their articles keep Black Mountain College relevant in art and Appalachian studies. It provides the public some sort of answer as to why these influential figures’ art was shaped in a certain way. Their experience at Black Mountain College was unlike any other college due to its unorthodox methods, and readers would be able to gain an interest in the mythical institution.
Lastly, Black Mountain College’s legacy would be preserved with the creation of the Black Mountain College Museum. According to Sebrell, May Holden in the early 1990s went back to North Carolina to start a museum dedicated to Black Mountain College (Sebrell, 540). She wrote letters to many alumni from Black Mountain and assembled a board of directors. Holden even undertook a major project of having a reunion of Black Mountain Alumni, where more than 100 alumni showed up, some who have not seen each other for decades (Sebrell, 541). This alone shows how much the students appreciated Black Mountain College. Individuals who have not seen each other for decades came back for a reunion, which signifies that either they made a lasting impression on each other, or their experience at the institution was unforgettable. Regardless, their experience at the institution brought them together. Sebrell goes on to explain that Holden, “launched a series of publications called Black Mountain Dossiers, with the first devoted to BMC painter Joseph Fiore” (Sebrell, 541). Eventually when Holden was able to create an exhibition for Black Mountain, the goal of them was for people to explore and engage with the history of the College. They were to learn about the famous figures associated with BMC and to visit exhibits with certain themes and topics (Sebrell, 544). Holden took the initiative to spread the legacy that BMC left. She wanted the public to know where these famous artists and poets came to get their education. The passion of these individuals such as Holden, is a major reason why Black Mountain College is still important in Appalachian Studies and art in general. By having such a dedicated group of individuals pushing to preserve its legacy, allows both future scholars and the general public to learn about the unique institution from the Appalachian region. With the exhibitions showing a glimpse of the experience and teachings of Black Mountain, it can be easily tied into Appalachian Studies and various other course that modern colleges teach.
When discussing Appalachian and art history, one cannot choose to exclude Black Mountain College. The institution was a unique college that can never be recreated with our current educational system. Closed for more than 60 years ago, it has left such a mark in Appalachian studies and art that cannot be ignored. It became a sanctuary for creative minds. In addition, it was an oasis of art that gave rise to individuals who would change or leave an impact in their respective fields of interest. Black Mountain College allows for the public to gain a new perspective of Appalachia and not the stereotype that had plagued the region for so long.
Bibliography:
Amcghee. “#TBT: The History of Black Mountain College.” AVLToday, 13 July 2018, avltoday.6amcity.com/history-black-mountain-college/.
“Black Mountain College: A Brief Introduction.” Black Mountain College Museum Arts Center, www.blackmountaincollege.org/history/.
Duncan, Robert. “Black Mountain College.” Appalachian Journal, vol.44/45, no. ¾–½, Dec. 2017, pp. 266–270
“Robert Duncan.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2018, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-duncan.
“Robert Rauschenberg’s Life and Legacy.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-rauschenberg-robert-life-and-legacy.htm.
Sebrell, Alice. “A Small but Mighty Museum: The Story of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center.” Appalachian Journal, vol. 44/45, no. ¾–½, Dec. 2017, pp. 540–547
Tate. “Black Mountain College — ‘A School Like No Other’.” YouTube, 16 Dec. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ManNYunSYkQ.
