Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

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Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

www.blackmountaincollege.org

The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center preserves and continues the legacy of educational and artistic innovation of Black Mountain College. We achieve our mission through collection, conservation, and educational activities including exhibitions, publications, and public programs.

05/31/2026

This miniature object is currently on view at the Museum as part of Black Mountain COLL(A)GE! Ray Johnson mailed this small bag of buttons to his Black Mountain College friend Marie Stilkind in the 1960s. Ray was a prolific collagist and had a fondness for found objects, which were deeply integrated into his artistic practice

Buttons appear again and again throughout Ray Johnson’s work. They took on a symbolic significance for him after he was hired to design the logo for Tender Buttons, an iconic NYC button store on East 77th Street, referencing Gertrude Stein’s 1914 book of the same name.

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Slide 1: Ray Johnson, Have Bag Will Travel, circa 1960s. Bag with buttons inside. Collection of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Gift of Marie Tavroges Stilkind.
Slide 2: Image courtesy of Messy Nessy

05/30/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us last night for the opening of our new exhibition, Black Mountain COLL(A)GE! This exciting show is up all summer, so if you missed the opening reception, don't fear - the Museum is officially back open with our usual hours. Come and see us anytime Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm.

PS: Did you see us on TV last night? Thank you to WLOS, who ran a short segment about the exhibition opening! You can check it out here: https://wlos.com/news/local/black-mountain-college-art-center-summer-exhibition-collage-asheville-museum-history-opening-artists-creative-culture-free-western-north-carolina-wnc

05/29/2026

Our summer exhibition opens TODAY May 29th, with a free opening reception from 5:30 to 8 pm. Check out some behind the scenes shots of the BMCM+AC team while we've been installing new works over the last few weeks.

OPENING RECEPTION: Black Mountain COLL(A)GE⁠
Friday, May 29, 2026 – 5:30–8pm⁠
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center {120 College Street}⁠
Free and Open to All⁠
⁠
From Josef Albers’ matière exercises to the 1951 “Glyph Exchange,” cutting up and rearranging found material was a way of life at Black Mountain College. Techniques of accumulation, selection, and reinterpretation—broadly interpreted here as collage—can encompass two-dimensional visual works, three-dimensional assemblages, poems, performances, and more. This exhibition traces the presence of collage through the history and legacy of the renowned liberal arts college. Some of the 20th century’s most influential collage practitioners, including Robert Rauschenberg and Ray Johnson, studied at BMC. Many other students took up collage as a life-long medium, including Irwin Kremen, William Douglas McGee, Jo Sandman, John Urbain, Mary Parks Washington, and Susan Weil. Still others continued to experiment with cut-ups while working in other realms of creative production, such as the writer and critic Suzi Gablik. Finally, collage continues to exert a powerful influence on today’s art ecosystem. Selected works from contemporary collagists will contextualize the medium’s trajectory and provide a window into the future. This exhibition pieces together a wide array of ever-shifting stories, rearranging the moving parts to assemble a visual and sonic exploration of Black Mountain COLL(A)GE.⁠

Learn more about the exhibition and it’s related programming on our website at www.blackmountaincollege.org/black-mountain-collage/

05/28/2026

If you're a new friend of the Museum, let us introduce ourselves 👋 Here's an overview of what we do, the legacy we preserve, how we keep the spirit of Black Mountain College alive, and how you can support our mission.

About us: We are the only organization in the world solely dedicated to preserving and continuing the legacy of Black Mountain College, and are the direct source for all things BMC. Our Museum + Arts Center has rotating exhibitions, public programs, and donation-based admission. Additional resources include the research library, Journal of BMC Studies, online collections portal, archive, digital exhibitions, performances and events, Museum publications, a bookstore, and much more.

A brief history of BMC: Founded in 1933, Black Mountain College was fundamentally different from other colleges of its time. It was owned and operated by the faculty who were committed to democratic governance and believed that the arts were central to learning. Students had agency and input, shaping their own liberal arts experience. Legendary even in its own time, BMC attracted and catalyzed maverick spirits, some of whom went on to become extremely influential in the latter half of the 20th century. Even now, decades after its closing in 1957, BMC’s influence continues to reverberate.

What we do: Since the Museum’s founding in 1993, we’ve hosted/created 80+ exhibitions, 2,000+ events, 200,000+ in-person engagements, 6,500+ artists/organization collaborations, and 40+ publications. Today, the Museum remains committed to educating the public about BMC’s history and the radical values that shaped its ongoing legacy.

If you’d like to support BMCM+AC and all of the work we do, consider donating or becoming a Member of the Museum today. Your ongoing support makes a difference!

Become a member: bmcbooks.square.site/membership
Donate: https://bmcbooks.square.site/product/donate/694

05/27/2026

Friday night! Please join us for a free opening reception for our upcoming exhibition Black Mountain COLL(A)GE on May 29th, 2026 from 5:30 to 8 pm. Come see incredible artwork by both BMC alumni and contemporary artists with fellow friends of the museum!⁠
⁠
OPENING RECEPTION: Black Mountain COLL(A)GE⁠
Friday, May 29, 2026 – 5:30–8pm⁠
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center {120 College Street}⁠
Free and Open to All⁠
⁠
From Josef Albers’ matière exercises to the 1951 “Glyph Exchange,” cutting up and rearranging found material was a way of life at Black Mountain College. Techniques of accumulation, selection, and reinterpretation—broadly interpreted here as collage—can encompass two-dimensional visual works, three-dimensional assemblages, poems, performances, and more. This exhibition traces the presence of collage through the history and legacy of the renowned liberal arts college. Some of the 20th century’s most influential collage practitioners, including Robert Rauschenberg and Ray Johnson, studied at BMC. Many other students took up collage as a life-long medium, including Irwin Kremen, William Douglas McGee, Jo Sandman, John Urbain, Mary Parks Washington, and Susan Weil. Still others continued to experiment with cut-ups while working in other realms of creative production, such as the writer and critic Suzi Gablik. Finally, collage continues to exert a powerful influence on today’s art ecosystem. Selected works from contemporary collagists will contextualize the medium’s trajectory and provide a window into the future. This exhibition pieces together a wide array of ever-shifting stories, rearranging the moving parts to assemble a visual and sonic exploration of Black Mountain COLL(A)GE.⁠
⁠
Learn more about the exhibition and it’s related programming on our website at www.blackmountaincollege.org/black-mountain-collage/

05/26/2026

Check out this sneak peek from the upcoming Black Mountain COLL(A)GE exhibition – a humorous magazine collage by Pete Jennerjahn.

Warren (Pete) Jennerjahn was a World War II veteran with a master’s degree in Art Education. In the early ‘40s, he married Elizabeth Schmitt, who convinced him to join her at Black Mountain College where she had studied a few years earlier. The duo arrived in 1948 and Pete quickly integrated with the community, becoming a student and assistant in Josef Albers’ class, supervising the college’s print shop, and later teaching music, theater, and art. Together with his wife, he ran the Light Sound Movement workshops during the Summer Sessions of 1949 and 1950, which explored the many different elements of collaborative theater and performance art.

Pete Jennerjahn was at Black Mountain College during some of its most exciting, interdisciplinary years. After leaving the college in 1951, Pete taught at Cooper Union, Hunter College and Adelphi University.

Come see this artwork for yourself when the Museum reopens for the new exhibition! Join us on May 29th from 5:30-8pm for the opening reception. Learn more on our website https://www.blackmountaincollege.org/events/black-mountain-collage-opening/
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W.P. “Pete” Jennerjahn, Magazine Collages, n.d. Cut magazine pages. Collection of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Gift of the Artist.

05/25/2026

We are thrilled to share a series of reels spotlighting our Spring 2026 Active Archive artist residents! BA Thomas, Yanira Vissepó, and Monica Lopez De Victoria were in residence for ten days at the historic Lake Eden campus of Black Mountain College, where they had studio space to experiment with materials, methods, movement, and more. These videos give a behind-the-scenes window into their time as Active Archive residents. We hope you are inspired to learn more about these incredible artists!

Yanira Vissepó creates vibrant compositions that bridge the landscapes and flora of her birthplace in Puerto Rico and her adopted home in the American South. She blends dreamy, color-soaked washes with crisp, cut-out depictions of plants in a dynamic interplay of minimal and immersive elements that delicately balance defined and undefined forms. Deeply informed by her experience living in the Puerto Rican diaspora, her work addresses themes of identity, transition, and environmental histories. Her techniques, such as stain painting, linocut printmaking, cyanotype, dye resists, and hand embroidery, emphasize the resilience and fragility of the natural world.

The BMC Active Archive Residency, a partnership between Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center and Camp Rockmont, is a unique program that invites artists to develop work inspired by the history and philosophy of Black Mountain College. The residency takes place at the historic site of the College, aiming to recreate the dynamic and creative atmosphere that made BMC a powerful incubator for new ideas. Throughout the residency artists have access to BMCM+AC’s extensive collection of archival materials related to the history of the College, available for research and inspiration. The BMC Active Archive Residency is made possible with major support from the Windgate Foundation.

Learn more on our website!

05/24/2026

We are thrilled to share a series of reels spotlighting our Spring 2026 Active Archive artist residents! BA Thomas, Yanira Vissepó, and Monica Lopez De Victoria were in residence for ten days at the historic Lake Eden campus of Black Mountain College, where they had studio space to experiment with materials, methods, movement, and more. These videos give a behind-the-scenes window into their time as Active Archive residents. We hope you are inspired to learn more about these incredible artists!

Monica Lopez De Victoria is a Puerto Rican & Swedish American native of Miami. She is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, artistic swimmer/ choreographer, and collaborator in the experimental sibling duo TM Sisters. Monica creates large-scale, sitespecific optical art installations using video projection mapping, multi-media aquatic performances, sculptural textiles, and interactive digital XR. She looks at the internal geometry of the mind and heart, the intellect and emotion through the lens of her mixed cultural background.

The BMC Active Archive Residency, a partnership between Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center and Camp Rockmont, is a unique program that invites artists to develop work inspired by the history and philosophy of Black Mountain College. The residency takes place at the historic site of the College, aiming to recreate the dynamic and creative atmosphere that made BMC a powerful incubator for new ideas. Throughout the residency artists have access to BMCM+AC’s extensive collection of archival materials related to the history of the College, available for research and inspiration. The BMC Active Archive Residency is made possible with major support from the Windgate Foundation.

Learn more on our website!

05/23/2026

We are thrilled to share a series of reels spotlighting our Spring 2026 Active Archive artist residents! BA Thomas, Yanira Vissepó, and Monica Lopez De Victoria were in residence for ten days at the historic Lake Eden campus of Black Mountain College, where they had studio space to experiment with materials, methods, movement, and more. These videos give a behind-the-scenes window into their time as Active Archive residents. We hope you are inspired to learn more about these incredible artists!

BA Thomas is a visual artist based in NC whose paintings of interiors and landscapes are simultaneously real and imagined: a compendium of images and moments culled from real-life sources and collaged into the canvas and paper in painterly scenes. Humans are almost never depicted in the work, but their traces are; invoking a slightly surreal and palpable energy, their psychological presence always extremely felt. Thomas received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both studio art and psychology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

The BMC Active Archive Residency, a partnership between Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center and Camp Rockmont, is a unique program that invites artists to develop work inspired by the history and philosophy of Black Mountain College. The residency takes place at the historic site of the College, aiming to recreate the dynamic and creative atmosphere that made BMC a powerful incubator for new ideas. Throughout the residency artists have access to BMCM+AC’s extensive collection of archival materials related to the history of the College, available for research and inspiration. The BMC Active Archive Residency is made possible with major support from the Windgate Foundation.

Learn more on our website!

05/22/2026

The deadline for submitting papers + proposals for the 16th annual ReVIEWING BMC International Conference is ONE MONTH away! All disciplines are invited to submit. Co-hosted by BMCM+AC and UNC Asheville, this year’s conference explores the theme: Architecture and design at Black Mountain College — inspired by our upcoming exhibition, Imaginary Landscapes: Black Mountain College Architecture + Design.⁠
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We’re seeking proposals from scholars, artists, performers, and educators working across disciplines. Share your work in the form of papers, panels, performances, multimedia projects, or workshops — anything that honors the experimental spirit of BMC as well as the theme of performance.⁠ Proposals on any theme related to Black Mountain College and its legacy are encouraged and will be considered⁠
⁠
🗓 Deadline to submit: June 22, 2026⁠
📬 Notifications by: July 6, 20256⁠
🌐 Conference: October 2 through 4, 2026 at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center.
🔗 Submit + learn more: blackmountaincollege.org/reviewing/ – link in bio!

Address

120 College Street
Asheville, NC
28801

Telephone

+18283508484

Website

https://www.blackmountaincollege.org/

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