Black
Mountain College
was established in 1933 as an independent, coeducational, four-year
college and originally was located in buildings leased from
the Blue Ridge Assembly, near Black Mountain, N.C. In 1941 the
college was moved nearby to property purchased by the college,
and it remained at this location until it closed in 1956.
Black
Mountain College was created as an experiment of "education
in a democracy," with the idea that the creative arts and
practical responsibilities are equal in importance to the development
of the intellect. The emphasis was that learning and living
are intimately connected. Dramatics, music, and the fine arts
were regarded as an integral part of the life of the college.
No student held a job through college but everyone, faculty
and students alike, participated in work on the farm operated
by the college, constructed buildings, did maintenance work,
served meals, etc. Many classes were held at night and none
were scheduled in the afternoons in order to allow time for
work on the campus. There was no organized athletic program
as it was thought there should be no sharp distinction between
work and play.
The
faculty constituted the corporation and elected from its members
the Board of Fellows, the governing body of the college which
made appointments to the faculty and controlled fiscal affairs.
The Rector, who was the titular head of the college, was elected
by the faculty from those chosen to the Board which in turn
selected the Secretary of the Corporation and the Treasurer
from its membership. The chief student body officer was also
a member of the Board of Fellows. Educational policy and student
discipline were the responsibility of the faculty as a whole,
with student officers participating in the discussion and handling
of disciplinary problems. An Advisory Council composed of friends
of the college elected by the Board of Fellows served in an
advisory capacity only and had no direct control over college
affairs.
The
curriculum was divided into the Junior and Senior Divisions
with all entering students being placed in the lower division
regardless of previous education. Entrance into the Senior Division
was not dependent on the number of courses completed successfully
but rather was determined by the results of comprehensive oral
and written examinations as well as the achievement record of
the student. Graduation from the college was on the same basis,
with professors from other institutions conducting the examinations.
There were no required courses but each student prepared with
his advisor a plan of work and was expected to complete a well-rounded
course of study. Classes, which were a combination of recitations,
lectures, tutorials, and seminars, met at the discretion of
the teacher and attendance was voluntary.
-Information Courtesy of North Carolina State Archives Black
Mountain College Papers
WHY
REMEMBER BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE?
Teachers and students included:
John Rice,
Founder & Classics Scholar
Josef Albers, Painter
Charles Olson, Writer
John Cage, Composer
Buckminster Fuller, Architect
Merce Cunningham,
Dancer & Choreographer
Robert Creeley, Poet
Jacob Lawrence, Painter
Willem de Kooning, Painter
Franz Kline, Painter
Robert Rauschenberg, Painter
M.C. Richards, Potter & Poet
Black Mountain College was the first American experimental college
boasting complete democratic self-rule, extensive work in the
creative arts, and interdisciplinary academic study
First geodesic dome built by Buckminster Fuller in 1948
First multimedia happening occurred at Black Mountain College
in 1952, staged by John Cage
The Black Mountain Review, from 1954-1957, published influential
authors including Beat Writer Allen Ginsberg
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