SCENE | Black Mountain College


Photos of Black Mountain College students in the 1940s via The North Carolina Digital Collection.

Every January, even though I've been out of school for almost a decade, I still get that second semester feeling—a fresh start, a new beginning. I can't imagine a more inspirational school to return to in a new year than Black Mountain College, a short-lived (1933-1957) North Carolina school that diverged radically from traditional colleges of its time. The professors (Josef Albers, Buckminster Fuller and Willem de Kooning to name a few) and students of Black Mountain College made the small town outside of Asheville a real cultural hub, and from the photo archives, it looks like a hub of early preppy bohemian tomboy style as well.





Comments

Angelica Tynan said…
Buckminster Fuller & Willem de Kooning? That's all sorts of awesome!

Happy New Year, lady!
Tayler Worrell said…
Great collection.
Thanks for sharing! <3

www.styleinterplay.com
Eileen said…
Ahh I learned about this in my art history class this past semester! Awesome!
Anonymous said…
I would love to see a documentary about this college
Unknown said…
I lived in Black Mountain last year and fantasized about those days! It's still a cool place but I would have loved to experience the college it all its glory. Great photos!
Mamavalveeta03 said…
This is really pretty amazing for the times. And I'm so happy to see that it's being taught in college, @Eileen!
On a side note: I love the pic of the woman "single handedly" crushing the stereotype that women are meant to be typists! Ha ha!
I enjoyed looking at these photos and some of the girls were totally luscious.
My memoir The Stained Glass Family The Kid will be out later this year and it includes stories of my time at Black Mountain College in 1951.
Hunter said…
those sandals! <3

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