Wow! Having moved to North Carolina as a child from New York and basically only accepting my Southerness in my early 40s, I have to say that my move to Asheville has made me even more proud to have been raised mostly in the South.
Last Thursday evening, I had the pleasure of an invite to the Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center for a lecture/discussion group on “What is Modernism for our Mountains?” sponsored by The Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center, AIA Asheville, and Modern Asheville. I was quite interested to see how the discussion would go and how it would represent Modernism in our Mountains here in Asheville and Western North Carolina. Upon walking into the museum space there must have been at least 30-40 people in the room who had come for the event and were actively interested in modern homes, modern home building, green living, and scenographic placement of modern homes on the sides of the mountains. It was more than interesting to hear the speakers and moderator, as well as, many audience participants give their thoughts on Modern Architecture and how it is good for our region of the world. Speakers included Maria Rusafova, Mark Allison, and Thad Rhoden and the moderator was Troy Winterrowd of Modern Asheville. The experience in itself was quite intellectual and I was happy to be surrounded by so many intelligent people that had ideas and thoughts of their own on the topic. The speakers were worthy of speaking and made great points and Troy made for a great moderator and topic leader!
The lecture was great and at the mixer that followed I learned about Black Mountain College and it’s history. I wondered to myself, “Why isn’t this amazing college’s history taught in NC History?” The college began in 1933 and closed in 1957. It was an epicenter for art, free thought, and new social movements.
Legendary even in its own time, Black Mountain College attracted and created maverick spirits, some of whom went on to become well-known and extremely influential individuals in the latter half of the 20th century. A partial list includes people such as Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef and Anni Albers, Jacob Lawrence, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Cy Twombly, Kenneth Noland, Vera B. Williams, Ben Shahn, Franz Kline, Arthur Penn, Buckminster Fuller, M.C. Richards, Francine du Plessix Gray, Charles Olson, Robert Creeley, Dorothea Rockburne and many others, famous and not-so-famous, who have impacted the world in a significant way. Even now, decades after its closing in 1957, the powerful influence of Black Mountain College continues to reverberate. For more information view our resources. – Black Mountain College and Arts Center.
Black Mountain College represents another great reason why I am happy to have been raised in the South. Many people don’t realize what a great history the South has in arts, culture, and creativity.
The topic of the lecture was the exact reason I chose to relocate my family here. I came to work for a developer with integrity, AIBL LLC, who believes in building modern homes that are environmentally friendly and NC Green Built approved.
For more information about Modernism at Ciel on Elk Mountain Scenic Highway please go to our website at www.ciel-property.com