CALL FOR PAPERS
Beyond Black Mountain College: A Session on BMC
2011 Southeastern College Art Conference
November 9-12, 2011 in Savannah, GA
Because the story of Black Mountain College was largely neglected until the past thirty years, its legacy continues to require greater critical examination. Papers should address how the legacy continues in a number of ways and consider the success of more recent works or ideas, not in a utopian sense as is often the case, but more critically. What is the value of these pieces to the "art world" in the United States and elsewhere. Do works and trends inspired by Black Mountain College become mired in myths about the college or do they move beyond into the twenty-first century? Were creations at the college helpful in creating new movements in art or unable to develop beyond traditional mid-twentieth century Modernism? Works to examine might be Yoko Ono’s revival of the installation of her 1966 work in 2002, which became "Mending Peace for the World for Black Mountain College" both commemorating John Cage's first happening at the college from 1952 "Theater Piece #1" and for the healing process of 9-11. Similarly, poet Sebastian Matthews exhibits intricate collages inspired by the work of Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College student and creator of the New York Correspondence school.
For more information, contact Session Chair Louly Turner Peacock, Warren Wilson College.
