Episode 3: Make Noise + Frank Hursh
Our third episode of BMC Radio features two segments, the first being an interview with Tony Rolando, Kelly Kelbel, and Walker Farrell from Make Noise, a modular synthesizer company in Asheville, NC who will be giving a free talk + performance at 69 Broadway on...Episode 2: Foley + Motherwell + Lake Eden Soundmap
Our second episode has three segments, the first being an interview with choreographer and performer Meg Foley, who will be giving a performance at BMCM+AC on Saturday, July 8th. The second segment explores the life and works of Robert Motherwell, a notable Abstract...Episode 1: Thomson + Harrison
This debut episode begins with Carmelo Pampillonio’s interview of Julie J. Thomson, the curator of our current exhibition “Begin to See: The Photographers of Black Mountain College.” It also features a segment dedicated to composer Lou Harrison, who...POETRY READING
Saturday, April 14, 7pm {56 Broadway} Organized by poet and professor of creative writing Eric Steineger, this evening features five student poets from Mars Hill University, representing diverse styles and genres and showcasing some of the best rising talent from Mars...Black Mountain College Radio Episode 3: Make Noise + Hursh
Episode 3 of Black Mountain College Radio, our podcast dedicated to all things Black Mountain College and Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, centers on Make Noise and BMC alum Frank Hursh! In this podcast, hear: An interview with the creators of Make Noise,...DANCE HEGINBOTHAM + MAIRA KALMAN – THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY
March 16 + 17, 2018 | The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts {Downtown, Asheville} – BMCM+AC, in partnership with UNC Asheville, presented the Southeast Premiere of Dance Heginbotham and Maira Kalman’s The Principles of Uncertainty, a new evening-length dance theater work by choreographer John Heginbotham and author/illustrator Maira Kalman. Adapted from Kalman’s New York Times column turned book of the same name and described by the two artists as an “absurdist travelogue,” Principles of Uncertainty marries the nostalgic whimsy of Kalman’s illustrations with Heginbotham’s controlled yet playful choreography to create an evening that explores life, death and everything in between. Heginbotham directs and choreographs the work, while Kalman oversees all elements of design—sets, props, projections and costumes, bringing her 2D illustrations to life on the stage. Kalman is also present on stage, alongside Dance Heginbotham, actor Daniel Pettrow and members of The Knights. Composer Colin Jacobsen—a member of string quartet Brooklyn Rider, chamber ensemble The Knights, and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble—serves as Music Director of the project. Principles of Uncertainty premiered August 17, 2017 at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival followed by a New York Premiere at BAM Next Wave Festival and travelled to Durham, North Carolina after this Southeast Premiere in Asheville.
Related Events Included:
Wednesday, March 14th – Maira Kalman Reading and Book Signing at Malaprops Bookstore for The Principles of Uncertainty (2007) and her new book, Beloved Dog (2017.)
Wednesday, March 14th – Dance Heginbotham Workshop at NC School for the Deaf
Wednesday, March 14th – Dance for PD Masterclass with John Heginbotham
Saturday, March 17th – Coffee + Conversation with John + Maira
AUTHOR EVENT: Maira Kalman at Malaprops Bookstore
Wednesday, March 14 – 6pm {Malaprops Bookstore, 55 Haywood} Maira Kalman, writer and illustrator of such books as The Principles of Uncertainty and The Pursuit of Happiness will hold a reading and signing for her new book for Penguin Press, Beloved Dog. Join us March...JONATHAN WILLIAMS CELEBRATION
Saturday, February 17, 7pm {56 Broadway} First Harvest: Celebrating the book Jonathan Williams: The Lord of Orchards This book of essays, images, and shouts aims to bring new eyes and contexts to legendary poet and publisher (and Black Mountain College student)...BOOK TALK + PERFORMANCE: Gallery Sound with Caleb Kelly, Pia van Gelder, Peter Blamey and Pete Speer
Wednesday, December 13, 7pm {69 Broadway} Australia-based scholars and artists Caleb Kelly, Pia van Gelder and Peter Blamey will make a rare North American appearance at Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center to discuss and perform works that examine the...POETRY READING
Saturday, December 16, 7:30pm {69 Broadway}
An evening of poetry, organized by Asheville-based writer/educator Eric Steineger, showcasing five of Asheville’s favorite and most celebrated poets: Richard Chess, Tommy Hays, David Hopes, Felice Lopez-Bell, and Eric Steineger.
PERFORMANCE: Aspects of Butoh
Thursday, December 7, 7pm {69 Broadway}
Presented in collaboration with the Asheville Butoh Collective, this evening includes dance performances, investigations, improvisations, and dialogue about the Butoh dance form.
MARTHA MCDONALD + LAURA BAIRD – MUSIC FOR MODERNIST SHAPES: REIMAGINING SPECTODRAMA
Commission | November 17 + 18, 2017 | BMCM+AC {69 Broadway} – ACTIVE ARCHIVE is a stream of programs that pairs the museum’s extensive collection with contemporary artists, curators, and cultural thinkers. It launches with an exhibition featuring the museum’s permanent collection curated by Philadelphia-based interdisciplinary artist Martha McDonald.
McDonald brought the ideas of Black Mountain College alive through an exhibition of artwork and ephemera from BMCM+AC’s collection and a live performance drawing on the rich history of experimental performance at BMC. The exhibition, across both galleries, focused on the importance of process and material exploration at BMC.
McDonald’s performance activated her installation of objects and costumes drawn from Xanti Schawinsky’s 1936 experimental theater piece, Spectodrama, which formed the basis of his Stage Studies course at BMC. McDonald’s piece, in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Laura Baird featured music inspired by John Evarts’ collaborations with Schawinsky at BMC from 1936-38.
FILM SCREENING: BAUHAUS: The Face of the Twentieth Century
Wednesday, November 29, 7pm {56 Broadway}
This documentary traces the story of the Bauhaus from its founding in 1919 to its closing in 1933. An understanding of the Bauhaus as one of the primary influences on Black Mountain College is essential to a full understanding of BMC.
Active Archive: Martha McDonald | Process + Performance
September 21, 2016 – December 30, 2017

