September 2 – December 24, 2016
Curated by Brian Butler and Vincent Katz
Better known as a poet and illustrator of other poets’ works, Brooklyn resident Basil King exemplifies the intentional independence and purposeful interdisciplinary qualities that Black Mountain College is famous for. And just like Black Mountain College’s legacy, King’s career defies easy categorization. This is most apparently true in the fact that he works as both a painter and a writer and is prolific in both disciplines. Arriving in the United States from England in 1947, he studied painting at Black Mountain College with Joseph Fiore and Esteban Vicente and poetry with Charles Olson and Robert Creeley. He then moved to New York and has been an important member of the New York poetry and art scene ever since. Under recognized because of his independence and interdisciplinary work, a 2012 documentary on his life, Basil King: Mirage, by Nicole Peyrafitte and Miles Joris-Peyrafitte has gone some way to remedy this. Between Painting and Writing aims to be an important step in giving King’s career proper attention by exhibiting his poetry, his illustrations and his paintings as a unified body of work. A chapbook of Basil King’s work will be published concurrently with the exhibition. Assistant curator, Joshua A. Gardner.
EVENTS
Thursday, September 1, 7:00 p.m.
Basil King: Mirage is a 2012 documentary (22 min) about BMC alumnus, painter, and writer Basil King by Nicole Peyrafitte and Miles Joris-Peyrafitte. The film depicts the intimacy between writing and painting in King’s work. This short film will be followed by a poetry reading by Basil King.
Free for BMCM+AC members + students w/ID / $5 for non-members
OPENING RECEPTION
Friday, September 2, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Gallery talk with Basil King at 6:45 p.m.
Brooklyn resident and Black Mountain College alumnus Basil King exemplifies the intentional independence and purposeful interdisciplinary qualities that Black Mountain College is famous for. And just like Black Mountain College’s legacy, King’s career defies easy categorization as he moves effortlessly from writing to painting and back again.
Free admission!
WORKSHOP on PROCESS
Reading, Writing and Editing
Sunday, September 4, 10:00 a.m. – Noon
Black Mountain College alumni Basil and Martha King are both writers with an extensive publishing history. Additionally, they are each other’s first reader. In this workshop Basil and Martha will talk about their process and share their experiences on the hows and whens of reading and editing.
$15 for BMCM+AC members + students w/ID / $30 for non-members
CONFERENCE
September 23-25
ReVIEWING Black Mountain College 8
Co-hosted by BMCM+AC and UNC Asheville, the three-day program, open to the public, will focus on a range of topics related to Black Mountain College with a full schedule of speakers, panels, workshops, and performances. Keynote Speaker: Helen Molesworth, Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and Curator (with Associate Curator Ruth Erickson) of “Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933 – 1957”.
Registration + Schedule Info: www.blackmountaincollege.org/reviewing-8
PRESENTATION – Ferment + Complications at BMC – Mary Emma Harris
Wednesday, November 16, 7:00 PM
The final few years of BMC’s existence were full of new priorities and challenges. The creative ferment of the 1940s continued, but the leadership vacuum in the wake of the departures of Josef and Anni Albers, Ted Dreier, and others opened the door for Charles Olson to step in. This presentation by author and scholar Mary Emma Harris reveals the complicated story of 1950s-era BMC.
Free for BMCM+AC members + students w/ID / $8 non-members
Mark Rothko
Red, Brown, & Black, 1958
I know a man
who says
“I will go to hell
to hear sweet laughter.”
I know a man
who licks his lips
every time he smiles.
I know a man
who eats chicken
with his fingers.
I know a man
who says
“If you are
an out-sider
you must study
hard and
learn to do it.”
photo credit: Sanjay Agnihotri
