BMC RADIO: PIERS GELLY

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

Premiering on Soundcloud

Catch a preview of an exciting new project, led by BMCM+AC’s first Active Archive resident podcaster Piers Gelly. Gelly, a collaborator on such programs as 99% Invisible and creator/host of Cellar Door, will present a sneak peek at a new Black Mountain College podcast, currently in development. Gelly will be in conversation with Black Mountain scholars Julie Levin Caro, Thomas Frank, and archivist Heather South, breaking down preconceived notions of BMC’s history and setting the stage for the eight-part documentary podcast exploring Black Mountain College as a forerunner in interdisciplinary arts, experimental education, and community-building.

The podcast will bring to light new perspectives on such topics as democracy, progressive education, modernism, and abstraction, telling the story of Black Mountain College within the scope of 20th-century history and reflecting on the many ways that BMC has shaped culture in the present day.

Gelly’s residency is part of BMCM+AC’s Active Archive Residency Program, a strategic initiative that addresses the challenge of connecting Black Mountain College’s historic legacy with contemporary perspectives. Active Archive invites scholars and cultural thinkers to engage with BMC’s legacy of multidisciplinary innovation through research-based commissions utilizing the museum’s extensive collection, the historic site, and the BMC archives.

Funding provided, in part, by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Additional funding generously provided by the North Carolina Humanities Council and Better Lemon Creative Audio.