The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center has announced the appointment of Jeff Arnal as Executive Director. In this role, Arnal will provide strategic and operational leadership and further develop the organization’s programming and resources. He will assume the position on June 13, 2016. “Having worked in the arts and nonprofit sector for the past two decades as a composer and percussionist and later as a curator, writer, administrator, and producer, Jeff is uniquely suited to lead BMCM+AC,” said co-chair Brian Butler. “We look forward to working with him to sustain the college’s tradition of exploring historic paths while forging new ones.”
Jeff Arnal is a percussionist, composer, curator, and arts administrator whose work since the 1990s has been centered in experimental music, performance, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Before joining BMCM+AC, he served as Senior Music and Performance Program Officer at the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, supporting major performing arts initiatives and contributing to research, public programs, and grantmaking in contemporary music and performance.
Arnal studied percussion with visionary drummer Milford Graves and composer Stuart Saunders Smith, both formative influences on his artistic practice. He trained at the Peabody Conservatory, earned an MFA in Music from Bennington College, and holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on filmmaking and music composition from the University of Maryland.
A central figure in New York’s experimental arts community, Arnal co-founded and directed Improvised and Otherwise, a seminal Brooklyn festival presenting new music, dance, and multimedia work. He also curated performance series for The Chocolate Factory and On the Way Out, producing hundreds of performances, sound installations, and multimedia events. He consulted on the early development of National Sawdust, helping define its mission, programming, artist support, and residency models.
As a performer, Arnal has appeared on more than thirty recordings for labels including Clean Feed, Leo Records, Cadence Jazz, and Creative Sources. He has collaborated extensively with choreographers and dance ensembles, performing at PS122, Danspace Project, Joyce SoHo, The Chocolate Factory, and Judson Church, creating interdisciplinary projects that merge percussion, improvisation, and movement. He has performed internationally at festivals and venues including Ausland Berlin, deSingel Antwerp, Hallwalls Buffalo, Roulette New York, and Vision Festival.
Arnal’s work has been recognized with support from Art Omi International, ASCAP, Meet the Composer, and the Brooklyn Arts Council. His practice reflects a strong commitment to collaborative, interdisciplinary arts, combining rigorous composition with innovative performance.
