quilt; 2025. Courtesy of the Artist.
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Black Mountain COLL(A)GE
at Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, Asheville, North Carolina, USA
29 May-5 September 2026
From Josef Albers’ matière exercises to the collaborative 1951 “Glyph Exchange” between Charles Olson, Ben Shahn, and Katherine Litz, cutting up and rearranging found material was a way of life at Black Mountain College. Some of the 20th century’s most influential collage practitioners, including Robert Rauschenberg and Ray Johnson, studied at BMC. Many other students took up collage as a lifelong medium, including Irwin Kremen, William Douglas McGee, Jo Sandman, John Urbain, Mary Parks Washington, and Susan Weil. Still others continued to experiment with cut-ups while working in other realms of creative production, such as the writer and critic Suzi Gablik. Today, collage continues to exert a powerful influence on our art ecosystem. Selected works from contemporary collagists contextualize the medium’s trajectory and provide a window into the future. Curated by Kira Houston, this exhibition pieces together a wide array of stories to encapsulate a visual and sonic exploration of “Black Mountain COLL(A)GE.”
collage and paint on canvas; 1978. Collection of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Gift of the Artist.
The exhibition features works by Black Mountain College artists including Roberta Blair, Margaret Balzer Cantieni, Fielding Dawson, William Douglas McGee, Jorge Fick, Joseph Fiore, Suzi Gablik, W.P. Jennerjahn, Elizabeth Jennerjahn, Ray Johnson, Irwin Kremen, Robin Morey, Robert Motherwell, Faith Murray Britton, Mary Parks Washington, René Pinchuk, Robert Rauschenberg, M.C. Richards, Jo Sandman, John Urbain, Jean Varda, and Susan Weil. Contemporary works by artists Lucas Samaras, Julian Jamaal Jones, Elias Sime, Andy Gambrell, and Swannatopia will explore permutations of collage beyond Black Mountain College.
(text adapted from material provided by the gallery)
INFORMATION
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center
120 College Street
Asheville, North Carolina 28801 USA
(828) 350-8484
Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday, 11AM-5PM