Black Mountain College

Black Mountain College was an art school in Black Mountain, North Carolina, built on a large property near Lake Eden. The grounds included teaching spaces, student housing, communal areas, and farmland used for hands-on learning.

John Andrew Rice founded the school in 1933, hoping to create a place where art and free thinking would be central. Over the following decades, many European artists fleeing war came here and shaped the American art scene until its closing in 1957.

Faculty and students lived together on campus, often collaborating in shared workshops for weaving, ceramics, painting, and experimental music. This way of life fostered open exchange between disciplines and gave rise to new working methods that later influenced many American art schools.

The former grounds are now mostly privately owned, and many original buildings no longer stand. Visitors can explore the surrounding area near Lake Eden and look for historical markers to get a sense of the former campus.

The school had no fixed curriculum and no grades, allowing students to shape their own learning paths. Many famous artists and thinkers taught here for short periods, giving lectures or workshops without being permanent staff.

Location: Black Mountain

Inception: 1933

Founders: John Andrew Rice

Website: http://blackmountaincollege.org

GPS coordinates: 35.63240,-82.36020

Latest update: December 12, 2025 22:32