NEWS: Far from the Centers of Ambition

Black_Mountain_College_sealWritings about Black Mountain College and it’s influence– from both Martha and Basil King– are included in a book-length tribute to Black Mountain College,  Far From the Centers of Ambition,  edited by Lee Ann Brown, and just published by Lorimer Press, Lenoir Rhyne University in North Carolina.

Contributors to this very elegantly designed book (in addition to Martha and Basil) include Vincent Katz, Elizabeth Willlis, Cheryl Fish, Lee Ann Brown, Diane Ward, Charles Alexander, Tom Meyer, Seth Stewart, Laynie Brown, John Yau, Kevin Killian – and many many more — discussing and displaying concepts they attribute to the BMC experiments.

The book is 236 pages, on lovely stock, and lavishly illustrated in color—the price is $48.95For more information or to place an order visit:

http://visitingwriters.lr.edu/centers-of-ambiition

Sudent-built building at Black Mountain College
Sudent-built building at Black Mountain College

Views of Lake Eden and the Studies Building are everywhere.  This one was designed and built between 1949 and 1953 by faculty architect Paul Williams in collaboration with students Dan Rice and Stan VanDerBeek. According to historian Mary Emma Harris,it was finished in the winter of 1953 not long before the resignation of Natasha Goldowski, science teacher. She refused to use it, concerned that it would collapse on the hill. When the lower campus was closed, the looms were moved from the art studio in the Studies Building here  and when I was at BMC I studied weaving in this building under Tony Landreau.

By the way, the building is still standing. Camp Rockmount uses it for faculty housing.