Event 1: Leap Before You Look

Josef Albers
 
Leaf Study IX, ca. 1940


Leaves on paper

The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation

I went to Hammer museum last Sunday and went to the exhibition named "Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933-1957". At first, I felt slightly strange because of the fact that this exhibition was about a college, because I have never seen this kind of exhibition about an institution before. Right after reading the explanation about this exhibition, I could understand slightly more about this exhibit, and got to know that this exhibit was the first comprehensive museum exhibition about the experimental liberal arts college in the United States. 


In addition, I could understand better how this college, which only lasted from 1933 to 1957, became very influential through looking more closely into many works exhibited in the museum by many artists including Anni and Josef Albers, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, and Robert Rauschenberg. I tried to talk with many staffs in the exhibition rooms to better understand not only the individual works presented but also the significance of this liberal arts college. This really helped me understanding this college and also developing a further insight about the works exhibited. I strongly recommend other classmates to discuss or talk with the staffs there during their visits if possible. When I walked into the exhibition rooms, I could see the work on the exhibition cover, which made me feel very excited. I could learn that this was the work named "Leaf Study" by Josef Albers. 

Evelyn Bullock dressed with leaves for costume party 
at the 1949 Summer Art Institute

Photo by Dina Woelffer

I also liked the photo taken by Dina Woelffer which is shown above. She took a photo of Evelyn Bullock who was dressed with leaves for costume party at the 1949 Summer Art Institute, and through this photo work, I felt the mood or philosophy of the institute.             

Hazel Larsen Archer

Students with Buckminster Fuller's Dome


The Supine Dome with model in foreground

During conversation with a staff at the exhibit, I could learn about the teaching philosophy of this college more and more. The staff explained that this college was influenced by philosopher John Dewey and this institute strongly pursued the ideals of progressive education movement. He also mentioned that in this college students did not even have required courses and they encouraged learning especially by doing, that is, by experimenting. I was quite surprised and amazed by this college's approach in teaching. In addition, by looking into many works by both students and faculties of this college, I could totally tell their teaching philosophy. Especially, by looking into R. Buckminster Fuller's attempt to erect a geodesic dome, I could tell how much this college focused on experimental method in learning, and also could get to know that this attempt has contributed to its modernist architecture. 

     Students digging drainage ditch for Studies Building     

Left: Staff of the exhibition & Me right next to the Shuttle-Craft Practical Loom, 
Right: Shuttle-Craft Practical Loom, from the Black Mountain College Weaving Workshop, ca. 1985-40

  

Through the photo shown above named, "Students digging drainage ditch for Studies Building," I could definitely feel its teaching philosophy again. Furthermore, "Shuttle-Craft Practical Loom" shown above was the most striking to me because I thought that it was so amazing that they set up this huge weaving workshop at the college to help students learn how to weave and produce diverse textile works. 

These works reminded me of the sentence posted on the first exhibition room wall by Josef Albers, "We do not always create 'works of art,' but rather experiments; it is not our intention to fill museums: we are gathering experience". There were so many interesting works by many artists across disciplines, and I could have a great opportunity to see the historical significance of Black Mountain College despite of its short existence, being an critical historical precedent of many art schools nowadays. 


I really enjoyed this exhibition and had a great time in learning about this Black Mountain College from its history, teaching methods, many experimentations, individual works by students and faculties of the college, and its influence on contemporary art schools. Especially, this exhibit gave me a great opportunity to connect what I have learned through the class because I could definitely see how art, science, and technology could be combined particularly through many cross-disciplinary studies performed in this college. I could also develop some interesting ideas and thoughts through this exhibition, and now I am trying to approach slightly differently from before by doing or experimenting like the teaching method of this college. 


I strongly recommend this exhibition to my classmates because I really think that this exhibit can be a great learning place because I strongly think that this Black Mountain College clearly pursued combining of art, science, and technology, which is our class's main theme. I am also confident to say that learning about many approaches of this college will give much better idea about the topics which were covered and also will be covered in our class, and also help us to come up with creative ideas regarding our final project.