The Agency of Art: War, Pedagogy and Social Change - 1915 to 1965 is a book being written to explore the parallel and interrelated relationships of three 20th century schools—the Harlem Renaissance (School), Staatliches Bauhaus and Black Mountain College (BMC). In addition to the three
primary [liberal] art schools to be researched, two more schools of radical
thought in proximity to the Two World Wars —The New School, and North Carolina
State’s College of Design—will also be researched.
While many books have been written respectively about the Bauhaus and the Harlem Renaissance, exponentially less has been written about Black Mountain College (BMC) and the other schools, which the research will address. Methods of research shall include exhibited and archive materials found in museums, research collections in university and public libraries, related websites and new recordings and transcriptions of interviews, so as to fathom: catalyst(s) for each school’s inception, missions and manifestos, commonalities, key players, influencers and social impact at the regional and global scale, then and now:
While many books have been written respectively about the Bauhaus and the Harlem Renaissance, exponentially less has been written about Black Mountain College (BMC) and the other schools, which the research will address. Methods of research shall include exhibited and archive materials found in museums, research collections in university and public libraries, related websites and new recordings and transcriptions of interviews, so as to fathom: catalyst(s) for each school’s inception, missions and manifestos, commonalities, key players, influencers and social impact at the regional and global scale, then and now:
@ Bauhaus (1919-1933): At the
behest of the Weimar Republic governance, Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in
1919—an experimental school that became “the model for reform efforts in its
period.”[i] 14 years later, Adolph Hitler became
chancellor of Germany, eliminating the Weimar Republic and promptly shuttering
the Bauhaus. In spite of this, “the
historical Bauhaus is the most influential educational establishment in the
fields of architecture, art and design.”[ii]
@ Harlem Renaissance (ca. 1915-1935): The Harlem Renaissance school—being a school in the sense of a group of
artists under a common influence sharing the common doctrine[iii]
of “Negritude”[iv]
and The New Negro[v]
for social advancement by way of the arts—rose and fell during the same time period
as the Bauhaus and Weimar Republic, and had major players who were important to
the German modernist movement, and were often involved directly with BMC.
@ BMC (1933-1957): 1933 was the year that John A. Rice was discharged
from the faculty of Rollins College, and with a small group of Rollins students
and other Rollins faculty who left in protest, Rice started Black Mountain
College using the pedagogic principles of John Dewey.[vi] Curiously in 1933 as well, Franklin D.
Roosevelt was elected president of the United States; during his tenure
ordering the creation of the Works Project Administration (WPA) which breathed
new life into the United States’ infrastructure, and the arts and humanities,
disproportionately benefiting African-Americans.[vii]
@ New School (1919-Present): After being censured by the president of
Columbia University for protesting American activity in World War One, a group
of [former] teachers, aligned themselves with other progressive educators and
intellectuals, including John Dewey, resulting in the formation of the New
School for Social Research in 1919 "to create a new model of higher
education for adults...where ordinary citizens could learn from and exchange
ideas freely with scholars and artists representing a wide range of
intellectual, aesthetic, and political orientations.”[viii]
@ North Carolina State – School of Design (1948-Present): In
1948, Henry L. Kamphoefner became the first dean of the School of Design at
North Carolina State University. That
same year, he and George Matsumoto designed the first modernist house in
Raleigh, North Carolina, the Kamphoefner House.
Speaking to the directive of the school under Kamphoefner’s leadership,
alumni and professor emeritus, Robert P. Burns, said that at “the core of the
School in these early years was an uncompromising belief that comprehensive
design would produce a healthy environment, an improved society, and a better
life for all. Experimental in nature, the School was open to new ideas and
challenges.”[ix]
[i] Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum
für Gestaltung. “Idea,” Bauhaus.de.
http://www.bauhaus.de/en/das_bauhaus/44_idee/
(October 23, 2016)
[ii]
Bauhaus Movement. “Bauhaus Design
Movement: Art and Technology – A New Unity.”
Bauhaus-Movement.com
http://www.bauhaus-movement.com/en/ (October 22, 2016)
[iii]
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. “Definition of School.” Merriam-Webster.com.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/school
(October 21, 2016)
[iv]
Mickilin, Anna T.. “Negritude
Movement.” Black Past: An Online Reference Guide to African-American
History
http://www.blackpast.org/gah/negritude-movement (November 16, 2016)
[v]
National Humanities Center. “Migrations
– 8. New Consciousness.” The Making of
African-American Identity, Volume III, 1917 – 1968. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai3/migrations/text8/text8read.htm (October 23, 2016)
[vi]
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center.
“About Us.”
BlackMountainCollege.org
https://www.blackmountaincollege.org/history/ (October 22, 2016)
[vii] Zhang,
Ai-min. The Origins of the
African-American Civil Rights Movement.
Google Books.
[viii]
The New School for Social Research.
“About Us.” The New School
http://www.newschool.edu/nssr/history/ (November 16, 2016)
[ix]
NC State Design. “A History of
Success.” NC State Design.
https://design.ncsu.edu/about/history-success (November 15, 2016)
