Exhibition Design for Weaving At Black Mountain College

In collaboration with Julie J. Thomson, I co-curated Weaving at Black Mountain College: Anni Albers, Trude Guermonprez, and Their Students at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center in Asheville, NC [link]. This page is devoted to the work I did on the exhibition's design. For more information on the research, the exhibition's primary objectives, and the accompanying book, please see this page in the scholarship section of this website.

The exhibition posed a number of challenges that preparatory design work had to address:

Unframed, unmounted textiles - many of the textiles shown in the exhibition had never been exhibited. We knew the larger pieces would have to be hung, but the museum's tin ceiling made hanging from the ceiling extremely time consuming. In consultation with textiles conservator Sarah Lowengard, I devised a method to hang these textiles from the wall using stainless steel cable, L-brackets, track lighting wire grippers, acrylic tubing, and flannel.

Thematic layout - the exhibition had seven primary themes: Learning to Weave, Material Studies, Design & Production, Weaving as Art, Ancient Antecedents, Continuances, and Weaving Literacy. Julie and I developed a layout which allowed for thematic zones, creating a distinct space for each theme. Since the installation of the unmounted textiles involved multiple steps and these pieces could not easily be rearranged, the layout of the exhibition was mostly developed ahead of time using dimensioned drawings, which brought clarity to the installation process.

Conservation concerns - textiles are light-sensitive, and loss of color due to fading is permanent damage which cannot be corrected through conservation. We were aware of our responsibility to the objects (and to those who lent these objects to the exhibition). Using my experience as a daylighting consultant for art spaces, our layout protected the most sensitive objects without losing the beautiful variety and connection to the outdoors unique to daylight.

To the left of the introductory text, on the west wall, is the "learning to weave" section.

Textiles shown are by students Fred Goldsmith and Mimi French

Pieces with the theme "Weaving as Art" hang on the opposite (east) wall. The exhibition also included a loom originally used at Black Mountain College.

Textiles shown are by contemporary artist Susie Taylor (left), teacher Anni Albers (center), and student Don Page (right),

Preparatory drawing showing layout for east wall of gallery including "Weaving As Art" objects

The "Design + Production" section runs along most of the gallery's west wall.

Weavings by Anni Albers, Trude Guermonprez, Don Page, Don Wight, Marilyn Bauer, Lore Kadden Lindenfeld, and others.

note: photograph taken during installation

A vitrine of objects made by contemporary artists whose work connects to the legacy of Black Mountain College

Works by Kay Sekimachi (near left, center, and right), Susie Taylor (three sculptures at rear left), and Jen Bervin (rear right).

Panel and vitrine of textile design and production weaving samples made by Black Mountain College Students

Weavings by students Don Page, Andy Oates, Marilyn Bauer, Lore Kadden Lindenfeld, and William Treichler.

The most fragile objects in the show, two pre-Columbian Peruvian weavings (framed left top and left center) are protected from daylight, but installing the three-dimensional "Crystal" by Trude Guermonprez at right allowed for views into the next space.

Textile Fragment (possibly Nazca, AD 500-650, top left), Textile (central Andes, AD 1000-1400, center left), vitrine with information on the Harriett Engelhardt Memorial Collection of Textiles (bottom left), untitled weaving by Elizabeth Schmitt Jennerjahn (center), "Crystal" by Trude Guermonprez (foreground right), "Bay Area" by Joan Potter Loveless (background right).

Preparatory sketch showing hanging method using lighting grippers and acrylic tubing

Installation method for unframed hanging textiles

note: photograph taken during installation (prior to aiming of lights).