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Josef and Anni Albers arrived at Black Mountain College in November 1933, making them the first major Bauhaus figures to emigrate to America. Their teaching made Black Mountain a destination for art and design students and helped to modernize art instruction in the US. This session shines a light on the tremendous teaching legacies of both Alberses.

At Black Mountain College, both Josef and Anni Albers taught versions of the Matière, a classroom experiment that focused on the deceptive qualities of texture, and which built upon the Material Studies at the heart of their Bauhaus experiences. Albers Foundation education director Fritz Horstman will contextualize this under-appreciated and fascinating topic with historic photos and analysis, drawing lines from before and through the Bauhaus, to Black Mountain College, and beyond. In addition to the classroom and studio output of both Alberses, the work of Black Mountain students such as Robert Rauschenberg and Ruth Asawa will be considered in the light of the Matière.

About ten percent of all students who attended Black Mountain College took at least one class in weaving or textile design. This innovative and influential design program was entirely Anni Albers's brainchild, formed as both an extension of and a reaction to her experiences at the Bauhaus.

Michael Beggs, co-author of Weaving at Black Mountain College: Anni Albers, Trude Guermonprez, and Their Students (BMC Museum + Arts Center 2023) introduces Anni Albers the teacher, and highlights some of the educational and artistic legacies of the College's leading weavers.