Asheville, N.C. -- The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to announce a free Virtual Symposium on Wednesday, January 31, from 9:30 to 11am, highlighting the institution's Black Mountain College (BMC) Collection and progress toward the development of its innovative digital archive. This symposium marks a significant milestone in the Museum's efforts to increase the study and awareness of Black Mountain College globally.

The virtual symposium will delve into the online collection database, a digital archive developed by the Museum to provide accessible and enriching content related to Black Mountain College. The database includes digital exhibitions, peer-reviewed scholarly articles, essays, books, and images of objects. Experts will share insights into the multi-year project funded by the Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) awarded to the Asheville Art Museum in 2019.

The project focused on the digital creation of images of artworks from the Museum's BMC Collection, emphasizing archival documents from the Theodore Dreier Documents and the 2012 BMC Project gift. The online collections database, Web Kiosk, allows users to search catalogue records, including images, transcriptions, dimensions, and descriptions of these objects.

One of the project's primary goals was to establish a Timeline connecting content from various resources, institutions, organizations, and scholars, specifically focusing on BMC as the Timeline continues to develop and serves as a central hub for disseminating information and provides a starting point for individuals interested in learning about the College's history, events, and relevant materials. This interconnected platform enhances the study and awareness of BMC on a global scale.

Guest Speakers:

- Hilary Schroeder will discuss the Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) project.

- Alex Landry will discuss the Dear Lorna, Love Ray digital exhibition.

- Corey Loftus will discuss the initial stages of digitizing the collection and maintaining best practices for metadata.

- Jordan Wolfe will discuss Minds, Bodies, and Spirits digital exhibition.

Presentations will be followed by audience Q&A.

The symposium will be conducted via Zoom, and a link will be provided on the Museum's webpage the day before the presentation. This event is an opportunity for scholars, enthusiasts, and the public to engage with the rich legacy of Black Mountain College and explore its impact on the arts and education.

Learn More About The Symposium