Between Form and Content: Perspectives on Jacob Lawrence and Black Mountain College

One of the most widely regarded American artists of the 20th century, Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) is known for his paintings, drawings, and prints that hover between abstraction and socially inspired narrative realism, chronicling African-American history and experience during his lifetime. Between Form and Content was the very first exhibition to focus on Lawrence’s experiences during the summer of 1946, when Josef Albers invited Lawrence to teach painting at Black Mountain College. In addition to Lawrence’s paintings, the exhibition featured artworks by Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, Josef and Anni Albers, Leo Amino, Jean Varda, Ruth Asawa, Ray Johnson, and Beaumont and Nancy Newhall. It also examined Lawrence’s paintings, pedagogy, and legacy in a contemporary context, through the lens of four multimedia artists: Animator/filmmaker Martha Colburn, composer/performer, Tyondai Braxton, installation artist Grace Villamil and writer and interdisciplinary artist, Jace Clayton (DJ Rupture).