Untitled - The Chinati Foundation

14 Josef and Anni Albers, interview by Martin
Duberman.
15 Reynolds, Visions and Vanities, 1, citing Rice,
interview by Martin Duberman, 10 June
1967.
16 Josef and Anni Albers, interview by Martin
Duberman.
17 Rice first met Dewey when the philosopher
chaired an academic conference on curricu-
lum at Rollins College in January 1931. Later
Dewey served on Black Mountain College’s
advisory council. See Reynolds, Visions and
Vanities, 125.
18 See Reynolds, Visions and Vanities, 64–65,
and Harris, The Arts at Black Mountain Col-
lege, 15, for Black Mountain College in the
context of progressive education. See also
Reynolds, Visions and Vanities, chapter 5, for
the story of the founding of Black Mountain
College and the ideas that underpinned it.
19 See Reynolds, Visions and Vanities, 125,
and Harris, The Arts at Black Mountain Col-
lege, 6–7 for details of the structure of Black
Mountain College’s governing board.
20 The phrase is Dewey’s. See John Dewey,
“Democracy,” in Readings in Philosophy,
eds. John Herman Randall, Jr., Justus Buchler,
and Evelyn Urban Shirk, 2nd ed. (1950;
repr., New York: Barnes and Noble, 1963),
348.
21 Josef and Anni Albers, interview by Martin
Duberman.
22 Dewey, “Democracy,” 347.
23 Ibid., 348–49.
24 Ibid., 351.
25 Albers would reiterate this distinction in
several of his talks and published writings.
An early example is “A Second Foreword,”
December 1936. The same paragraph ap-
pears in a speech given at a Black Mountain
College luncheon held at the Cosmopolitan
Club, New York City, 9 December 1938.
Typescripts of both talks in the JAAF archive.
The typescript of “A Second Foreword” is
inscribed by Albers “written in December
1936.”
26 Josef and Anni Albers, interview by Martin
Duberman.
27 Dearstyne, Inside the Bauhaus, 91.
28 Albers to Kandinsky, 27 April 1934, in Kan-
dinsky-Albers, 24.
29 According to Kathleen Reynolds, Dewey
visited BMC twice during the 1934 –35
academic year. On one of these visits he was
accompanied by Alfred Barnes. Reynolds,
Visions and Vanities, 143.
30 Josef and Anni Albers, interview by Martin
Duberman.
31 Ibid.
32 Black Mountain College leaflet, JAAF Ar-
chive.
33 Anni Albers to Wassily and Nina Kandinsky,
22 November 1934, in Kandinsky-Albers,
40.
34 Josef and Anni Albers, interview by Martin
Duberman.
35 Alfred Kazin, interview by Martin Duberman,
22 February 1967, North Carolina State Ar-
16 Josef y Anni Albers, entrevista con Martin Du-
berman.
17 Rice conoció por primera vez a Dewey cuando
el filósofo presidió un congreso académico
sobre los planes de estudios en la Universidad
Rollins en enero de 1931. Mas tarde, Dewey
prestó servicio en el consejo consultivo de la
Universidad Black Mountain. Ver Reynolds,
Visions and Vanities, 125.
18 Ver Reynolds, Visions and Vanities, 64–65, y
Harris, The Arts at Black Mountain College,
15, para información sobre Black Mountain
College en el contexto de la educación pro-
gresista. Ver también Reynolds, Visions and
Vanities, capítulo 5, sobre la historia de la
fundación de la Universidad Black Mountain
y las ideas en que se basó.
19 Ver Reynolds, Visions and Vanities, 125, y Ha-
rris, The Arts at Black Mountain College, 6–7
para detalles sobre la estructura de la mesa
directiva de la Universidad Black Mountain.
20 La frase es de Dewey. Ver John Dewey, “De-
mocracy”, en Readings in Philosophy, eds.
John Herman Randall, Jr., Justus Buchler, y
Evelyn Urban Shirk, 2a ed. (1950; reimpre-
sión., Nueva York: Barnes and Noble, 1963),
348.
21 Josef y Anni Albers, entrevista con Martin Du-
berman.
22 Dewey, “Democracy”, 347.
23 Ibid., 348–49.
24 Ibid., 351.
25 Albers reiteraría esta distinción en varias
de sus charlas y escritos. Un ejemplo tem-
prano es “A Second Foreword”, diciembre
de 1936. El mismo párrafo aparece en una
conferencia pronunciada durante una comi-
da en el Cosmopolitan Club, Nueva York, el
9 de diciembre de 1938. Transcripciones de
ambas charlas están en el archivo JAAF. La
transcripción de “A Second Foreword” lleva
la inscripción de Albers “escrito en diciembre
de 1936”.
26 Josef y Anni Albers, entrevista con Martin Du-
berman.
27 Dearstyne, Inside the Bauhaus, 91.
28 Albers a Kandinsky, 27de abril de 1934, en
Kandinsky-Albers, 24.
29 Según Kathleen Reynolds, Dewey visitó
la Universidad Black Mountain dos veces
durante el año escolar 1934 –35. En una de
estas ocasiones lo acompañó Alfred Barnes.
Reynolds, Visions and Vanities, 143.
30 Josef y Anni Albers, entrevista con Martin Du-
berman.
31 Ibid.
32 Folleto de la Universidad Black Mountain, TK
YEAR, JAAF Archive.
33 Anni Albers a Wassily y Nina Kandinsky, 22
de noviembre de 1934, en Kandinsky-Albers,
40.
34 Josef y Anni Albers, entrevista con Martin Du-
berman.
35 Alfred Kazin, entrevista con Martin Duber-
man, 22 de febrero de 1967, North Carolina
State Archives, Black Mountain College Pa-
pers. Kazin estuvo en Black Mountain en el
otoño de 1944.
55
chives, Black Mountain College Papers. Ka-
zin was at Black Mountain College in the fall
semester of 1944.
36 Josef and Anni Albers, interview by Martin
Duberman.
37 Albers to Perdekamp, 26 December 1946.
38 Josef and Anni Albers, interview by Martin
Duberman.
39 Ibid. Albers compared this situation, where
the community provided the context, with
Yale, where the highly selective makeup of
the student body ensured “boys so eager to
do the job and to serve themselves.”
40 Richard Lippold, interview by Mary Emma
Harris, 5 June 1972, North Carolina State
Archives, Black Mountain College Papers,
Interviews Box 6.
41 The sentiments are Mary (Molly) Gregory’s
in Martin B. Duberman, Black Mountain: An
Exploration in Community (New York: Dut-
ton, 1972), 303.
42 Levi, a University of Chicago graduate who
taught philosophy, and John Wallen were
among newcomers to the faculty in 1945, a
period of mild postwar expansion as the GI
Bill augmented the student numbers at Black
Mountain. Both Levi and Wallen had prickly
relations with Albers.
43 Bill Levi, letter to Josef Albers, 24 May 1947,
JAAF Archive. Albers wrote in pencil at the
top of the first page of Levi’s three-page letter,
“Consider partly an answer of the board [of
fellows].”
44 Duberman, Black Mountain, 251.
45 Josef Albers, letter to Ted and Bobbie Dreier,
29 May 1947, JAAF Archive. “Both your let-
ters were too touching to be answered imme-
diately… All your good reasons… turned my
inside that I could not think straight.” All quota-
tions in this and the following paragraph are
from this letter. The Dreiers’ letters have been
either lost or destroyed. Martin Duberman out-
lines the complex financial situation at the time.
Among the college’s liabilities, Ted Dreier’s
family held a second mortgage of $16,500 on
the Black Mountain property. Dreier, who was
formally rector in 1946–47, was absent from
the college much of this time, leaving things in
Mary Gregory’s charge. Gregory, a master
of the pithy statement, observed that when “a
poor benighted little carpenter like me [was
put in charge]… the setup was unhealthy.” Du-
berman, Black Mountain, 274–77.
46 Josef Albers, letter to the Board of Fellows
of Black Mountain College, 30 May 1947,
JAAF Archive. Albers also asked to be paid
“at least 1000 dollars” for his work during the
second semester.
47 See Duberman, Black Mountain, 298–305
for an account of these events. Albers agreed
to take on the rectorship so long as Ted Dreier
would give him administrative support. Drei-
er took on the position of treasurer.
48 As Charles Perrow has recalled, “All this was
a glitter that made the basic conflicts of the
regular season suddenly seem superficial in
that glorious summer.” Unpublished memoir
courtesy Charles Perrow.
36 Josef y Anni Albers, entrevista con Martin Du-
berman.
37 Albers a Perdekamp, 26 de diciembre de
1946.
38 Josef y Anni Albers, entrevista con Martin Du-
berman.
39 Ibid. Albers comparó esta situación, en que la
comunidad era el contexto, con Yale, donde
la alta calidad del estudiantado aseguraba
“muchachos tan dispuestos a trabajar y a ser-
virse a sí mismos”.
40 Richard Lippold, entrevista con Mary Emma
Harris, 5 de junio de 1972, North Carolina
State Archives, Black Mountain College Pa-
pers, Interviews Box 6.
41 Estas opiniones son de Mary (Molly) Gregory
en Martin B. Duberman, Black Mountain: An
Exploration in Community (Nueva York: Du-
tton, 1972), 303.
42 Levi, egresado de la Universidad de Chicago
y profesor de filosofía, y John Wallen figura-
ban entre el personal docente recién llegado
en 1945, un periodo de modesta expansión
después de la guerra, cuando la población
estudiantil crecía. Tanto Levi como Wallen te-
nían una relación desapacible con Albers.
43 Bill Levi, carta a Josef Albers, 24 de mayo de
1947, JAAF Archive. Albers escribió con lápiz
en la primera hoja de la carta de Levi: “Tomar
en cuenta en parte la respuesta del Consejo”.
44 Duberman, Black Mountain, 251.
45 Josef Albers, carta a Ted y Bobbie Dreier, 29 de
mayo de 1947, JAAF Archive. “Tus dos cartas
eran demasiado conmovedoras para ser con-
testadas en seguida…Todas tus buenas razo-
nes… me afectaron tanto que no podía pensar
con claridad.” Todas las citas en este párrafo
y el que sigue son de esta carta. Las cartas de
los Dreier se han perdido o destruido. Martin
Duberman describe la compleja situación
financiera en este momento. Entre las deudas
de la universidad había una segunda hipote-
ca pagadera a la familia de Ted Dreier por la
cantidad de $16,500. Dreier, quien fungía
oficialmente como rector en 1946–47, se en-
contraba fuera de la universidad en muchas
ocasiones y había encargado a Mary Gregory
la administración de los asuntos de la misma.
Gregory, que tenía el don de expresarse con
mucha concisión, comentó que “cuando una
humilde carpintera como yo [ejercía el man-
do]… la situación era poco saludable.” Du-
berman, Black Mountain, 274–77.
46 Josef Albers, carta al Consejo de Gobierno
dela Universidad Black Mountain, 30 de
mayo de 1947, JAAF Archive. Albers también
solicitó que le pagaran “al menos mil dólares”
por su trabajo durante el segundo semestre.
47 Ver Duberman, Black Mountain, 298–305
para una relación de estos acontecimientos.
Albers aceptó ser rector con tal de que conta-
ra con el apoyo administrativo de Ted Dreier.
Dreier asumió el cargo de tesorero.
48 Charles Perrow recuerda: “Todo esto hacía
que los conflictos de los semestres regulares
parecieran superficiales durante ese glorioso
verano.” Memoria inédita, cortesía de Char-
les Perrow.