said
were
that began
Peter Oberlander
In 1992, as a design student, I attended the reunion of Black Mountain College in San Francisco. The school is credited with shaping some of the greatest artists in American history: Willem de Kooning, John Cage, Ruth Asawa, Merce Cunningham, Buckminster Fuller, Franz Kline, and Robert Rauschenberg among them. I was invited to this event because my father Rupert Schmitt, my aunts Elaine Schmitt Urbain and Elizabeth Schmitt Jennerjahn, my uncle Warren P. Jennerjahn, as well as our family friend, the renowned artist Ruth Asawa had all studied there.
I took extensive notes that day, as former stu dents and teachers recounted their experiences at the school. The notes I took are the foundation of this book. They offer a uniquely personal perspec tive on this legendary school and the thoughts, experiences, and creations of these fascinating and influential people.
Whenever I tell the story of my family members attending Black Mountain College, I’m asked why. Why did so many of them head off to the same school? Part of the answer is that they had all grown up immersed in the arts, their father being the founder of Conrad Schmitt Studios, the most respected stained glass maker in America. This upbringing made them receptive to the experimental college. They were also drawn to the school because of the outstanding faculty assem bling there. They were aware that legendary for mer Bauhaus teachers who had fled persecution by Nazis were teaching at Black Mountain, and that the school was a continuation of those semi nal classes in Germany. Additionally, my aunts had become good friends with Ruth Asawa, who had moved to their hometown Milwaukee after her release from a WWII internment camp. Together she and my aunts ventured off to BMC.
I grew up hearing stories (some apocryphal, no doubt) of my father helping Buckminster Fuller construct the first geodesic dome and watching it collapse, my aunt Elaine making art from tree bark and pig fat in Josef Albers’ class, my aunt Betty dancing with Merce Cunningham, and my uncle Pete—recently returned from flying bombing missions over Southern Italy— completely immersing himself in the peaceful artistic community.
As a youngster, I first learned of the Bauhaus in the context of Black Mountain College. My interest in the arts was borne out of hearing these stories told around the dinner table. Of course I jumped at the invitation to hear teachers and students spend a day discussing the school’s history. I took meticulous notes over the six-and-ahalf-hour-long event of everything that was said— the names of the speakers, and the times when the quotes were uttered.
After the event, a group of about 25 of us went over to Ruth Asawa’s house on a hill overlooking the Castro District in San Francisco, California. We sat on her porch and drank wine on an unusually warm March night. A wall covered with dozens of Ruth’s clay face masks looked over us as stories about the school continued for hours.
Over time I would occasionally read over my notes from that memorable day. They capture the essence of the place—some are eloquent and illuminating, others humorous or cutting; many are simply reflections on the unique position the former students found themselves in as young artists. After years of reflecting on this noteworthy experience, I felt it would make a very compelling book. But I had an interesting challenge: what does one do with a collection of short quotes?
After much thought and experimentation, I de cided to let the timeline of the day’s conversation drive the design—and the result is this book.
Erik Schmitt, Berkeley, California, 2022Charles Eames was bitter about the program at Berkeley, he called it “rehabilitation, not education.” He loved the turmoil at Black Mountain.
Claude Stoller
For Albers, making you see was what excited him.
It was a setting of overwhelming natural beauty.
Larry Fox
Gropius dribbled ashes on my cherished designs.
Peter OberlanderAlbers called habit a demon— starting with the head when drawing, or always starting a composition in the top left etc.
“You’ve been abstract for too long. It’s time to learn something useful, like furniture making or ditch digging.” Albers told me.
Peter OberlanderAlbers said we were completing the experiment that began at the Bauhaus.
Peter OberlanderWe sat on the floor and discussed philosophy like Plato’s students had. I never wore jeans until I went to Black Mountain.
Mary Parks Washington
The way you had both freedom and order was by personal responsibility.
Mary Parks
Ruth Asawa in front of her San Francisco home on the day of the reunion.
Elizabeth Schmitt Jennerjahn, Remy Charlip, and M. C. Richards, the day of the reunion.
Stephen Schmitt, Ruth Asawa, and Elaine Schmitt Urbain on the day of the reunion.
Elizabeth Schmitt Jennerjahn in Merce Cunningham’s dance class.
Ruth Asawa’s sculptures in her San Francisco home.
Pete Jennerjahn’s collection of art from Black Mountain College.
A wall of clay masks by Ruth Asawa at her San Francisco home.
I would like to recognize these individuals for their support.
Chuck Byrne
Leslie Crawford
Jim Faris
Connie Hwang
Julio Martinez
Kim O’Neill
Calvin Rocchio
David Senior
David Silver
Lexi Visco
Editor Kim O’Neill
All images created by Erik Schmitt unless otherwise credited.
Photographs on pages 75, 76, 79, 80, 87, 88, 91, 96, 99, 100 by Stephen Schmitt.
Photographs on page 84, 85 from the collection of Pete Jennerjahn.
Photographs of Ruth Asawa’s Artwork © 2021 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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© Slanted Publishers, Karlsruhe, 2022
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© Text and Design by Erik Schmitt
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-3-948440-38-1
1st edition 2022
Design: Erik Schmitt
Publishing Direction: Lars Harmsen, Julia Kahl
Production Management: Clara Weinreich
Proofreading: Kim O’Neill
Printer: Stober Medien GmbH
The publisher assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of all information. Publisher and editor assume that material that was made available for publishing, is free of third party rights. Repro duction and storage require the per mission of the publisher. Photos and texts are welcome, but there is no liability. Signed contributions do not necessarily represent the opinion of the publisher or the editor.
The German National Library lists this publication in the German National Bibliography; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at dnb.d-nb.de.
Slanted Publishers is an internationally active in dependent publishing and media house, founded in 2014 by Lars Harmsen and Julia Kahl. They publish the award-winning print magazine Slanted, which twice a year focuses on international design and culture. The Slanted blog www.slanted.de and social media have been publishing daily news and events from the international design scene and presenting inspiring portfolios from around the world for 18 years. In addition to the Slanted blog and magazine, Slanted Publishers initiates and creates projects such as the Yearbook of Type, tear-off calendars Typodarium and Photodarium, independent type foundry VolcanoType and others. Slanted’s publishing program reflects their own diverse interests, focusing on contemporary design and culture, working closely with editors and authors to produce outstanding publications with meaningful content and high quality. These publications can be found in the Slanted Shop alongside other extraordinary products by young design talents and established producers from all over the world. Slanted was born from great passion and has made a name for itself across the globe. Its design is vibrant and inspiring—its philosophy open-minded, tolerant, and curious.
Erik Schmitt is currently a Partner and Creative Director at studio1500 in San Francisco, California.
He received a BFA with Distinction in Design from the California College of the Arts, where he later taught Graphic Design I and II.
His work has been recognized by the AIGA, The Western Art Directors Club, The Industrial Designers Society of America, Exhibitor, Graphis, Webby Award, A’ Design, and IDEA. It has been covered by Print, How, Step, Exhibitor, The New Yorker, Fast Company, O Magazine, The Huffington Post, Artweek, Communication Arts, The Global Digital Citizen Foundation, as well as the books Logo Design Love, Symbol, Logo, Signage Design, Graphis Logo Design, and Just Design.
He was an Artist in Residence at the Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, California in 2013; a Fellow at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California in 2017-2018; and has been a Rome Prize Finalist in Design from the American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy, in 2018, 2021, and 2022.
Sometimes there were two or three students in class. The faculty were always accessible.
Page Smith
10:20 A.M.
There was no expert handing down knowledge. It was a community effort. Attendance was expected but not mandatory. Senior division students were tested when they felt ready. Most didn’t pass the first time. Most didn’t bother. A degree was viewed as unimportant.
Morton Steinau
10:55 A.M.
BMC was a community first, then a college. It was small and intimate.
Morton Steinau
10:58 A.M.
You needed to be mature to understand what freedom meant. For many, freedom meant you got lost.
Morton Steinau
11:00 A.M.
John Rice said learning is process, it’s not the content.
Sue Spayth Riley
11:07 A.M.
There was an erotic element to BMC.
Lucian Marquis 11:10 A.M.
The concrete slab of the Foundation of Studies building we were constructing was getting too cold, so we volunteered to cut firewood and maintain a fire under it all night so we could maintain the temperature. I had wonderful hands–on architecture experiences like this.
Claude Stoller 11:20 A.M.
Charles Eames was bitter about the program at Berkeley, he called it “rehabilitation, not education.” He loved the turmoil at Black Mountain.
Claude Stoller 11:25 A.M.
For Albers, making you see was what excited him.
Claude Stoller 11:30 A.M.
Making butter, cream, bricks, typography, and firefighting was the work program at BMC.
Vera Baker Williams 11:35 A.M.
The learning process wasn’t interrupted by traffic, buses etc.
Patsy Lynch Wood 11:40 A.M.
It was a setting of overwhelming natural beauty.
Larry Fox 1:00 P.M.