Handweaving Today, Textile Work at Black Mountain College

]> pc_albers_anni Finding Aid of the Anni Albers Collection, 1937 - 1966 Processed by: Don Lennon; machine-readable finding aid created by: Ashley Yandle &hdrNcDncsa; 2007 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: March, 2007 Description is in English Finding Aid of the Anni Albers Collection, 1937 - 1966 North Carolina State Archives &tpNcDncsa; Descriptive Summary North Carolina State Archives. Albers, Anni. Anni Albers Collection, 1937 - 1966 PC.1197 Materials in English 32 For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Public Services Branch, North Carolina State Archives. Mrs. Anni Albers (1899-1994) is best known as a textile designer, weaver, and teacher. She was born in Berlin, Germany, as Anni Fleischmann and studied art at the Kunstgewerbe school and the Bauhaus. She married artist Josef Albers in 1925 and in 1933 they left Germany to teach at Black Mountain College in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The Anni Albers Collection consists primarily of booklets, leaflets, and articles on the art of pictorial weaving as seen in the work of Anni Albers. Many items reflect her creative efforts at Black Mountain College, while others are of a more recent period. The collection also includes speeches concerning Black Mountain College, clippings from American and German newspapers on exhibitions by Anni Albers, biographical notes and comments on design. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Available for research.

Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], PC.1197, Anni Albers Collection, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC, USA.

Acquisitions Information

April 27, 1964, speeches, leaflets, booklets, articles (reprints), newspaper clippings, 28 items. Given by Mrs. Anni Albers, New Haven, Connecticut. July 21, 1967, 2 books on weaving and designing by Mrs. Anni Albers, given by author. May 4, 1976, 2 letters received from Division of Archives and History, Archives Branch, Raleigh.

Processing Information

Processed by Don Lennon, January, 1967

Encoded by Ashley Yandle, March, 2007

Biographical Note

Mrs. Anni Albers (1899-1994) is best known as a textile designer, weaver, and teacher. She was born in Berlin, Germany, as Anni Fleischmann and studied art at the Kunstgewerbe school and the Bauhaus. She married artist Josef Albers in 1925 and in 1933 they left Germany to teach at Black Mountain College in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Mrs. Albers served as assistant professor of art at Black Mountain College (1933-1949) and, in 1950, she and her husband moved to Connecticut where she continued working as an artist. For more information about Anni Albers, visit her NCBHIO entry.

Collection Overview

This collection of material consists primarily of booklets, leaflets, and articles on the art of pictorial weaving as seen in the work of Anni Albers. Numerous pictures of her art are included along with articles which tell of her work, her artistic motivation, and her method of design. Many items reflect her creative efforts at Black Mountain College, while others are of a more recent period.

Other items in the collection include speeches on the philosophy behind the founding of Black Mountain College [1943], Handweaving Today, Textile Work at Black Mountain College (1940), and the rough draft of a speech on Mrs. Albers' work in weaving at Black Mountain College (1937). Clippings from various American newspapers and Xerox copies of articles from German newspapers tell of her more recent exhibitions, along with biographical notes and comments on her views on design (1952-1961).

The 1976 addition to this collection includes a copy of a letter dated April 14, 1976, from T.W. Mitchell regarding the death of Josef Albers on March 25, 1976, and a note of appreciation from Anni Albers for this message.

Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Subject Terms Albers, Anni. Albers, Josef. Art--Study and teaching--United States--History--20th century. Artists--United States--History--20th century. Black Mountain College (Black Mountain, N.C.) Books. Clippings. Mitchell, Thornton W. Pamphlets. Speeches. Textile fabrics. Universities and colleges--North Carolina--Curricula. Weaving--United States--History--20th century. Women artists--United States--History. Related Collections

Additional information on topics found in this collection may be found in the Manuscript and Archives Reference System (MARS) http://www.ncarchives.dcr.state.nc.us.

See also: List of Black Mountain College collections at the North Carolina State Archives. Black Mountain College Records, 1933-1956, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, N.C. Martin Duberman Collection, 1933-1980, PC 1678, North Carolina State Archives Raleigh, N.C. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project, 1933-1973, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, N.C.