Mary Holden Thompson founded the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center in 1993, and it occupies 120 College Street on Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville. Step closer: this exhibition and performance space and resource center is dedicated to preserving and continuing the legacy of educational and artistic innovations of Black Mountain College. Founded in 1993 by arts advocate Mary Holden Thompson, the museum began in her house in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and grew through community partnerships that helped mount exhibitions and build a collection.
Today BMCM+AC pursues that original mission, collection, conservation, and educational activities, through exhibitions, publications, and public programs that examine BMC's extraordinary impact on modern and contemporary art, dance, theater, music, and performance. The museum remains committed to educating the public about Black Mountain College's history and raising awareness of its extensive legacy. Its intent is welcoming: to be a gathering point for people from a variety of backgrounds to engage through art, ideas, and discourse.
Beyond its doors, Pack Square Park opens onto the downtown Asheville streets, carrying that same spirit of gathering and exchange.