This publication sets out to explore and question the notions of experiment that permeated the extraordinary range of arts practice at Black Mountain College, North Carolina, together with the developments in education and community that unfolded over its 24 year life. The focus is on key themes and episodes, notably the roots in Bauhaus educational methods under Josef and Anni Albers, the emergence of Abstract Expressionism, the contributions of Buckminster Fuller, Merce Cunningham and John Cage, and the development of Black Mountain poetry.