Eva Zhitlowsky

Photograph included with student application. Courtesy of Western Regional Archives

Photograph of textile work by Zhitlowsky. Photo by Claude Stoller. Courtesy of Western Regional Archives.

FOCUS

Art/ Design/ Craft

ROLE

Student

ATTENDANCE

1939 - 1942

BIRTH

1920-05-14

Bronxville, NY

Eva Carina Zhitlowsky studied weaving and textile design at the college for the 1940-1941 school year. She noted in her application that she was interested in writing and theater work, and to learn as much French as possible. She excelled in her weaving classes and many of her works were used in publications sharing about the weaving program at Black Mountain.

Alternative Names: "Eve" and Eva/ Eve Milton

Asheville Art Museum Collection

Writings about Eva can be seen in digitized college bulletins on Asheville Art Museum's collection website: collection.ashevilleart.org. They can be found by searching these accession numbers:

2017.40.353 Image of "Experiment for Drapery Material" shared in an article about handweaving at Black Mountain College. She is also listed in a playbill for costume work on Le Medecin Malgre Luil (The Physician in Spite of Himself) by Moliere, 2017.40.274

Black Mountain College Project

Mary Emma Harris interviewed Eva in 1998 and the transcript is available from Appalachian State University under The Mary Emma Harris and Black Mountain College Project, Inc. Oral History collection.

Topics: Problems with health care system – hearing about BMC and mother’s work in progressive education – family background – Hessian Hills school – first trip by trainto BMC – Dick Andrews and narrow guage railways – general curriculum – Fred Mangold as advisor and personality – Anni Albers weaving class – construction of Studies Building – close community relationships at BMC – Erwin Straus conflict – discussion of college integration – Emil Willimetz – student teaching in mountain school – mountain hiking – work program – Frances Goldman – Highlander Folk School – post-BMC professional work – BMC community in New York – family and political life

Courses Taken

Course card Fall 1939-1940: Psychological Problems with Straus, Survey of FrenchLiterature with Mangold, Shakespeare with Kurtz, Introductory Weaving with A. Albers.

Course card Spring 1939-1940: Psychological Problems with Straus, Introductory Surveyof French Literature with Mangold, Introductory Weaving with A. Albers, PlayProduction with Wunsch, Shop.

Course card Fall 1940-1941: Advanced Weaving with Page, Contemporary Architecture and Architecture Drawing with Kocher, Psychology of the Human World with Straus, Introductory Economics with Gothe, and International Relations with Babcock.

Course card Spring 1940-1941: Drawing with Reed, Contemporary Architecture with Kocher, Contemporary Architecture Drawing with Kocker, Werklehre with Reed,Psychology of the Human World with Straus, Advanced Weaving with Anni Albers,Chorus with Jalowetz.

Course card Fall 1941-1942: Advanced Weaving with Anni Albers, Drawing I and II with J. Albers, Color I with J. Albers, Werklehre with J. Albers, Women’s A Cappella Chorus with Jalowetz, Plastics Workshop with Gregory, Discussion of Art Studies with Albers, Tutorial in Art History with Boyden.

Course Card Spring 1941-1942: Drawing I and II with J. Albers, Color and Werklehre with J. Albers, AdvancedWeaving with A. Albers, Discussion of Art Studies with Albers, A Cappella Chorus with Jalowetz, Art History Tutorial with Boyden

Eva Zhitlowsky Chenille Cotton Weaving, photo by Claude Stoller.Eva Zhitlowsky Weaving.Josef Albers class, with Jane Slater and Eva Zhitlowsky.
Photograph of author

Author

Amanda Hartman

Amanda Hartman is the creator of BMC Yearbook, serving as the lead director, engineer, and researcher. She holds a MLIS in archive/ collections management, MA in art/ museum education, and BA in design. After working in museums and archives for a decade, she made the transition to tech and is now a software developer specializing in applications for museums, archives, and higher education.

Her interest in Black Mountain College began while working as a digital archivist with the Asheville Art Museum's BMC archive collection. She transcribed and digitized over 1500 documents created by the college. While working closely with these archives, she began independent research on the interracial program and Negro Week activities BMC, writing biographies of lesser known students and staff members. That research transformed into this BMC Yearbook project.

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