▁Carolina , ▁where ▁the ▁couple ▁was ▁invited ▁by ▁Philip ▁Johnson ▁to ▁teach ▁at ▁the ▁experimental ▁Black ▁Mountain ▁College , ▁arriv ing ▁states ide ▁in ▁November ▁ 1 9 3 3 . ▁Al bers ▁served ▁as ▁an ▁assistant ▁professor ▁of ▁art . ▁  The ▁school ▁was ▁focused ▁on ▁" learning ▁by ▁doing " ▁or ▁" hand s ▁on ▁learning ." ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 4 0 s ▁when ▁Al bers ▁moved ▁class rooms ▁and ▁the ▁lo oms ▁were ▁not ▁yet ▁set ▁up , ▁she ▁had ▁her ▁students ▁go ▁outside ▁and ▁find ▁their ▁own ▁we aving ▁materials . ▁This ▁was ▁a ▁basic ▁exercise ▁on ▁material ▁and ▁structure . ▁Al bers ▁regularly ▁experiment ed ▁with ▁different ▁material ▁in ▁her ▁work ▁and ▁this ▁allowed ▁the ▁students ▁to ▁imagine ▁what ▁it ▁might ▁have ▁been ▁like ▁for ▁the ▁ancient ▁we a vers . ▁An ni ▁and ▁Josef ▁Al bers ▁both ▁taught ▁at ▁Black ▁Mountain ▁until ▁ 1 9 4 9 . ▁During ▁these ▁years ▁Al bers ' s ▁design ▁work , ▁including ▁we av ings , ▁were ▁shown ▁throughout ▁the ▁US . ▁She ▁received ▁her ▁US ▁citizens hip ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 7 . ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 0 ▁and ▁ 1 9 4 1 , ▁Al bers ▁co - cur ated ▁a ▁travel ing ▁exhibition ▁on ▁j ew el ry ▁from ▁household ▁with ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁Black ▁Mountain ▁students , ▁Alex ▁Re ed , ▁that ▁opened ▁in ▁the ▁Will ard ▁Gallery ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 9 ,