The former campus of Black Mountain College (BMC) has been named one of just 10 sites in the World Monuments Fund's new Irreplaceable America initiative, launched ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary to spotlight historic places that have shaped the American story.

Founded in 1933, BMC became one of the country's most influential experimental liberal arts schools, championing hands-on learning and attracting artists like composer John Cage, modern art visionary Robert Rauschenberg, architect Buckminster Fuller, and sculptor Ruth Asawa.

Just off the shore of Lake Eden stood the Studies Building, originally envisioned by Bauhaus architects Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. BMC's philosophy was to learn by doing, and that included raising the building. It was constructed in the early 1940s by students and staff using local materials. Today, the building sits vacant and in deteriorating condition, as preservationists work to raise $18 million to restore it as an arts hub.

The school likely won't remind you of your good ol' college days. There were no grades and little structure. The college wasn't accredited. And it only existed for 24 years. But within the walls of that building, artists redefined modern art and how it would be taught for decades to come.

Learn more and meet the artists of BMC.