Donald Alter Biography
Date of Birth: 20 October 1930
Place of Birth: Bronx, New York
Profession: Artist and Textile Designer
Education: Black Mountain College 1948-1950; Summer Sessions 1950 and 1951
Donald Alter grew up as a first-generation American in the Bronx. He attended the High School of Music and Art in New York, which was where he heard about Black Mountain College. Following graduation, he set out for an adventure of a lifetime at Black Mountain College.
Black Mountain College is now regarded as one of the most prestigious and experimental, liberal arts colleges of the period. At Black Mountain College, Don took a general curriculum with an emphasis in the arts. He studied Drawing, Painting, and Color with Josef Albers, and studied Textile Design with Anni Albers and Trude Guermonprez. Donald later studied Drawing and Painting with Joseph Fiore, and studied Design with Warren "Pete" Jennerjahn. Donald was also active in the Light Sound Movement Workshop taught by Betty and Pete Jennerjahn. On the Black Mountain Farm, Donald fed the cows and drove the "half-ton military truck." Black Mountain College introduced Donald to visual concepts and color theories that can be seen throughout his portfolio.
Donald left Black Mountain after the 1951 Summer Session and was drafted into the Army. He was trained as an artillery forward observer but was later assigned as an artist to design training aids. During this time Donald could be found with a sketchbook in hand, capture the faces and emotions of his fellow soldiers.
When Donald was released from the Army, he enrolled at Pratt Institute in New York to continue his studies in Textile Design. In 1955, he and two other designers opened a studio, New Line Designers. Donald later formed his own textile design business, Design Logic. His designs were prepared for use as home furnishing textile fabrics and wallpapers. Donald's business flourished and reached levels of international distribution. There was a time when Donald's abstract and floral designs could be found in homes around the world.
Since his retirement in 1990, Don has concentrated on his paintings. Themes of design, color composition, and abstraction remain in his contemporary work. While the subject matter of Donald's work is varied and vast, it is uniquely that of Donald Alter. His experiences at Black Mountain, in the military, and in the fast-paced textile design world have shaped his work to be emotive and narrative while remaining balanced and skillful.
Powered by Artwork Archive