Warren "Pete" and Elizabeth "Betty" Schmitt Jennerjahn Papers, PC.7061

[Identification of item,] PC.7061, Warren "Pete" and Elizabeth "Betty" Schmitt Jennerjahn Papers, State Archives of North Carolina, Western Regional Archives, Asheville, NC, USA.

The Warren "Pete" and Elizabeth "Betty" Schmitt Jennerjahn Papers contain correspondence, sketchbooks, academic transcripts, drawings, and recipts.

Warren "Pete" Jennerjahn (1922 - 2020) and Elizabeth "Betty" Schmitt Jennerjahn (1923 - 2007) grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they attended Milwaukee State Teacher's College.

Betty's father, Rupert Schmitt, specialized in ecclesiastical design, especially in stained glass windows. She envisioned becoming a stained-glass artist and was eager to study under Josef Albers, at Black Mountain College (BMC). In 1944, Betty attended the Black Mountain's Summer Art Institute. However, after meeting Merce Cunningham, she became interested in dance. In 1945, Betty left BMC to study dance in New York with Martha Graham.

Pete enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and served in Europe during World War II. When he returned to the states, he and Betty married, and Pete went back to school on the G.I. Bill. He earned an art education degree from Milwaukee State University and a master's degree in art at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

After graduating, Pete hoped to land a teaching position. While waiting for offers, Pete and Betty worked at her father's firm, Conrad Schmitt Studio. After a year with no prospects, Betty persuaded Pete to enroll at Black Mountain College. The couple arrived in the summer of 1948.

That fall, Pete was both student and an assistant to Josef Albers. In the spring and summer of 1949, he was an instructor in art. In the fall of 1949, he was appointed to the faculty to teach art. In addition to being an artist, Jennerjahn was a jazz musician. At Betty's suggestion, Pete taught a percussion class that drew many students and faculty members.

From the fall of 1948 through the summer of 1949, Betty was a student teacher in dance, and in the fall of 1949, she was appointed to the dance faculty. She took a leave-of-absence in the summer of 1951 but remained at the college for the summer to study with Katherine Litz.

During their tenure at BMC, the Jennerjahns introduced the campus to the multi-disciplinary avant-garde Light, Sound, Movement Workshop.

Pete remained at BMC through the spring of 1951, when he left the college to study art in France. Betty joined him later that year and studied dance. It was while they were in Europe that the two experienced what they had been missing while in Black Mountain - the ability to live life together as a couple. The community environment and hectic schedules at BMC gobbled up much of their time, and while they managed to often share meals together, they lacked the ability to grow together.

After their year abroad, the couple returned to the U.S. and settled in New York City. Pete taught art at Hunter College and the Cooper Union. After he was offered a position at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. the family moved to Long Island. Following the birth of their son, Hans, Betty put her dance career on hold and began experimenting with painting and weaving, creative outlets that allowed her to spend more time with her children. For many years, Betty taught at the Waldorf School of Garden City.
In the 1980s, brought changes to their lives. Pete and Betty became born again Christians and drew much inspiration from the many blessings bestowed upon them. They also left New York and moved to Arizona.

Pete Jennerjahn's art has been shown in over three hundred exhibitions in sixteen states, as well as Paris and Madrid.