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When Rauschenberg was training as a minister, studying pharmacy and serving as a Marine, he had no idea that he would later be part of a revolution in art. He used the GI Bill to study art in Paris but yearned for an art form more inventive and less serious than the ubiquitous Abstract Expressionism he encountered. Upon his return to the U.S., he found himself among a multi-faceted group of artists at Black Mountain College where his creativity was fueled by visionaries such as the composer John Cage, dancer Merce Cunningham and architect Buckminster Fuller. His work incorporated non-traditional elements like house paint, inked tire treads and stuffed goats which culminated in his famous collages and performance pieces. His experimentation opened a new approach for artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.