MSU鈥檚 Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center, Gulf Coast Community Design Studio featured in Italy鈥檚 famous Venice Biennale
Contact: Allison Matthews
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擝oth Mississippi 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio are selections among featured this year in Venice, Italy, at the , a premier international architectural showcase.
The U.S. Pavilion exhibition theme for 鈥淧ORCH: An Architecture of Generosity,鈥 focuses on 鈥渢he porch as a central element in American architecture, highlighting its social, environmental and democratic significance.鈥 Running May 10-Nov. 23, the exhibit is organized by the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas in collaboration with DesignConnects and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
MSU College of Architecture, Art and Design Dean Angi Bourgeois said the Venice Biennale has long been the preeminent international recognition of excellence in the world of art and design.
鈥淚t is such an incredible honor to have not one, but two projects selected as finalists. Inclusion in the Biennale is an excellent indicator of the strength of the longstanding cultural impact of the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio.聽I am amazingly proud of our people and their work, both of which are extremely deserving of this international acknowledgement,鈥 Bourgeois said.
Small Town Center Director Leah Kemp said inclusion in the international event also elevates the university鈥檚 reputation. Her center鈥檚 exhibition model highlights the Neshoba County Fair鈥檚 public porch, which is an extension of the iconic cabin porches.
鈥淲e are delighted to be selected from over 400 applicants to shine the spotlight on the decades-long work of MSU鈥檚 Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center, and we鈥檙e thrilled that our body of work is being celebrated and recognized among other extremely talented and prominent architects,鈥 said Kemp. She explained that the center鈥檚 architectural research about the Neshoba County Fair began at the center鈥檚 inception with the 1989 book 鈥淭he Neshoba County Fair: Place and Paradox in Mississippi.鈥 The biennale model is an extension of the initial research. She thanked project advisor Michael Berk, retired MSU School of Architecture director emeritus, as well as architect Fran Pharis and Building Services Coordinator Scott Hudspeth for their significant contributions.
The Gulf Coast Community Design Studio exhibition showcases 鈥Women in Construction: Claiming Power on the Porch.鈥 It highlights two allied organizations evolved in rebuilding work following Hurricane Katrina鈥攖he Gulf Coast Community Design Studio and Women in Construction, an organization that provides skills training for women to gain employment in the construction industry. The two organizations have worked together to design and build houses, park buildings, trails and the organization鈥檚 own facility.
Professor David Perkes, who serves as GCCDS director, said the collaborative, mutually beneficial work resulted in a showcase for the high-caliber work women can accomplish in the construction field.
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition鈥curated by Carlo Ratti, a top 10 most-cited scholar in urban planning and an international leading designer鈥is titled 鈥淚ntelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.鈥 Ratti directs the SENSEable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For more details, visit .
Learn more about MSU鈥檚 College of Architecture, Art and Design and its academic programs at聽聽and on聽Facebook and Instagram @CAADatMSU. The Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center is online at , and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio is at .
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