Exhibit: Samuel Mockbee

“Samuel Mockbee and The Rural Studio: Community Architecture”, on display at the Scottsdale (AZ) Museum of Contemporary Art until January 2, 2005, celebrates the public service-minded work of little-known architect Samuel Mockbee, who died three years ago. An idealistic, subversive architect who was totally committed to civics, recycled materials, and community participation, he launched the Rural Studio at Alabama’s Auburn University in 1993, which still teaches students to build structures in the poorest communities of Alabama—a hands-on way of improving other people’s lives. The exhibit features six large-scale paintings, project models and photographs, and—most impressively--a temple constructed from recycled carpet and a pavilion assembled from hay bales that viewers can enter into. ::SMoCA