Building a Better Future
Rural Studio Builds Character, Homes and Hope
By Justin Black
Auburn University’s Rural Studio is an architecture program created in 1993 to do two important things. First, it worked to improve the living conditions of people throughout rural Alabama, particularly in the impoverished Black Belt region.
Secondly, it served to give Auburn University architecture students an opportunity to gain some valuable hands-on experience.
In Rural Studio’s self-defining statement, it states: “To most, the measure Rural Studio is in its built projects; but in reality, its success is measured by its effect upon the lives of the faculty, students, families, and communities it touches.” Rural Studio is about “sharing the sweat.”
Making Their Mark
By Jordan Carnell
Her journey began, winding down the seemingly never ending country roads passing one catfish pond after the other. She approached a sign reading “Welcome to Newbern.” As she pulled into the driveway, she knew she had arrived. There was an Auburn University flag welcoming them on the front porch.
The frigid air nipped at her face as she begins to unload her belongings into the pod that she would now call her home. “I realized someone forgot to turn on the heat. This is so typical I thought. What are we doing here?” she thought. Newbern, Ala., is a small in town in Hale County, population 231. It is in the heart of Alabama’s Black Belt, which consists of some of the poorest counties in the United States. According to the Census figures, the median household income is $20,000.
Secondly, it served to give Auburn University architecture students an opportunity to gain some valuable hands-on experience.
In Rural Studio’s self-defining statement, it states: “To most, the measure Rural Studio is in its built projects; but in reality, its success is measured by its effect upon the lives of the faculty, students, families, and communities it touches.” Rural Studio is about “sharing the sweat.”
The Salvation Army in Lee County
By Tuan Anh Huynh
The Salvation Army, a United Way agency, has a social service center in Lee County in Opelika.
The Salvation Army has programs for shelters, hospitals and clinics, counseling programs, employment services, social services, thrift stores and disaster relief programs among many other things, according to Frank Bock, Lee County Services Director for the Salvation Army. In 2006, the Opelika service center helped 5,701 individuals and 3,024 families.
Students Stitch “Blessing” for Quilter
By Evie Maddox
Down a long stretch of Highway 14 near Waverly, Ala., a dirt driveway leads up to a cluttered yard. On the left side of this yard, the remnants of a home cover the ground like a puddle of old wood. Nearby a garden, filled with violet flowers and vegetables seems lonely.
This was the home place of 73-year-old Mozell Benson, one she had to leave as “the wind came and took it all down.”
On the right side sits a brand new wooden building that looks like it doesn’t belong. It isn’t a home, but a modern building designed to honor an old Southern art. It is a quilting studio.
Benson will be able to go home soon, bringing her artistic talent back to the community where she grew up. When she comes home, she will work and teach others in the new studio that Benson calls calls “a blessing.”
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Last updated May 03, 2007May 03, 2007May 03, 2007May 03, 2007