S|ARC, February 2022

Greetings from the Barn!

2022 is off to a busy start, with celebrations that include:

These awards may be just one indication of why MSU S|ARC is a program in demand – our early application deadline resulted in a record-high number of accepted students for fall 2022. The firms at the Career Fair echoed this interest, with employers stating their preference for hiring our graduates. While we know we produce a great product, we are continuing to address ways to advance what we offer. We are reviewing our mission and strategic plan as well as exploring new degrees for both undergraduate and graduate students. The opportunities are great, and we look forward to an incredible future.

group poses in Charlotte and Richard McNeel Gallery in Giles Hall with red tape on the floor — Housing Insecurity Exhibit reception

Our students are more engaged than ever. We started on reviews of the studio culture policies, are organizing the build for the student lounge, and our student organizations have a full slate of events for the spring. Our fourth-year studio visited a project site in Jackson and the Jackson Center, and a second-year studio cohort traveled to Mound Bayou for field measuring. Our third-year collaborative studio, which is working with Habitat for Humanity, is traveling to Jackson Precast and the Jackson Center soon. The Harrison lectures and an Aydelott Travel Award Show have shared intriguing perspectives on architecture. The Housing Insecurity exhibit opened to amazing reviews; this undergraduate research effort conveys moving accounts of those facing the uncertainty of basic shelter. The first-year studio is planning a field trip to Dallas and Fort Worth in early March, and other years have scheduled field trips for April.

people gathered for reception in the Charlotte and Richard McNeel Gallery — CAAD Career Reception

With every activity, I am aware of and thankful for the support of our alumni. I appreciate all the MSU S|ARC graduates who spoke with our students at the Career Fair and all the job offers reported to me since then. I am grateful for all the donations, from scholarships to studio and school funds. I am thankful for alumni like Ted Porter, Janet Marie Smith, and Burris/Wagnon Architects, whose donations help bridge the needs of students during field trips. Firms such as JBHM, Eley Guild Hardy, and JH&H Architects make a huge difference to our students through their gracious sponsorships of meals during studio day trips. The MSU S|ARC family is a special one.

All the best,

Karen Spence signature

Karen Cordes Spence, Ph.D., AIA, LEED AP

Director and F.L. Crane Professor

Design
Beyond the Studio

Student Lounge

For years, students have recognized a need for a lounge in Giles. Such a space would allow them to take a break from studio without leaving the building, offering a place to get a bite to eat, talk with friends, or even study for class. Winter break provided an opportunity to have a competition asking for proposals, and Elle Mason’s vision for this was selected as the winning entry. The design offers two tables with booth seating and a space for drinks and snacks, but most of all creates an environment that is distinct and separate from studios.

Africatown Competition

Members of the National Organization of Minority Chapter of Students (NOMAS) here at MSU’s School of 91�� are participating as a team in the Africatown International Design Idea Competition. This worldwide design competition is a multi-site competition that seeks architectural concepts using African design principles, creative placemaking and world-class destination planning. Winning designs should honor the Africatown story; anchor current and future redevelopment plans; preserve Africatown’s unique cultural identity; and spark community economic revitalization. The driving design concept is Afrofuturism. The Africatown story is of the descendants of the last slave ship, The Clotilda, which brought 110 kidnapped West Africans to Mobile, Alabama in 1860. Unable to return to their homeland, 32 of the Africans formed and governed their own community in 1865 and called it Africatown. The Africatown International Design Competition leverages the spectacular Clotilda discovery to give multi-disciplinary design teams a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to imagine a revived Africatown, and reverse generations of benign neglect and industrial encroachment. Winning designs will be announced on Juneteenth, June 19, 2023. The following students make up the design team: Jasmine Topps, Julvian Cattledge, Montero Barton, Brandon Jones, Chester Mitchell, Kristin Rice, Andrew Beckwith, DuJuan Brown, and Jared Woullard. NOMAS faculty advisors are Silvina Lopez-Barrera and Christopher S. Hunter, Ph.D.

Faculty
Spotlight

Welcome, Dr. Bimal Balakrishnan!

Bimal Balakrishnan is Mississippi State’s new associate dean of research for the 91��. Before beginning his new role at the state’s leading university this semester, Balakrishnan served since 2018 as chair of architectural studies at the University of Missouri, where he taught for 10 years and was the founding director of the Immersive Visualization Lab. He holds a Ph.D. in mass communication and a graduate minor in applied statistics, as well as a master’s degree in architecture with a digital design emphasis, all from Pennsylvania State University. His undergraduate degree in architecture is from the University of Kerala in Trivandrum, India.

Outreach

Design Discovery Delta Workshop

The School of 91�� at MSU is pleased to announce the creation of the Design Discovery Delta Workshop. This workshop is a scaled-down, two-day version of the annual weeklong Design Discovery Camp, also organized by the MSU School of 91��. It is sponsored by a generous donor, to be announced soon. The intent of this outreach effort is to introduce architecture as a professional opportunity to interested high school students living in the Mississippi Delta. The workshop, like the camp, shall be run by current architectural students of MSU. This effort is in partnership with Angela Courtney of the Alex-Foundation, an organization whose mission is to engage students to consider careers and entrepreneurial opportunities in architecture and design. The workshop shall be offered in Lake Village, Arkansas, on Monday, June 13th and Tuesday June, 14, 2022, immediately following the camp.

Design Discovery

Alumni
Spotlight

Congratulations to Tall Architects!

We are thrilled that have been named as “Next Progressives” in the February edition of Architect magazine! Madison and Mark Talley’s five-person firm in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, takes on architecture that offers a contemporary approach to the South and the Gulf Coast. Their work has earned AIA Mississippi awards as well as recognition from ArchDaily. Congratulations, Madison and Mark!

Housing Insecurity in Mississippi
Inside the Gallery

In an architecture elective on Housing Insecurity last fall, Assistant Professors Silvina Lopez-Barrera and Kateryna Malaia taught undergraduates how to record oral histories. Fieldwork involved interviews of Mississippians caught in inadequate and unsecure living conditions, shedding light on the housing insecurity crisis. Housing is often discussed as a problem on the coasts, but this examination recognizes that that no region or locality escapes this issue. Oral histories and architectural documentation were collected and produced by architecture students Camille Bohannon, Elisa Castaneda, Reagan Douglass, Lucas Elder, Michael Herndon, Jessica Kiger, Sam Marcus, Sarah Mixon, Caroline Prather, Alysia Williams, and Savannah Wilson. The show will be in the Charlotte and Richard McNeel Gallery in Giles Hall through March before moving to other venues.

Learn more

Your Support is Appreciated
A SARC Wish List

Several alumni have inquired about a Wish List for S|ARC. I am grateful for all the support that has been given, and happy to offer some ideas for those of you who wish to help. We are open to assistance of all kinds—everything from small donations to our general fund to studio sponsorships is welcome. If you’d like to speak more about any of the following, please do not hesitate to reach out to me:

Studio Sponsorships (usually $5,000/year for 5 years—named studios provide travel, supplies, and guest lecture opportunities)
Event Sponsorships (events such as Book of the Semester need basic travel stipends for an author, for example--$1,000 to $1,500 would be a solid base for any activity)
Digital Displays, for use in the studios
Final Review Critic Funding ($500 to $750 helps bring in individuals who leave excited to share the high-quality work presented at S|ARC)
Student Lounge Funding (funds for snacks during final presentation preparations--$100 to $250 will cover a semester)
Support for Software licenses
Support for the Externship program (travel funds for students who work in a firm over spring break, for example)
Study Abroad Scholarships
General Funding Support of any amount (like a good gift card, this is always welcome!)

The MSU Foundation has been helping review the funds we are thankful to have, which has helped understand our current support. Our goal is to use these funds wisely to grow opportunities for our students and program, putting every penny to its best use. Thank you for asking for a Wish List and thank you for all the support you provide! It is recognized and appreciated!