Samuel Mockbee
Encyclopedia
Samuel "Sambo" Mockbee was an American architect
and a co-founder of the Auburn University
Rural Studio
program in Hale County, Alabama
.
Mockbee's architectural partnership with Coleman Coker
was recognized for an ingenious and quirky brand of regionalism
.
. He served two years in the U.S. Army as an artillery
officer
at Fort Benning, Georgia. He enrolled at Auburn University
and was graduated from the School of Architecture in 1974. Mockbee interned in Columbus, Georgia
before returning to Mississippi in 1977, where he formed a partnership with his classmate and friend, Thomas Goodman.
A growing sense of connection with rural
places and a respect for the disadvantaged people who inhabit them, led Mockbee, along with D. K. Ruth, to found the Rural Studio program at Auburn University
. That program became widely acclaimed for introducing students to the social responsibilities of architectural practice and for providing safe, well-constructed, and inspirational buildings to the communities of West Alabama
. In many cases these buildings, designed and built by students, incorporate novel materials which otherwise, would be considered waste. The buildings often consist of a combination of vernacular architecture
with modernist
forms.
In 1993 Mockbee was awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
to work toward the publication of his book, The Nurturing of Culture in the Rural South An Architectonic Documentary.
In 1998, Mockbee was diagnosed with leukemia
. After a strong and near miraculous recovery, he went on to accept awards and recognition for his work including the MacArthur Foundation
Genius Grant, but fell to a relapse of the disease three years later.
Mockbee was nominated posthumously for the American Institute of Architects
(AIA) Gold Medal
in 2003. No Gold Medal was awarded that year, but the following year, the medal was awarded to Mockbee.
Some of Mockbee's work was selected by Lawrence Rinder
to be part of the Whitney Museum of Art 2002 Biennial.
David Moos
curated an exhibition on Mockbee at the Birmingham Museum of Art
in Birmingham, Alabama
, which was in its planning stages when Mockbee died. The exhibition was named, Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio: Community Architecture. This retrospective was intended to be a celebration, but because of his death, became a memorial and tribute.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and a co-founder of the Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
Rural Studio
Rural Studio
The Rural Studio is a design-build architecture studio run by Auburn University which aims to teach students about the social responsibilities of the profession of architecture while also providing safe, well-constructed and inspirational homes and buildings for poor communities in rural west...
program in Hale County, Alabama
Hale County, Alabama
Hale County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Confederate officer Stephen Fowler Hale. As of 2010 the population was 15,760. Its county seat is Greensboro and it is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.
Mockbee's architectural partnership with Coleman Coker
Coleman Coker
Coleman Coker, born in 1951 in Memphis Tennessee, is an American architect who is best known for his work at the Bridges Center in 2005.- Biography :...
was recognized for an ingenious and quirky brand of regionalism
Regionalism (art)
Regionalism is an American realist modern art movement that was popular during the 1930s. The artistic focus was from artists who shunned city life, and rapidly developing technological advances, to create scenes of rural life...
.
Biography
Mockbee was born in Meridian, MississippiMeridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. He served two years in the U.S. Army as an artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
at Fort Benning, Georgia. He enrolled at Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
and was graduated from the School of Architecture in 1974. Mockbee interned in Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
before returning to Mississippi in 1977, where he formed a partnership with his classmate and friend, Thomas Goodman.
A growing sense of connection with rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
places and a respect for the disadvantaged people who inhabit them, led Mockbee, along with D. K. Ruth, to found the Rural Studio program at Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
. That program became widely acclaimed for introducing students to the social responsibilities of architectural practice and for providing safe, well-constructed, and inspirational buildings to the communities of West Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. In many cases these buildings, designed and built by students, incorporate novel materials which otherwise, would be considered waste. The buildings often consist of a combination of vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
with modernist
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
forms.
In 1993 Mockbee was awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, based in Chicago, supports the arts, architecture, and institutions through public programs, and grants for projects....
to work toward the publication of his book, The Nurturing of Culture in the Rural South An Architectonic Documentary.
In 1998, Mockbee was diagnosed with leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. After a strong and near miraculous recovery, he went on to accept awards and recognition for his work including the MacArthur Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
Genius Grant, but fell to a relapse of the disease three years later.
Mockbee was nominated posthumously for the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
(AIA) Gold Medal
AIA Gold Medal
The AIA Gold Medal is awarded by the American Institute of Architects conferred "by the national AIA Board of Directors in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture."...
in 2003. No Gold Medal was awarded that year, but the following year, the medal was awarded to Mockbee.
Some of Mockbee's work was selected by Lawrence Rinder
Lawrence Rinder
Lawrence R. Rinder is the Director of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive , a position to which he was appointed in 2008.Previously, he was the Dean of the College at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco...
to be part of the Whitney Museum of Art 2002 Biennial.
David Moos
David Moos
David Moos is the Curator of Contemporary Art at AGO Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.Moos went to Jesse Ketchum Public School in Yorkville, Toronto and then went on to Jarvis Collegiate, he received a doctorate in art history from Columbia University and is a contributing editor to Art Papers...
curated an exhibition on Mockbee at the Birmingham Museum of Art
Birmingham Museum of Art
Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama today has one of the finest collections in the Southeast US, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing a numerous diverse cultures, including Asian, European, American,...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, which was in its planning stages when Mockbee died. The exhibition was named, Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio: Community Architecture. This retrospective was intended to be a celebration, but because of his death, became a memorial and tribute.
External links
- Official Website: samuelmockbee.net
- Mockbee biography at the Rural Studio website.
- Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio (2010 PBS documentary film)
- Rural Studio Film
- National Building Museum 2004, Washington D. C.
- http://www.colemancoker.com/