Rural Witnesses Exhibition - 701 CCA (Center for Contemporary Art)
April 10 - June 15, 2025

Clemson University School of Architecture is excited to announce "Rural Witnesses: Retracing and Reimagining Rural Architecture," an upcoming exhibition in collaboration with Partners of Place (PoP) and 701 Center for Contemporary Art (701CCA).

The Rural Witnesses exhibition is a living archive that catalogs and celebrates rural spaces, recognizing them not as static relics but as active participants in a narrative of transformation. These witnesses, whether they are weathered farmhouses or expansive fields, carry the imprints of generational labor, cultural heritage and environmental shifts. They whisper tales of struggle and survival, of oppression and resilience, illuminating the complex and deeply rooted relationships between people and land in the rural South.

By retracing the layers of this rural vernacular, the School, PoP and 701CCA aim to ask not only what these spaces are but also how they have evolved through community knowledge, local materials and the natural limits that shaped them. While the "why they are the way they are" is well-documented, the deeper exploration of this exhibition lies in uncovering how these slow, evolutionary processes—driven by scarcity, climate and folk ingenuity—created spaces defined by necessity and adaptation. The paradox emerges when technology, urbanization and other forces intervene, challenging the very essence of the vernacular. Instead of proposing top-down re-imaginations that risk detaching these places from their roots, the exhibition explores how understanding the policies, power dynamics and disparities that influenced their development can inspire more grounded, community-driven visions for the future. This approach respects the vernacular as an organic outcome, embracing its history while considering its potential evolution.

Through the exhibition, the School, PoP and 701CCA aim to explore how rural architecture and life can evolve in response to technological innovation and global economic pressures while remaining grounded in the social and environmental context of the South. The exhibition considers how the forces of climate, geography, culture and economy intersect to shape the future of rural spaces. Through this lens, we ask: How can new planning strategies and architectural imagination foster resilience and economic growth? How can rural spaces—long defined by their isolation and often by poverty—become dynamic centers of innovation and cultural preservation?

The School invites you to attend the exhibition's opening night on April 10 at 701CCA, located at:

701 Whaley Street
Second Floor
Columbia, SC 29201

The School will release a full schedule of events later this Spring semester.

Learn more and download the flyer: https://www.partnersofplace.com/projects/rural-witnesses-exhibition