Kemp represents MSU College of Architecture, Art and Design at Italy’s Venice Biennale premier international exhibition

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi ��ý’s Leah Kemp, director of the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center in the College of Architecture, Art and Design, is representing the university this week during the opening of a premier international exhibition, the .

Portrait of Leah Kemp — Leah Kemp (Photo by Megan Bean)

Kemp is traveling to Venice, Italy, where MSU has a prominent presence at this year’s event with two showcases—one featuring the Small Town Center and another showcasing MSU’s Gulf Coast Community Design Studio.

The Mississippi ��ý selections are among only featured in the acclaimed architectural showcase.

The U.S. Pavilion exhibition theme “PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity,” focuses on “the porch as a central element in American architecture, highlighting its social, environmental and democratic significance.” Running May 10-Nov. 23, the exhibit is organized by the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas in collaboration with New York’s DesignConnects and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

MSU College of Architecture, Art and Design Dean Angi Bourgeois said the Venice Biennale has long been the preeminent international recognition of excellence in the world of art and design.

“It is such an incredible honor to have not one, but two projects selected as finalists. Inclusion in the Biennale is an excellent indicator of the strength of the longstanding cultural impact of the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio. I am amazingly proud of our people and their work, both of which are extremely deserving of this international acknowledgement,” Bourgeois said.

Neshoba County cabins — Neshoba County Fair cabins with porches. (Photo composite by Leah Kemp and submitted)

Kemp said inclusion in the international event elevates the university’s reputation. Her center’s exhibition model highlights the Neshoba County Fair’s public porch, which is an extension of the iconic cabin porches.

“We are delighted to be selected from over 400 applicants to shine the spotlight on the decades-long work of MSU’s Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center, and we’re thrilled that our body of work is being celebrated and recognized among other extremely talented and prominent architects,” said Kemp.

The Gulf Coast Community Design Studio exhibition showcases “Women in Construction: Claiming Power on the Porch.” It highlights two allied organizations evolved in rebuilding work following Hurricane Katrina—the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio and Women in Construction, an organization that provides skills training for women to gain employment in the construction industry. The two organizations have worked together to design and build houses, park buildings, trails and the organization’s own facility. GCCDS is lead by Director and Professor David Perkes.

The 19th International Architecture Exhibition—curated by Carlo Ratti, a top 10 most-cited scholar in urban planning and an international leading designer—is titled “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.” Ratti directs the SENSEable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For more details, visit .

Learn more about MSU’s College of Architecture, Art and Design and its academic programs at and on Facebook and Instagram @CAADatMSU. The Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center is online at , and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio is at .

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