As part of the “TIME SPACE EXISTENCE” exhibition at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, The European Cultural Center is presenting ‘A SOUTH FORTY: Contemporary Architecture and Design in the American South‘ at the Palazzo Mora.

Showcasing work from nearly 40 firms, A SOUTH FORTY celebrates the development of architecture and design along the contour of US Highway 40.  A partnership between the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design, modus studio and Oxford American, the exhibit tells a story of “place-based design, attentive to the necessities of climate, materials, labor and purpose, but also attentive to overlooked or undervalued typologies, constituencies and locales.” The exhibit is on display until November 21.

Additionally, Oxford American will feature A SOUTH FORTY in the journal’s annual summer issue, focusing on the idea of “place” in culture of the American South. The exhibition itself takes cues from Oxford American’s issue highlighting the music of the American South and proposes that design and the built environment is as reflective and definitive of the culture and values of society as the forms of music that animate society.

It is an immense honor to be part of this exhibition alongside so many firms we admire; we are forever grateful for the invitation to participate. For more information about the meaning of A SOUTH FORTY, the exhibit and participating firms, please visit www.asouthforty.org. Our thanks go to Peter MacKeith and the team at Fay Jones, modus studio and Oxford American for facilitating and curating this exhibit.