From front to back to wraparound, the porch is a quintessential American gathering place and architectural feature. “PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity,” an exhibition from the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, has been selected by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs to represent the United States at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. “PORCH” will explore the cultural and architectural significance of porches in American culture — how this classic place connects communities across scales, geographies, and construction methods.
Peter MacKeith, dean and professor Fay Jones School; Susan Chin, principal of DesignConnects; and Rod Bigelow, executive director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, commissioned the exhibition, which will be on display at the United States Pavilion at the Biennale.
“Exploring how this classic typology shapes lives, defines communities, and enriches society, I believe our ‘PORCH’ will provide opportunities for cultural exchange and expand our understanding of the world and each other,” said Chin.
Additional collaborators on the commissioning team include Marlon Blackwell of Marlon Blackwell Architects, who is also the E. Fay Jones Chair in Architecture at the University of Arkansas; designer Stephen Burks of Stephen Burks Man Made; and landscape architects Julie Bargmann of D.I.R.T. Studio and Maura Rockcastle of Ten x Ten Studio. [Editor’s Note: Residential Design previously published a case study on Graphic House by Marlon Blackwell Architects.]
Learn more about the exhibition in the following press release from the U.S. Department of State.
‘PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity’ Exhibition to Represent the United States at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale
The Department of State announces the selection of The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, University of Arkansas, in partnership with Design Connects and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to represent the United States at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2025 with their exhibition, “PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity.”
The exhibition will focus on the representation of the United States through the contemporary manifestation of the porch in American architecture – a quintessential constructed place that is at once social and environmental, tectonic and performative, hospitable and intimate, generous and democratic. The porch is an unheralded American archetype, found at all scales in cities and towns, in every region of the country. Through an exhibition design of multiple scales, experiences, media, and engagements, the commissioners and design team intend to spotlight the character, value, and contemporary purpose of the porch in American culture across the nation.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs supports and manages the official U.S. participation at the Venice Arts and Architecture Biennale. U.S. representation at this global event ensures that the excellence, vitality, and diversity of the arts in the United States are effectively showcased abroad and provides an opportunity to engage foreign audiences to increase mutual understanding.
Continue to read about “PORCH” and the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale here from the University of Arkansas.
*Photo: From left — Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design; Susan Chin, principal of DesignConnects; and Rod Bigelow, executive director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art