Beverly Buchanan is best known for her mostly small-scale sculptures of Southern vernacular architecture—humble, expressive constructions made from recycled wood, tar, foam core, paint, charcoal, and metal. These dilapidated yet sturdy forms with slanted roofs, wood frames, and stilt foundations re-create the rustic folk styles of tenant farm housing—the “shotgun,” the “dogtrot,” and the “saddlebag”—that Buchanan first encountered as a child in South Carolina.

Buchanan is noted for her exploration of Southern vernacular architecture and used sourced wood scraps and foam core to build her signature “shacks.” Whether inhabited or abandoned, her structures are meant to embody the spirit of those who lived there, what she referred to as “emotional groundings.” Buchanan stated “A lot of my pieces have the word ‘ruins’ in their titles because I think that tells you this object has been through a lot and survived — that’s the idea behind the sculptures. . . it’s like, ‘Here I am; I’m still here!” 

Beverly Buchanan: Habitat for Humanity was organized by guest curator Paul Barrett.