Join Director Andrew Freear and the Rural Studio Advisory Board for the second annual Fall Feast in Hale fundraising dinner at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in Newbern, Alabama!
Hosts include Board Members: Billie Tsien, Kim Clements, Mary Margaret Jones, Rachel Judlowe, and Ted Flato.
Rural Studio needs your help. At Fall Feast, we must raise $350,000 to fund this year’s 7 student projects. The Studio relies almost entirely on gifts from folks like you. Your support enables students to design and build homes, parks, and community projects for under-resourced West Alabama. Every penny of your contribution—100%—will go to student projects.
Have a seat and support students
We have 50 chairs at the table. Join us and pull one up for yourself! Or if you can’t make it, please consider supporting this effort from afar. Your $2,500 gift will fund our vital design-build projects, keeping students learning, building, and changing the world for the better.
Please reserve a seat for yourself, perhaps even friends and family, on our Paperless Post invite RSVP page below. Be sure to make your donation below to confirm your seat.
October 3 will be a night to remember hosted by Director Andrew Freear, our tireless champion of the rural and of our students. Enjoy a delicious farm-to-table feast. Our top-notch chefs know how to bring our 50+ types of homegrown organic RS Farm veggies and fruits to life.
Come see the work while you’re in Hale County! Let us lead you on Saturday and Sunday tours of some recently completed projects and a few under construction. Learn about our latest innovations, and see first-hand how your support makes a concrete difference. If your calendar keeps you away, you can still help by using your donation to sponsor one of our local neighbors, allowing them to attend.
- Saturday, October 3 at 1:30–4:30 p.m. Optional project tour. Visit active and past projects throughout Newbern and surrounding communities.
- Saturday, October 3 at 5:00 p.m. Social Hour at Morrisette House Great Hall.
- Saturday, October 3 at 6:00 p.m. Dinner begins at Morrisette House Great Hall.
- Sunday, October 4 at 8:30–11:30 a.m. Optional project tour. Visit active and past community projects in Greensboro.
Sponsors
Location
On Saturday, meet us at our headquarters at Morrisette House, located in Newbern, AL, along Alabama Highway 61. Morrisette House is the cream/pale yellow house with a black iron gate and Auburn flag in the front yard. If you’re coming from the north, the house is 0.5 miles beyond downtown Newbern on your right. If you’re coming from the south, the house is on your left; if you reach downtown Newbern, you’ve gone too far. View our location on Google Maps.
Tips for Visiting
- Casual dress recommended.
- Wear comfortable, durable shoes. It can be quite muddy here. You may be guided through active construction sites, so please be prepared!
- You will be outside for all of the tour and meals. Bring a hat, sun protection, and a rain jacket for touring. Layers are always a good idea in the predictably unpredictable early October Hale County weather.
- Note: We’re located in a rural community with limited access to cell service and internet. Plan accordingly.
Need help with travel or accommodations?
Contact us at rstudio@auburn.edu or call 334-624-4483.
About Rural Studio
Rural Studio® is an off-campus design-build program, rooted in Hale County and part of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture of Auburn University. Our core mission is the education of our students, coupled with research on sustainable, healthful rural living through both housing and the vital systems we foster to ensure our communities thrive. We are committed to cultivating students who are both local architects and citizens of the world.
To date, Rural Studio has built more than 220 projects and educated more than 1,300 students in the Black Belt. Around four dozen students are invited to attend each year to participate in this context-based service-learning curriculum, where students live and work alongside our neighbors, finding solutions together. Our design-build program challenges students to consider not what can be built but rather what should be built.
