The Rural Studio was established in 1993 by Samuel Mockbee and Dennis K Ruth. Students live with the local community in the isolated rural context of Hale County, Alabama, one of the poorest regions in the US. The goal is to heighten the students' social conscience while providing them with 'hands-on' experience in designing and building homes and community structures for clients living well below the poverty line. AA graduate Andrew Freear moved to the small community of Newbern, West Alabama six years ago in order to direct the Rural Studio. Freear continues Mockbees mission to enable students to cross the threshold of misconceived opinions. The work of the studio has been widely published and exhibited.