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  • Mack-Erb's master's research

Rural design within reach: Sierra Mack-Erb's master's research

By: Ella Woodruff

Monday, May 05, 2025

Residents discussing future site plans with the local resource team members at the Citizens’ Institute for Rural Design local design workshop in Sunnyside, Washington (population just over 16,000). This image was featured in the spring exhibition, “Rural Perspectives on Design,” hosted by the Rachel Cooper Art Gallery.  Courtesy Illinois State University Newsroom

Source: Illinois State University News

March 18 marked the debut of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program’s spring addition to the Rachel Cooper Art Gallery. Designed by Sierra Mack-Erb (she/they), the collection focused on highlighting the placemaking and design efforts of rural communities, which are often under-resourced but asset-rich, and exceptionally creative and resilient.

Mack-Erb explained that her exhibit displays artifacts and arranged materials from the Citizens’ Institute for Rural Design (CIRD) and the rural communities they partner with. The exhibit translated Mack-Erb’s master’s research on the value and utility of design according to rural communities into a multimedia exhibit, a research study she conducted in partnership with CIRD through an 11-month professional practice.

Sierra Mack-Erb began their academic career at Indiana University, graduating with a B.A. in design from the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture, and Design, with a concentration in studio art. Today, they are finishing their M.S. in cultural anthropology with a certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies as an Applied Community and Economic Development fellow. Between earning their B.A. and M.S., Sierra worked professionally as a designer for several years and completed two terms of national service with AmeriCorps VISTA.

The exhibit provided background information on Mack-Erb’s study and the CIRD program, including a map of the rural communities and participants involved in their study. Combining photography from CIRD’s rural design workshops with excerpts from her interviews, Mack-Erb created impactful collages that showcase the diversity and creativity of rural America. “The photos and text interact to build a fuller picture of the diversity of rural places, people, and perspectives involved in the study,” Mack-Erb stated. The exhibit also included design books that CIRD produces and flyers made by participating rural communities.

Influenced by the places she has lived, Mack-Erb has embraced a “place-based mindset,” meaning her career has followed where she wants to live. “Where I’m from has influenced my path … It seems I have always been trying to get back home.” Mack-Erb has been able to live and explore areas that are culturally and geographically different from her hometown in rural southern Indiana. “I’ve learned many lessons about the indelible ties between people and place. This path has also led me to work with rural people and small communities, as a designer and national service member in AmeriCorps. Due to these common threads, I am passionate about my research and the potential of community-engaged design practices to add vital capacity to rural places and people.”  

Mack-Erb is planning to graduate in August 2025 and is seeking a full-time position that will allow them to continue working at the intersection of design and social impact. The exhibit ended April 30. Mack-Erb hopes to identify additional publicly accessible and community-centric locations for their multimedia research exhibit. In the interim, they plan to travel home to Indiana for the summer to spend time on the water with family and friends.

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