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Radical Practice

Photograph of book cover

Title Graphic for the Radical Practice book

The Work of Marlon Blackwell Architects

By Peter MacKeith and Jonathan Boelkins



Radical Practice celebrates the extraordinary, award-winning designs of Marlon Blackwell Architects, with a focus on public and civic projects that are located outside of the established centers of architectural culture.

The distinct and original work of Marlon Blackwell Architects has produced iconic and award-winning designs across building types, scales, and budgets. Located in Arkansas, the firm merges the universal language of architecture and the particulars of place, a process that has resulted in a distinguished body of work, from schools to parks and beyond.

Celebrating thirty years of practice by the 2020 AIA Gold Medal-winning architect Marlon Blackwell, this survey of more than a dozen buildings pairs detailed drawings and the vivid photographs of renowned photographer Timothy Hursley with essays by leading designers, planners, and artists. Contributors include Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, architects of the Obama Presidential Center; Maurice Cox, Chicago’s city planning director; Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, James Corner, landscape architect of the High Line, and environmental artist Mary Miss among many others—all of whom attest to Blackwell’s reputation as a leading voice of his generation.

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Author Bios

Peter MacKeith is the dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas. Based in Fayetteville, he is a senior fellow of the Design Futures Council and a Design Intelligence Design Educator of the Year.

Jonathan Boelkins, an architect and writer based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, teaches at the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. He is a former studio director at Marlon Blackwell Architects.