The rural village of Sinthian in southeastern Senegal is home to the THREAD arts center, a new artists' residency and cultural community space set to open this March. The idea for the arts center originated from the long-term efforts of doctor and local Sinthian leader, Magueye Ba, who spearheaded the project with environmental sustainability expert Moussa Sene and The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. The project has already gained deserved recognition with a selection for the 2014 Venice Biennale and an AIANY award.

Designed pro-bono by New York-based Toshiko Mori Architect, the art center's design incorporates local materials and building customs. While local masons and villagers provided their expertise on working with bamboo, brick, and thatch, Mori rendered those materials into a contemporary geometric design that complements its surrounding flat landscape. The structure's most notable feature is its inverted roof that can collect and retain rainwater to provide for 40% of the village's domestic water needs -- or over 200,000 gallons per year. In addition to the artists’ dwellings, the center will be a venue for educational classes in agriculture, language, and health as well as village performances and meetings.

With a community-driven mission to foster the arts balanced with respectful acknowledgement of local customs, collaborative projects like THREAD show that remote villages in rarely visited regions of the world shouldn't be overlooked as potential hubs of innovation.

Learn more about the THREAD project here.