Oil pastel on paper. Beverly Buchanan’s shack images are widely regarded as a landmark contribution to contemporary American art. Drawing on memories of the rural South and her travels through Georgia and the Carolinas, Buchanan transformed modest dwellings into powerful symbols of resilience, history, and cultural memory. Rather than romanticizing poverty, she honored the ingenuity and dignity of Black Southern communities whose stories were rarely represented in museums. Blending sculpture, painting, and storytelling, Buchanan often paired her shacks with handwritten “legends,” giving voice to real and imagined residents. Today, her shacks are celebrated for bridging fine art and vernacular culture—reshaping how everyday architecture, memory, and identity can be understood within art history.