Divine Inspiration: AIA Austin Presents God's Architects

On Wednesday, the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Architects will be hosting the screening of a film that celebrates a motley crew of unconventional, untrained architects and builders. Filmmaker Zachary Godshall's documentary, God's Architects, chronicles five builders who have created (and in many cases, are still building) impressive structures all in the name of their Creator. Their monuments include two hand-built castles, an old school bus converted into an ornate chapel, a sculpture garden, and a sprawling adobe mountain built out of the desert. Each builder has his own story and motivation for creating his version of God's temple - some of the rational is hard to fully understand, but each creation is magical and truly impressive. Even us non-believers would consider ourselves lucky to be so inspired and dedicated to a project.

Godshall will be in attendance at tomorrow's screening at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar to lead a discussion about the film and the inspiration that drives these often misunderstood builders. Godshall, a Louisiana native, was inspired to document the story of these builders when Tulane School of Architecture grad student, Emilie Taylor, shared with him her research on the visionary builders. Godshall recently won the title of Louisiana Filmmaker of the Year at the New Orleans Film Festival; Taylor is currently compiling a book about the divinely inspired and their creations. A portion of the proceeds from the ticket sales of Wednesday's screening will benefit HousingWorks, an affordable housing advocacy group.