The work of the Studio involves three communities that overlap. The first is the rural Alabama landscape of Hale County, and the small towns that comprise it. Though the county was once prosperous, it has been subject to rapid decline over the past century. A lack of local industry has resulted in the lack of a sound social infrastructure, including health care and education. Along with wide unemployment, these factors propelled the county into a largely welfare-dependent state in the late 20th century. Culturally, the county reflects the tensions of politically and economically engendered racial divisions.

The second community is that of the Rural Studio itself. Some 30-40 students from Auburn University form the corpus of the Studio, along with a handful of staff and Professors. They live and work together, creating an "academic village" where the work of the mind and the body is bolstered by fellowship. Students reflect a variety of backgrounds and beliefs and bring these to the dialogue with the larger community.

The third community is an intangible one, constituted by the relationships that form between the Studio and the clients it serves. In this community unlikely friendships are made and preconceptions erode. By "crossing the threshold", the Studio initiates a rare form of social barter, where charity is returned with hospitality; where the students' creativity and hard work earn them the respect of farmers, welders, loggers and other such hard-knock stoics; where shared sweat is substantiated at a neighbor’s dinner table.