Vernacular Architecture Forum 2017 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah (May 31-June 3, 2017)

The Vernacular Architecture Forum invites paper proposals for its 36th Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, May 31-June 3, 2017.
Papers may address vernacular and everyday buildings, sites, or cultural landscapes worldwide. Submissions on all relevant topics are welcome but we encourage papers exploring western American themes, including ethnic settlement, landscapes of ranching, mining, and agriculture, urbanization, religious expression, Native American identity, and the creation of vacation and recreation landscapes.  Additionally, the VAF is launching a multi-year program of inquiry into the distinctiveness of the VAF and the vernacular architecture movement. To this end, we encourage papers that consider this field over time. How does the wide range of VAF projects (tours, guidebooks, book and article awards, field schools, annual conference papers, publications, etc.) demonstrate how our questions, concerns, and methods have changed and evolved?  Where do we see evidence of that history in our current work, and what might our future look like? Proposals might focus on a particular building type (i.e. houses, barns), a research strategy (fieldwork), political or theoretical convictions (Gender, Marxism, the Everyday, etc), or particular approaches to presenting our work and engaging colleagues and the public.
Students and young professionals may also apply for the Pamela H. Simpson Presenter’s Fellowships offering support of up to $500 to presenting papers at VAF’s annual conference.

SUBMITTING AN ABSTRACT

Papers should be analytical rather than descriptive, and no more than twenty minutes in length. Proposals for complete sessions, roundtable discussions or other innovative means that facilitate scholarly discourse are especially encouraged.  At least one session will be devoted to Field Notes – shorter papers (five to eight minutes in length) that introduce new techniques, innovations, and discoveries in documenting vernacular buildings and landscapes.  Proposals should clearly state the argument of the paper and explain the methodology and content in fewer than 400 words.  Make sure to indicate if it is a regular paper proposal or a shorter fieldwork proposal.  Please include the paper title, author’s name, email address, a one-page c.v.  You may include up to two images with your submission. Note that presenters must deliver their papers in person and be VAF members at the time of the conference.
Speakers who do not register for the conference by March 1, 2017, will be withdrawn. Please do not submit an abstract if you are not committed to attending the papers session on Saturday, June 3rd.
THE DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS IS OCTOBER 30, 2016. The abstracts and c.v. should be emailed as a PDF attachment to the VAF Papers Committee Chair, Daves Rossell, atpapers@vafweb.org. For general information about the Salt Lake City conference, please visit the conference website at the www.vafweb.org/saltlakecity-2017 or contact Alison Flanders atsaltlakecity@vafweb.org.

Pamela H. Simpson Presenter’s Fellowships:

VAF’s Pamela H. Simpson Presenter’s Fellowships offer a limited amount of financial assistance to students and young professionals presenting papers at VAF’s annual conference. Awards are intended to offset travel and registration costs for students, and to attract developing scholars to the organization. Any person presenting a paper who is currently enrolled in a degree-granting program, or who has received a degree within one year of the annual conference is eligible to apply. Awards cannot exceed $500. Previous awardees are ineligible, even if their status has changed. Recipients are expected to participate fully in the conference, including tours and workshops.
To apply, submit with your abstract a one-page attachment with "Simpson Presenter’s Fellowship" at the top and the following information: 1) name, 2) institution or former institution, 3) degree program, 4) date of degree (received or anticipated), 5) mailing address, 6) permanent email address, 7) telephone number, and 8) paper title.