Call for Student Posters

deadline: January 31, 2025

On March 19-22, 2025, in Boston, Massachusetts, the Preserving the Recent Past 4 (PRP4) conference will offer a national forum to share the latest strategies for identifying, protecting, and conserving significant structures and sites from the recent past. PRP4 will be hosted at the Boston Architectural College (BAC) in its 1966 Brutalist structure designed by Ashley, Myer & Associates. Boston has an incredible concentration of modern and postmodern buildings, and presents a unique opportunity to explore many facets of recent past preservation: from the challenging legacy of urban renewal to opportunities for sustainable reuse and beyond.

The PRP4 Organizing Committee is seeking proposals from students for a poster session that will be displayed at the BAC for the duration of the conference, with a discussion session on Friday, March 21 from 12:30PM-1:15PM at Cascieri Hall at the BAC. We are seeking proposals with a strong connection to themes of equity and sustainability, and which highlight underrecognized communities. Potential topics include:

• rehabilitation and reuse strategies for buildings and sites that are less than 50 years old (1974+)

• conservation issues, sustainability, and solutions for recent past materials and resources

• techniques for surveying recent past neighborhoods and commercial districts

• advocacy challenges and opportunities related to the recent past, focusing on sites that are less than 50 years old (1974+)

• historic trends and themes related to recent past buildings, sites, and landscapes such as urban renewal

• significant postwar era sites of underrecognized communities

• new digital approaches to documenting and interpreting recent past sites

• Postmodernism, Brutalism, postwar period revivals, and questions of style

• Analysis of socio-economic themes relating to preservation of recent past architecture

Each poster will measure 24” x 36” in a vertical format. If accepted, the poster will be printed onsite free of charge in advance of the PRP4 conference, courtesy of the BAC.

Please submit a 250 word abstract for your poster topic by January 31, 2025. Please send all inquiries and submissions to the Program Manager.

PRP4 Principal Organizers:

PRP4 Collaborating Partner: