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VAF 2026 | About the Conference
Columbia River Plateau
Atomic Space. Native Soil. Geologic Time.
Walla Walla, Washington | May 27-30, 2026
Conference Co-Chairs:
Amanda C. Roth Clark, Whitworth University, Dean of the Library & Special Programs
J. Philip Gruen, Washington State University, Professor, School of Design + Construction
Walla Walla, Washington is home to VAF's 2026 conference: Columbia River Plateau: Atomic Space. Native Soil. Geologic Time.
This will be the first VAF conference held in the Pacific Northwest in nearly thirty years and we believe it will be well worth the trek. From two days of tours through landscapes likely never before seen by most VAFers, this is a conference not to be missed. The conference is headquartered at the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla, Washington, and it begins on Thursday, May 28, with two different bus tours on offer.
[Please note! There is no official Wednesday evening event due to flight schedules into Walla Walla Airport. However, an informal wine reception will take place in the hotel lobby. Attendees should plan to arrive in Walla Walla on either Tuesday, May 26 or Wednesday, May 27.]
Thursday, May 28th offers two all-day bus tour options: one to Pendleton, Oregon ("Pendleton and the West") and the other that explores Walla Walla and its hinterlands ("Walla Walla Land"). Both tours will return to the Gesa Power House Theatre in Walla Walla for the official conference welcome and keynote address in the early evening.
Friday, May 29 also offers two bus tours, both of which will take essentially the same route to Washington's Tri-Cities region, although space limitations permit only one tour to visit the Hanford Site. The first tour, "Atomic Space: Hanford, Richland, East Pasco," will begin early in the morning to allow time for exploring the vast and far-flung Hanford Site and, throughout the day, traces the legacy of the Manhattan Project from evacuated towns along the Columbia River to the ordinary spaces that took shape during World War II, the Cold War, and beyond. A second tour, "Atomic Space: Richland and East Pasco," begins later in the morning and meets the first tour for a half-day exploration of everyday life in the atomic and post-atomic world of the Tri-Cities. This tour does not visit the Hanford Site, yet may be preferred for those who wish to enjoy a lighter schedule of events.
Saturday, May 30, is filled with paper and poster sessions before the evening banquet, awards ceremony, and annual business meeting at The Motor Co venue--just one block from the hotel.
Please use the Orange Links in the navigation bar above to find schedules, travel information, and registration. You may also navigate using these links:
Full and early registration opened on February 25, 2026 and will close on April 15, 2026.À la carte and late registration will be open from April 15, 2026 through April 24, 2026.
If you have questions about the conference, please contact Julia Griffith, VAF Program Associate, at conference@vafweb.org.
