It was a great honour to receive the VAF Buchanan Award 2016 for the Built Heritage and Cultural Landscapes Field School. Such heartfelt recognition from one’s peers and colleagues is certainly appreciated. However, I also wish to acknowledge the numerous collaborators who contribute to the success of the Field School, notably Nancy van Dolsen, John Wood, Jean-Benoit Saint-Laurent and Léïc Godbout who generously share their expertise in field documentation and restoration, the office of Gaspé-based Vachon Roy architects, professors at the Cégep (college), representatives of Parcs Canada, Percé and Gaspé municipal authorities and non-profit organisations who yearly participate in community workshops, the Musée de la Gaspésie and the Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec Gaspé for access to primary sources, engaged citizens in our host localities for their warm welcome, and of course the students who come from diverse horizons and enrich the whole experience with their disciplinary lenses.   

Additionally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the VAF for its support through a fieldwork grant when I first started up the Field School and successive Orlando V. Ridout fellowships awarded to students enrolled in the Field School.

The following link leads you to the English version of the course web site where you can learn more about the Field School.

Thank you all.

Tania Martin, Professor at Université Laval School of Architecture.