The Vernacular Architecture Forum (VAF) announces two awards to support attendance at its annual meeting, which will take place in Alexandria, Virginia, May 2 –5, 2018: the Access Award for qualifying first-time attendees, and the Ambassadors Award for groups of students. For more information about the conference visit the VAF conference website.
Access Awards
In an effort to bring fresh voices to the study of vernacular buildings and landscapes the Access Award supports first-time attendance by scholars and students with limited professional exposure to the fields of architectural history and vernacular studies, as well as by practitioners and independent scholars in the field.
There is no geographic restriction on the award and local practitioners, scholars, and students may apply. Winners are not required to give a paper at the meeting, although they may.
The award will cover the cost of registration for the conference including tours. Winners who live more than 50 miles from the conference site will also receive a stipend of $300 for travel and lodging, to be presented at the conference. Winners, including those giving papers at the meeting, are required to write an article to be published in the VAF’s newsletter, VAN, discussing what they learned as first-time attendees.
Applications are due February 1, 2018. For instructions and more information visit the awards section of the VAF website.
Ambassadors Awards
The VAF Ambassadors Awards provide funding for student groups (undergraduate and graduate) from North American institutions, with a faculty sponsor, to
attend VAF's annual conference. We hope through this program to enhance the VAF's recruitment of students, to diversify the membership and interest in the work of the VAF, to provide support to programs that teach vernacular architecture, and to increase the VAF's visibility on campuses.
During the conference, Award recipients are encouraged to use social media to communicate with a broader audience about their experiences as a participant in the conference. Following conference attendance, Award recipients are expected to act as "ambassadors" for the VAF, working to promote the study, documentation, and preservation of ordinary buildings and landscapes. Each group of Ambassadors must also submit a written summary of its experiences to the fellowship chair. The summary, as well as a group photograph, will be published in the Vernacular Architecture Forum’s newsletter, VAN.
Applications are due February 1, 2018. For instructions and more information visit the awards section of the VAF website.
