Artists are leading a broad rethinking of heritage, and claiming a central role within preservation practice. In recent years, many BIPOC artists have worked with built heritage to take up the legacies of racial inequities and historical injustices as central themes in their work. Artists confront, challenge, or reframe the role of heritage in society. What will the future of preservation look like as art becomes more central in the profession?

This symposium convenes BIPOC artists who integrate heritage – and all its sociopolitical implications today – into their works and explores the intersection between art and preservation.

James Marston Fitch, an architect and preservationist, founded the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia University in 1964 and was member of the faculty from 1954 to 1977. Jane Jacobs considered Fitch “the principal character in making the preservation of historic buildings practical and feasible and popular.” The James Marston Fitch Colloquium became an annual event at Columbia GSAPP in 2000.

The Columbia GSAPP Historic Preservation Program focuses on creating new roles for architectural and cultural heritage to promote inclusive and resilient communities through the design of technological and aesthetic adaptations, planning and policy innovations, and social and historical research. For 70 years, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has led the movement to save America’s historic places. A privately funded nonprofit organization, they work to save America’s historic sites; tell the full American story; build stronger communities; and invest in preservation’s future.