Olmsteds: Landscapes and Legacies
March 30 – April 2, 2022, Boston, MA
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, in partnership with the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), will host a three-day symposium as part of Olmsted 200, the national bicentennial commemoration of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, social reformer and founder of American landscape architecture. The symposium will be held in Boston, home to the Emerald Necklace, Olmsted’s last great public project. Adjacent to Boston is Brookline where the Olmsted firm’s home and office resided through 1980. For Olmsted, “nothing else compares in importance to use with the Boston work...I would have you decline any business that would stand in the way of doing the Best for Boston all the time.”
Through events, education, and advocacy at the local and national levels, Olmsted 200 ensures that the legacies of the Olmsted's live on across the country by renewing public and policy commitments to the preservation and maintenance of our historic parks and places. Olmsted Now is the Greater Boston effort, an inclusive coalition that connects communities and organizations commemorating Greater Boston’s bicentennial of Brookline-based Olmsted with the “fierce urgency of now.”
The symposium is made possible by generous financial contributions from the Friends of Fairsted, National Association for Olmsted Parks (NAOP), and community supporters.
Submissions
We invite landscape practitioners, academics, students, and allied professionals to submit paper and poster proposals focused on the preservation and legacies of Olmsted landscapes.
Suggested presentations and poster topics include but are not limited to:
- Preservation case studies
- Community engagement
- Adaptive Reuse
- Interpretation
- Adaption for climate change
- Landscape documentation
- Archival management
- Land Acknowledgement
ASLA’s continuing education credits will be provided by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.
Abstracts
Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words by November 21, 2021. Abstracts should include type of presentation (paper or poster) presenter(s) contact information (name, title, organization, phone, email) and a 100-word biography for the author and co-authors. Email notification of accepted presentations and posters will be sent on December 15, 2021. Upon acceptance poster and paper guidelines will be provided.
Accepted papers will be published in symposium proceedings.
Presentations
Presentations are 30 minutes, including questions. Presenters will be required to submit their paper by March 15, 2022, and PowerPoint presentation by March 22, 2022.
Important Dates
November 21, 2021: Paper and Poster abstracts due
December 21, 2021: Accepted paper and poster presenters notified
March 15, 2022: Papers due
March 22, 2022: Paper and PowerPoint presentations due (Bring posters to symposium)
March 30 – April 2, 2022: Symposium held at the Salt Gallery at the Boston Society of Architects Space in downtown Boston.
For questions or to submit abstract and bio, contact debbie_smith@nps.gov.
Last updated: September 22, 2021