The University of Mary Washington’s Center for Historic Preservation has awarded the 2017 Historic Preservation Book Prize to Catherine Fleming Bruce for The Sustainers. The Center annually awards a prize to an author whose book has the most potential for having a positive impact on historic preservation in the United States.
This year’s book prize jury focused on books that broke new ground or contributed to the intellectual vitality of the preservation movement. “The Sustainers took an authentic, grassroots approach to beginning a conversation about the tangible preservation and intangible meanings of African American sites,” said Michael Spencer, associate professor of historic preservation and director of the Center for Historic Preservation. “Such a conversation has long been a goal of preservationists in an effort to better represent the underserved African American community. “
Published in 2016 by TNOVSA LLC in Columbia, South Carolina, The Sustainers includes sites that were chosen to convey a powerful message about connections between history and contemporary society. Sites from the more recent past including the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, the Audubon Ballroom and recent Black Lives Matter memorials are particularly effective in communicating with today’s generation of social activists and preservationists, according to the jury.
“The Sustainers also provides readers with ‘tools for creative inclusion,’ suggestions for 21st-century advocacy,” according to members of the jury.
Established by the Center for Historic Preservation in 1988, the annual book prize focuses on literature that breaks new ground or contributes to the intellectual vitality of the preservation movement. This year’s jury included preservation academics and professionals from universities across the U.S. Other UMW representatives on the jury were Assistant Professor Christine Henry and recent graduate Chris Warring, preservation technician at James Madison’s Montpelier.
Members of the Jury for the Historic Preservation Book Prize for 2017 were Michael Spencer, Jury Chair; Christine Henry, Assistant Professor, UMW Department of Historic Preservation; Chris Warring, University of Mary Washington Department of Historic Preservation class of ’17 and Preservation Technician at James Madison’s Montpelier; Jeremy Wells, Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University; Larry Waldrop, Senior Exhibits Specialist at the Historic Architecture, Conservation & Engineering Center, National Park Service, Northeast Regional Office; and Brent Leggs, Senior Field Officer, Preservation Division, National Trust for Historic Preservation and Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, Department of Historic Preservation.
The jury seeks nominations for the 2018 Historic Preservation Book Prize. To be eligible, a book must be first available in the U.S. between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2017. Letters of nomination from any source and seven copies of the nominated book must be postmarked by Jan. 5, 2018, and sent to Michael Spencer, Director of the Center for Historic Preservation, University of Mary Washington, 1301 College Ave., Combs 131, Fredericksburg, VA 22401-5300.
For more information about the award, contact Michael Spencer at mspen1bi@umw.edu.
