The International Conference of Heritage and Affect, co-organized by Angela Person (associate professor of Architecture, University of Oklahoma) and Jacque Micieli-Voutsinas (assistant professor of Museum Studies, University of Florida), will take place online in late November and early December 2023. The conference brings together dozens of leading scholars from around the world to explore the affective, visceral, and more-than-representational atmospheres of heritage landscapes.
The International Conference of Heritage and Affect is a collective exploration of heritage environments through their affective and emotional lifeworlds. Papers will engage themes such as: performativity and negotiations of affect, embodiment, and subjectivity, in heritage environments; emotionally-transformative curation at sites of difficult heritage; immersive technologies of affectious storytelling and place-making; new methodological advancements in intangible heritage, as well as ethical dilemmas of evocative heritage design on contemporary publics.
This conference is organized into six thematic sections, with each section organized by a pair or trio of scholars and practitioners working at the leading edges of their disciplines. A core objective of this scholarly project is to provide a meaningful snapshot of the state of the research and museum practices relative to affect-driven design within heritage architectures through a broad range of rigorous, global case studies. Taken together, these sessions will address important questions of ethics, embodiment, and immersive and transformative experiences that have emerged at the forefront of affect studies, and museum and heritage studies.
Additional OU community members participating in the conference include Tiziana Proietti (Interior Design/Architecture) and Felipe Flores (Architecture), as well as Robert Bailey, Alicia Harris, Nathan Young, and Pete Froslie of the OU School of Visual Arts.
Conference paper presentations have been pre-recorded, and videos to these recordings are linked within this conference program. Participants are encouraged to view the presentation recordings associated with each session in advance of the session meeting. Each conference session (90 – 120 minutes) will take place via Zoom and will be moderated by the session chairs. During the session, a panel discussion will take place.
Note: In some cases, authors have requested additional time to upload their recordings thus their presentations are listed as “pending.” For this reason, updates will be made to the conference program periodically.
For more information or to request accommodations, contact Angela Person (a@ou.edu).
A team of Construction Science and Architecture students from the Gibbs College of Architecture made their mark on the national stage this week, earning third place out of 37 universities competing at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition, held during the International Builders' Show in Orlando, February 16-18, 2026.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has elevated Gary Armbruster, FAIA, ALEP to its prestigious College of Fellows—AIA’s highest membership honor—for his exceptional work and sustained contributions to architecture and society. Fellowship recognizes architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant impact at a national level. Members elevated to this distinction carry the FAIA designation after their name.
Students from the Spring 2026 Graduate 4 Architecture Design Studio, led by Professor Amy Leveno, exhibited their work at the School of Visual Arts. The exhibition, titled Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts, featured drawings, models, and animations developed throughout the semester's studio project. The show was hosted in The Spotlight, a creative gallery space located on the first floor of the Fred Jones Art Center, and ran from January 20–30, 2026.
