October 3rd, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m. MT

About the Lecture: Cultural Landscapes in the American West: Interpretation, Conservation, and Stewardship

Cultural landscapes provide a sense of place and identity though are often overlooked as a conservation paradigm for land stewardship, especially in the American West.  This lecture will provide a framework for understanding how cultural landscapes are defined, interpreted, and used as a conservation tool to address critical issues in preserving sense of place with a cross-disciplinary approach.

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Bio:

R. Brooks Jeffery is a heritage conservation consultant and Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of Arizona.  Since 1988, his teaching, research, and outreach projects have advanced heritage conservation as part of a comprehensive ethic of environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability throughout the world.   Jeffery has authored/co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles and books, including Cross-Cultural Vernacular Landscapes of Southern Arizona (Vernacular Architecture Forum, 2005),  “From Azulejos to Zaguanes:  The Islamic Legacy in the Built Environment of Hispano-America” (Journal of the Southwest, Spring/Summer 2003), A Guide to Tucson Architecture (University of Arizona Press, 2002),  and Yemen:  A Culture of Builders (American Architectural Foundation, 1989). He has received numerous awards, including the National Park Service’s “Director’s Partnership Award” and the “Excellence in Resource Stewardship Award”, both in recognition of innovative leadership in the field of historic preservation.  He’s held several leadership positions at the College level, including Associate Dean, Chair of the Heritage Conservation Graduate Program, and Director of the Drachman Institute, as well as at the University level, as Associate Vice President for Research. Most recently, Jeffery served as start-up executive director of the non-profit Naco Heritage Alliance where he spearheaded strategic planning efforts and launched the rehabilitation of the 17-acre Camp Naco site, Arizona’s cornerstone of Buffalo Soldier history.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Patronato San Xavier, the non-profit charged with the conservation of the 17th C Mission San Xavier, a living church on the Tohono O’odham Nation and southern Arizona’s most popular tourist destination.