Stop Asking for Permission: Shifting Preservation's Power Dynamics 

We must be working to cultivate a movement that is of, by, and for all. Preservation is not a practice to be performed by the few, it is for the masses. For preservation to grow its ability to be an imbued community value, we must shift the preservation movement - practices and work places, TODAY. 

Sarah Marsom has spent the past five-years working to “Dismantle Preservation,” creating space to collaboratively identify how the externally espoused values are not reflected in organizational structures, legislation, and daily practices. As the movement currently operates, are we capable of cultivating a people centered preservation movement? Or are we in fact entrenched in a theory of power focussed on the elite, one-time wins, and narrow policy changes? 

Weaving the history of preservation, while amplifying the work of change makers, Sarah will explore what moving past fear based decision making can look like for the historic preservation movement. Together we will seek answers to how we can make this change together, what shifting power dynamics looks like, and investigate what embracing growing pains means. 

Sarah Marsom is a Heritage Resource Consultant and an advocate for positive change in the cultural resource field. Specializing in organizational strategy and education/outreach, Sarah’s work is a balance of creatively cultivating connections to the past and identifying/remedying deficiencies in cultural resource frameworks. Her projects have received awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Council on Public History, National Emerging Museum Professionals Network, and Preservation Action.  

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