Monday, November 26, 2007

State preservationist to talk at the University of New Mexico

[Source: New Mexico Business Weekly] -- Katherine "Kak" Slick will discuss linking historic preservation with sustainability in a public presentation Nov. 30 in Albuquerque. Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Slick as the state historic preservation officer in 2003. With more than three decades of experience, Slick is considered one of the most accomplished historic preservationists in the country, said Chris Wilson, director of the historic preservation and regionalism program at New Mexico State University's School of Architecture and Planning. "She is a visionary who understands how the 40-year-old grassroots historic preservation movement is about the sustainability of the built environment and of our communities," Wilson said in a news release. Slick said that preservationism goes "hand-in-hand" with sustainable development. "For those of us involved in preservation, the idea of being sustainable goes well beyond 'greening' buildings," she said. "It is about being environmentally and culturally responsible, and recognizing the past as an integral part of the present so that communities continue to be viable." The presentation is free and open to the public. It begins at 5 p.m. at UNM's George Pearl Hall at the School of Architecture and Planning on the corner of Central Ave. and Cornell NE.