User:Matt

Hello, I'm Matt Kelly!

I graduated from the University of Oregon's Historic Preservation program in 2024. During my time at UO, I became interested in the use of digital tools as one of the many ways preservationists can document and care for the built environment. Below are some work samples from my time as a student.

Storymaps: The Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (2021)

Storymaps: Denny Regrade Multimedia Tour (2022)

Storymaps: Quonset Huts in Oregon (2024)

For the National Register nomination class I took during my first year at UO, I was assigned the Covey (Volvo) Building in Portland, which you can read here: File:MattKelly CoveyMotorCarCompany.pdf. Beyond the experience of research and writing a National Register nomination, this class planted a seed of asking not just what is significant about a building, but also what digital research and interpretive tools are used in our field. This curiosity was explored in the following two years as I worked on my terminal project about open data and the National Register. 

I was able to take classes from other departments including Geography and Journalism (including several classes about 3D modeling and photogrammetry from the Oregon Reality Lab). I began incorporating digital twins of buildings into coursework whenever possible.

File:MattKelly NinilchikChurch HABS DRAFT.pdf

In Portland, he volunteers at CETI (A Creative and Emergent Technology Institute), where he works with artists, technology enthusiasts, and community members on projects involving digital documentation and interpretive storytelling.