San Juan Capistrano Mission Ceiling Decoration From the portfolio "Decorative Art of Spanish California" 1935 - 1942

Editor: This print from the portfolio "Decorative Art of Spanish California," depicts a ceiling decoration from the San Juan Capistrano Mission, dating between 1935 and 1942. It has pastel colours with geometric shapes and feels traditionally decorative. What statements do you think this makes? Curator: Well, given the historical context, this artwork produced as part of the WPA's Federal Art Project offers us a complex understanding of cultural representation. While celebrating the aesthetics of Spanish California, how does the act of documentation itself participate in a larger narrative of cultural appropriation and perhaps even a romanticized colonisation? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. I was so caught up in the pretty colours! So, we should be critical about even seemingly innocuous preservation efforts? Curator: Precisely. What voices are amplified, and whose are muted in the process? Think about the power dynamics inherent in documenting and disseminating art from a historically marginalized community. The project highlights a specific vision of “Spanish California". It is sanitized for public consumption, raising questions about authenticity and cultural ownership. Do you agree that is erasure to an extent? Editor: It’s such a complicated question of preservation versus interpretation. I'm starting to wonder if you can truly separate appreciation from appropriation when dealing with cultural artifacts. Curator: Absolutely. Consider this work through a postcolonial lens; the beautiful geometric patterns are indeed appealing, but it is really vital that we remain mindful of the larger societal currents at play when evaluating art with such a past. Editor: I never thought about the project itself through the context. That has shifted my interpretation completely. Thanks!