Mision de Santa Cruz 

Curator: So, here we have "Mision de Santa Cruz", a pencil drawing on paper. Editor: It looks like something out of a history textbook, but less cluttered and more... bare. Like a stage set before the play starts. Curator: That's interesting. James Jones, the artist, presents a study in lines and form, using the mission's architecture. Consider the historical implications, right? These missions represent complex colonial narratives. Editor: Sure, but beyond the history, the light! The way he teases out these textures and shadows with simple pencils lines—it's mesmerizing. I feel I can almost sense the dry desert air surrounding this building. Curator: I appreciate that sensorial reading, but let’s delve deeper into the image's social context. It is important to contextualize the suppression and marginalization of indigenous populations at this colonial moment, with the church’s attempt to homogenize culture. Editor: Oh, definitely, but what I adore is how this depiction is like a distillation. It presents architecture as the essence and emotion of an entire history—both its burdens and its beauty. There's a subtle sadness, like a fading memory of greatness. The building may be standing still, yet time leaves its own mark upon it. Curator: Exactly, and this feeling mirrors the ways the architecture holds the imprint of colonial power dynamics. Editor: I almost wish he would have left out the date label down below. It’s unnecessary—like putting a frame around a feeling. The building says it all! Curator: On the other hand, for viewers unfamiliar with Mission history, a direct chronological anchor offers helpful clarification. It also directly speaks to the building's structural significance. Editor: Fair enough. It's grown on me! It gives that additional touch of formality, of "record-keeping." Almost as if someone wants this place to be remembered! Curator: Precisely, and how it should be contextualized through a lens of socio-political awareness. Editor: Thanks. It does feel fuller now! Like our conversation unveiled the drawing, so to speak.