Toward the southern side of Tucson there is an old Spanish church known as the Mission San Xavier del Bac. Recently, NPR discussed the cultural and historical significance of the church as a melting pot of cultures; Chicano, Spanish, Catholic, and Native American. While I was visiting the city my aunts took me to visit the Mission and it was an incredible experience.
The Mission has a distinctive Moorish-inspired architecture that blends with the landscape, but also signifies to visitors that it is an unusual and religious place. The pale exterior colors of the native mud plaster give way to vibrant and rich hues within the church. Much restoration goes into preserving the church because of the arid dessert climate and the materials used for construction.
The church is an exciting example of living history of similar churches that used to be more frequent throughout the region. It was great to see and learn about the historical precedent of the church, it's continual usage as a place of worship, and to hear about the dialogue in helping to preserve it for the future.
While I was home in Virgina I was able to make to it to Richmond, the capital of the state, where I attended Virgina Commonwealth University for my undergraduate degree in Sculpture and Extended Media. I was able to carpool with my friends Ryan, Xuan and Samantha for my friends Tom and Catherine's wedding on New Year's Eve. Prior to the wedding, we made a visit to the Virgina Museum of Fine Art (VMFA), which has a brand new contemporary art gallery expansion and special exhibition space. Sadly I wasn't able to explore more the permanent collection, but I was able to see their special exhibition on world-renown sculptor Auguste Rodin. The exhibition was stunning and we had a very good time going through it. The artworks from the show were from the Rodin Museum in Paris, which was Rodin's former residence and studio. One of the exhibition highlights was the display of carved marbles, but he was a master in bronze, plaster, and other materials as well. I was very happy to make it to the exhibition especially with my friends.
