Cynthia G. Robertson, a regular contributor to the Mission Times Courier and other local publications, is a two-way tie winner in the sixth annual San Diego Archaeological Society Art Show. Her image \u201cGuiding Light\u201d of the San Diego Mission de Alcala, won the People\u2019s Choice Award for the competition.<\/p>\n
Robertson\u2019s photo is of the sidewall and bell tower of the Mission de Alcala.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe title is a testament to the history, culture, and religion of the time when the missions of California were being established. Being an active church now, with its place in history, Mission de Alcala remains a guiding light,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
Robertson\u2019s other submission to the show, \u201cLiminal Space,\u201d is a photograph of the Serra Museum in Balboa Park. It received an Honorable Mention.<\/p>\n
There were five categories of artwork showing the various ways that art and archaeology intersect. Those categories were Fine Art, Photography, Archaeological Line Drawing, Traditional Arts and Video.<\/p>\n
Long interested in archaeology, history and anthropology, Robertson was intrigued when she was invited to participate in the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually worked at the Anthropology Museum when I was a student at Mesa College,\u201d she said. \u201cI even considered working in the field as an anthropologist.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result of her winning photograph, she has earned a one-year membership to SDCAS and the opportunity to serve on the board.<\/p>\n
The art show was judged blindly by the Art Show Committee who had prior no knowledge of the artists\u2019 race, gender, cultural affiliation, experience or background. The show is now online on the SDCAS website through Dec. 31. The website explains that art and archaeology are inextricably linked. Archaeologists often study the artistic creations of past cultures, whether ancient Grecian mosaics or finely crafted stone tools of pre-contact California.<\/p>\n