Award Recipients
FIRST EVER VIRTUAL CALIFORNIA MISSIONS CONFERENCE AT MISSION SAN GABRIEL
2021 Virtual Conference - Saturday Papers
Presented by California Missions Foundation
Saturday, February 13, 2021
"Destruction and Renewal: the Resilience of the California Missions"
“José Eusebio Boronda: The Changing Face of an Early Californio Adobe at Rancho Rinconada del Sanjon, 1840-1974”
Rubén G. Mendoza, Professor and Chair of the School of Social, Behavioral & Global Studies at California State University, Monterey Bay
Jennifer A. Lucido, Adjunct Faculty member in Social & Behavioral Sciences at California State University, Monterey Bay
CMF expanded offerings for its recent 38th Annual Conference
The unique opportunities that virtual conferences provide allowed CMF to expand the offerings for its recent 38th Annual California Missions and Presidios Conference, held virtually February 11-13, 2021.
Many events were held and attendees enjoyed a virtual tour of Mission San Gabriel on Presidents Weekend. The CMF board, staff and many of our colleagues helped put together an exciting conference that included all of the annual staples, plus some additional events made possible by the virtual nature of the event.
Thursday, February 11, the Conference kicked off with a trio of pre-Conference events including a Virtual Field Trip for 4th Graders statewide, a CMF virtual "All-Aboard-the-Bus", followed by roundtable discussions for Missions and Presidios directors, pastors and key personnel, as well as a Docents roundtable.
Friday activities centered on Mission San Gabriel, including the CMF Annual Membership Meeting, a cooking demonstration featuring Mole and a virtual tour of Mission San Gabriel with history provided by Robert Jackson. A pair of afternoon panels were hosted by CMF and focused on a “Native Discussion: The Statues of Junípero Serra” and “Preservation and Value of the California Missions”. The conference then shifted to its official welcome and keynote both presented virtually from inside the Mission San Gabriel church.
A special entertainment treat was added to the Conference lineup, as CMF proudly re-transmitted the memorable 2004 Missions Conference concert at Mission San Luis Obispo by the New World Baroque Orchestra under the direction of John Warren. It was truly memorable!
On Saturday the day was dedicated to Papers and Research. The CMF Board Organizing Committee chose the theme for this year's Papers: "Destruction and Renewal: the Resilience of the California Missions."
Conference Keynote
Distinguished author and historian Dr. Steven W. Hackel provided the 2021 Keynote Address virtually from inside the church at Mission San Gabriel. Dr. Hackel chose the title, "Fire, Disease and Protest: Forces that Shaped the California Missions across the Centuries".
A highly-sought-after speaker, Dr. Hackel's research has focused on the Spanish borderlands and the California Missions. He is especially interested in Native responses to colonialism, the effects of disease on colonial encounters, and new ways of visualizing these processes through digital history. His publications include a biography on Frat Junípero Serra, a monograph on the California missions, numerous essays, a textbook, and two edited volumes. He is the general editor of the Early California Population Project and the Project Director for the Early California Cultural Atlas. In 2013, he received great praise for his efforts at co-curating the Huntington Library's international exhibition "Junípero Serra and the Legacy of the California Missions.”
Special CMF 2021 Conference Entertainment:
John Warren 2004 Concert from Mission San Luis Obispo
On many occasions, the New World Baroque Orchestra, under the direction of John Warren, has filled our Conference mission church locations with remarkable sound and history. All of the concerts have been memorable, and have become Friday evening highlights from many previous California Missions and Presidios Conferences.
Recently, a look through video archives uncovered a once-thought-lost treasured recording of their unforgettable 2004 performance at the CMSA Conference at Mission San Luis Obispo. It was truly an amazing evening.
The acclaimed conductor John Warren, a recipient of the prestigious CMF Norman Neuerburg award, directed his New World Baroque Orchestra that evening through a series of historic pieces that took the audience back in time while filling the mission church with a magical experience.
In order to continue CMF's tradition of providing historic entertainment at each of our conferences, and with the 2022 conference slated to be held at Mission San Luis Obispo, CMF thought that re-presenting this concert virtually would be an outstanding way to close out the opening night of the Conference, and to also preview the 2022 Conference. It was magical!
Bravo!