Editor's note: Something observed

We begin this issue by featuring one of the highlights at our annual meeting in San Francisco: the installation “Circle of Ancestors” by Amalia Mesa-Bains. She has been recognized throughout the world for her images, altars, and installations. We include three images in this issue. The first image, Braceros, incorporates this text: “In the conditions of displacement we experience our own landscape of longing. They are the sites of memory and spirituality that sustain us in times of extremity and loss.” As academics who study religion, we often focus exclusively on texts, so the creations of Professor Mesa-Bains arouse our appreciation of the nonverbal, including ritual, music and images as accompaniments to our incalculable destination.