During FIELD MEETING: Thinking Pilgrimage, Roya Khadjavi participated as an engaged listener, respondent, and interlocutor, contributing generously to discussions that emerged around the offerings, presentations, and shared experiences of the journey. As a collector and art dealer whose perspective is shaped by her Persian heritage, Khadjavi was invited in recognition of the vital role that patronage, collecting, and philanthropy play in cultural life. As part of curator Leeza Ahmady's broader premise for FIELD MEETING, it was important to acknowledge that many of the artistic and architectural wonders encountered throughout the pilgrimage—from sacred shrines, madrasas, and mausoleums to traditions of ceramics, miniature painting, poetry, music, and craftsmanship—were made possible not only through the support of royal courts and noble patrons, but also through networks of spiritual leaders, religious communities, merchants, and devotees. Khadjavi's presence expanded conversations beyond artistic production to include the systems of care, stewardship, and material support that have long enabled cultural life to flourish. During a gathering in the garden of a newly established art center in Samarkand, Khadjavi reflected on her own journey—from a career in finance to motherhood, collecting, and exhibition-making. Central to her perspective was the belief that supporting artists extends beyond appreciation of their work to creating tangible opportunities for them to realize their ambitions and sustain their practices. Motivated by a desire to share her good fortune with those facing more limited circumstances, she spoke of collecting and patronage as acts of stewardship, generosity, and responsibility. Within the spirit of FIELD MEETING, her reflections served as a reminder that many of the sacred sites, artistic traditions, and cultural legacies encountered along the pilgrimage route were sustained through generations of devotion, patronage, and collective care. In this sense, support, mentorship, and philanthropy are not peripheral to culture, but among the essential forces that enable it to endure and flourish.