INSPIRE ME! Artist of Month for August is Teresa Mas (Again)

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Baby Krishna by Teresa Mas

Since we began this journey in 2008, we've come across some truly amazing religious artists working in America but Teresa Mas stands out, and especially among Hindu artists. We first saluted her in December 2011 as our INSPIRE ME! Artist of the Month and she continues to fascinate and inspire with her fresh and colorful works. This month however is especially special because this month we are joining the 950 million followers of Hinduism around the world in celebrating the birth of the Hindu god Krishna. The holyday of "Krishna Janmachtami" is August 17th, and we are proud celebrate that "auspicious" day by featuring Florida artist Teresa Mas as our Artist of the Month.

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Garden of Eden Exhibit Takes Artists Back to Where it all Began

THE WASHINGTON POST

By Chris Herlinger | Religion News Service

"Gowanus" (2013) by Alexis Rockman

NEW YORK---Environmental themes are particularly prominent in “Back to Eden: Contemporary Artists Wander the Garden,” which is on view at the museum through Sept. 28. The nearly two dozen pieces on display include paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and installations containing video elements. Of particular interest to the environmentally minded, and those who like large-scale paintings, is Alexis Rockman’s striking and dystopian “Gowanus,” a 2013 work depicting the Gowanus Canal, a long-polluted Brooklyn site that, as museum notes describe it, is notorious among New Yorkers as a “toxic wasteland” reflecting “the disastrous potential for the destruction of nature” by humanity. [link]

Museum of Biblical Art: “Back to Eden: Contemporary Artists Wander the Garden,” (Ends Sept. 28); 1865 Broadway at 61st Street, NYC; mobia.org

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Chinese Artist B. Nomin Uses Traditional Buddhist Aesthetics to Evaluate Current Norms

THE UB POST
Trans. by L.NANDINTSETSEG

"Ersdel Daguulsan Togloom (Naughty Game)" by B.Nomin

CHINA---Mongolia’s leading contemporary art hub, 976 Art Gallery, moved to Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel, and opened with solo shows from emerging talents B.Nomin and B.Baatarzorig. The exhibitions are on view through August 14. Nomin was trained in traditional painting methods at the Fine Arts School of the Mongolian University of Arts and Culture. She uses the aesthetics of Mongolian and Buddhist art, commissioned by ancient religious and imperial institutions, to comment on contemporary issues, examining the themes of wealth, politics, nature, and human relationships. Nomin’s goal is to displace current conventions and encourage viewers to evaluate cultural norms from the point of view of Mongolia’s ancient history. [link]

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An Indian Sculptor With Monumental Ambition

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Gardiner Harris

Ram V. Sutar at his studio. Credit Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times

INDIA---He may be history’s most prolific monumental sculptor, and now he hopes to win what may be one of history’s largest artistic commissions. Ram V. Sutar, 89, has already created more than 200 distinct statues, many of them massive. Now, he is a leading contender for the commission to produce the world’s largest statue: a 597-foot-tall rendering — which would be nearly twice as high as the Statue of Liberty — of Sardar Patel, an independence leader who played a crucial role in uniting India’s fractious states. Called the Statue of Unity, the work is to be placed in the western state of Gujarat, where India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, was born, grew up and became a powerful politician. Mr. Modi has long pushed for the project, and his party’s landslide electoral victory in May vastly improved prospects for its completion. [link]

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The Forgotten Jewish Painter, Salomon Adler

JEWISH JOURNAL 
By Milad Doroudian

Self-portrait of the German painter Salomon Adler (1630-1709). Exposed in the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts

GERMANY---[Salomon] Adler lived in a period when Judaism in Europe was still clinging to rigid lines of conservatism. Most Jews held on to the idea that any art or imagery not related to the Tanakh was idolatrous and prohibited by the Second Commandment. As a result of this many Jews did not publicly dwell in the arts, in fear of angering their communities. Adler was one of the first secular Jewish artists to have opened the door for Jews who wished to break away from rigid conservatism to the realization  of liberal Jewish artistry. He, and the few others like him, were in essence the beginning of Jewish secular artistry in European form prior to the granting of mass emancipation to Jews. [link]

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Fuller Theological Seminary: Where God and the Arts Meet

THE DAILY AMERICA
By Chandra Johnson, Deseret News

CALIFORNIA---In 1956, a teenage Richard Muow committed a major violation against his Evangelical faith: He snuck off to a movie theater to see John Huston’s “Moby Dick.” As the president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, in the early 1990s, Muow continued to see a chasm dividing the faith world and Hollywood with the release of films like 1988’s “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Through continued collaboration with industry professionals, Muow spearheaded Fuller’s Theology and the Arts program, which looks to link entertainment and ministry and is now in its 14th year. [link]

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Cleveland Synagogue's Ark is Guarded by Some Fierce Beasts

JEWISH DAILY FORWARD
By Menachem Wecker

Add caption

OHIO---The ark at Cleveland’s Orthodox Green Road Synagogue looms on an intimidating platform above the congregation. Alternating tan and umber rays — evocative of the divine lights that emanate from the sun in ancient Egyptian art and of St. Francis’s stigmata in Christian paintings — culminate in diamond-shaped niches above the chairs reserved for synagogue officials. There is, as one would expect, an eternal light, and beneath it, a depiction of the Ten Commandments: the double-humped variety recalling the McDonald’s logo. But the two fierce beasts guarding the ark in the synagogue — which traces its roots back to immigrants from Marmaresher Sziger, Hungary, who built a congregation in Cleveland’s Woodland Hills neighborhood in 1910 — are unusual. [link]

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IDF Veteran, Painter Tomer Peretz Wins Inaugural Arthur Szyk Prize of Disruptive Thought and Zionist Art

THE ALGEMEINER

Funeral,' by Tomer Peretz. Photo: Tomer Peretz.

CALIFORNIA---Israeli-American painter, and Israel Defense Forces veteran, Tomer Peretz, 32, was selected for the inaugural Arthur Szyk Prize of Disruptive Thought and Zionist Art, the organizers of the award told The Algemeiner on Monday. Peretz’s work was selected out of more than 100 submissions for the $1,000 award, announced last year, that aims to provide more exposure to young artists by recognizing work that “challenges the static conception of Zionism with ideas that extend beyond the work of art itself.” The jury of The Arthur Szyk Prize included [Craig] Dershowitz, [Ashley] Rindsberg, and [Allison] Chang, as well as David Laxer, founder of Tel Aviv design and branding firm Brandalism, and Deborah Danino, Tel Aviv University PhD Candidate in French Literature. [link]

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Why I Backed a Kickstarter Effort to Redesign the Bible

YAHOO TECH
By Rob Walker

The Old Testament gets divided into three: the “books of Moses and the former prophets”
; the “latter prophets”; and the “writings.” The fourth volume is the New Testament. 

UTAH---Someone is redesigning the Bible. Perhaps your reaction is similar to mine when I encountered this news: somewhere between a smirk and an eye roll. Is there nothing that designers don’t want to reenvision? Does the most popular book of all time really need an aesthetic overhaul?And yet, roughly 20 minutes after I instinctively dismissed the idea, I had backed it on Kickstarter. [Lewis] Greene’s solution involves splitting the Good Book into four volumes, each about the size of a standard hardback novel. [link] This $37,000 project was successfully funded on July 27 at $1,440,345.

Lewis Greene has also made a new typeface and eliminated verse numbers and notes.

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On the Bowery, Questions About the Catholic Church’s Shifting Mission

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By David Gonzalez

The Sheen Center complex encompasses 2 Theaters, 4 rehearsal studios and an Art Gallery.

NEW YORK---The Bowery was once synonymous with being down and out, but, Mr. Howard said, services for homeless men have become harder to find there. He used to work at the Holy Name Center for Homeless Men, a stalwart presence on Bleecker Street since the 1940s, where each day about 100 men took morning showers, grabbed a meal and got their mail. The Archdiocese of New York closed the center in 2011, citing “changing demographics” and low demand. It renovated the building and turned it into a Roman Catholic cultural center containing a 250-seat auditorium, a black box theater, rehearsal rooms and a small gallery. The building will also house eight campus ministry volunteers. [link]

Men lined up outside St. Joseph House on the Lower East Side on a recent morning.

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The Stone: What Would Krishna Do? Or Shiva? Or Vishnu?

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Jonardon Ganeri

Baby Krishna by Teresa Mas

The essence of Hinduism is that it has no essence. What defines Hinduism and sets it apart from other major religions is its polycentricity, its admission of multiple centers of belief and practice, with a consequent absence of any single structure of theological or liturgical power. Unlike Christianity, Buddhism or Islam, there is no one single canonical text — the Bible, the Dialogues of the Buddha, the Quran — that serves as a fundamental axis of hermeneutical or doctrinal endeavor, recording the words of a foundational religious teacher. (The Veda is only the earliest in a diverse corpus of Hindu texts.) Hinduism is a banyan tree, in the shade of whose canopy, supported by not one but many trunks, a great diversity of thought and action is sustained. [link]

This is Gary Guttings ninth in a series of interviews about religion that I am conducting for The Stone. The interviewee for this installment is Jonardon Ganeri, currently a visiting professor of philosophy at New York University Abu Dhabi and the author of “The Lost Age of Reason: Philosophy in Early Modern India 1450–1700.”

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National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary

CITY BEAT
By Nick Swartsell

The first tombstone of Salmon P. Chase, an anti-slavery lawyer and the Chief Justice
of the U.S. Supreme Court is on display at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

OHIO---The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center celebrated its 10th anniversary Sunday. After contention about its creation and financial struggles early in its existence, the museum and conference center looks to be on a very positive trajectory. Despite debt and a $1 million-plus operating deficit as recently as 2011, the Freedom Center has proven resilient. A July 2012 merger with the Museum Center has helped, as well as contributions from donors and the Center’s continually nationally recognized exhibitions and events. Attendance revenue is up 35 percent at the Center, a Cincinnati Enquirer article says, and the Center’s endowment is growing. On a personal note, this is one of my favorite places in the city, and the news that it’s doing well is great to hear indeed. [link]

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Ancient Skulls Show Civilization Rose as Testosterone Fell

THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION 
By Matt Picht

An ancient modern human and a recent modern human. (Robert Cieri/University of Utah)

Researchers at Duke University and the University of Utah say the rise of human civilization as we know it is linked to a drop in testosterone levels. The paper, published in the journal Current Anthropology, posits that a testosterone deficit facilitated the friendliness and cooperation between humans, which lead to modern society. Study lead Robert Cieri posits "reduced testosterone levels enabled increasingly social people to better learn from and cooperate with each other." Comparing the newer skulls to the ancient ones, researchers noticed a sharp decline in features sculpted by testosterone; modern skulls have smaller brows and more rounded faces. [link]

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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

After reading the entire King James Bible, Jewish artists Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin were inspired to create a Bible guide to modern conflict. The result is a perfect replica of the Bible most Christians probably have on their shelf at home, but with images collaged over parts of the text to illustrate the messages. The artists described the experience as "profound" as they moved from the "ambiguity" of words about violence to the clarity of actual photographs. The "Holy Bible Project" (above) is my NEWS OF WEEK because the Bible is filled with violent prophecies that we, like the Jews of ancient times don't seem to hear. This month however you can see their images on display in, "Divine Violence" in Wales, or buy your own Bible online at Mackbooks.com.

Holy Bible by Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin

In other religious art news from across the USA, and around the world:

• Buddhist Art of Week: Ven. Hyedam's Goryeo Kingdom Buddhist paintings [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Sister Corita Kent's pop art ends at MOCA Cleveland [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Ajay Garg's miniature art works with a Hindu touch [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Muslims in Gaza, end their Ramadan surrounded by war [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: Rabbi to be the next U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom [More News]

Join the journey. When you follow religious artists, you look for others who do the same. Some of us join as "Collectors" and make policy decisions; others join as "Friends" who gather for the dialogues; and most of us join as "Subscribers" to this "free" weekly newsletter; (or follow on: Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, or Soundcloud).

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Op-ed: In Defense of Zionism

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Michael Oren

The founder of Zionism, Theodor Herzl

They come from every corner of the country—investment bankers, farmers, computer geeks, jazz drummers, botany professors, car mechanics—leaving their jobs and their families. They risk their lives for an idea. The idea is Zionism. It is the belief that the Jewish people should have their own sovereign state in the Land of Israel. They believe their idea is worth fighting for. Yet Zionism, arguably more than any other contemporary ideology, is demonized. In a region reeling with ethnic strife and religious bloodshed, Zionism has engendered a multiethnic, multiracial and religiously diverse society. Arabs serve in the Israel Defense Forces, in the Knesset and on the Supreme Court. To live in peace and security with our Palestinian neighbors remains the Zionist dream. [link]

Mr. Oren was Israel's ambassador to the U.S. from 2009 to 2013. He holds the chair in international diplomacy at IDC Herzliya in Israel and is a fellow at the Atlantic Council. His books include "Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East" and "Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present." 

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Sunday Review: Where Reason Ends and Faith Begins

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By T. M. Luhrmann

CALIFORNIA---NOT long ago, I was at an event in which many people, most of them professors, were arguing for the existence of things that many of their colleagues did not believe in. If faith is a conjecture, or, as Soren Kierkegaard framed it, a leap into the unknown, perhaps being clear about what is foolish makes people feel safer about where that leap might land them. Gods are invisible, the future is inscrutable, and much of life is bushwhacking over uneven terrain. In the face of your own uncertainty, being precise about what you don’t believe in can shore up your confidence in what you do. [link]

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Philbrook Museum of Art Announces Receipt of the Hyatt Collection of Hopi Art

ARTDAILY

The Hyatt family began traveling to the Hopi reservation in northern Arizona in the late 1980s.

OKLAHOMA--- Philbrook Museum of Art announced the important gift of 364 works of Hopi art, including katsinas, basketry and other media from Atlanta and Santa Fe-based collector, Wayne S. Hyatt. Featuring works by more than 160 artists, the Hyatt Collection both expands and strengthens the impressive survey of 20th and 21st century Native American art within the Philbrook holdings. Highlights of the collection include 25 katsinas (carved wooden figures of Hopi spiritual beings) by brothers Wilmer and Wilfred Kaye of the Badger/Butterfly Clan of Third Mesa. [link]

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Fitzwilliam Museum Bids to Acquire Weeping Virgin by Spanish Sculptor Pedro de Mena

ARTDAILY

Pedro de Mena (1628-1688), The Virgin of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa), about 1670-5.

UNITED KINGDOM---A remarkably realistic painted wood bust of the Mater Dolorosa (Virgin of Sorrows) by Pedro de Mena (1628-1688), one of the most celebrated sculptors of the Spanish Golden Age, has gone on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge as part of an appeal to acquire the sculpture. It was most likely created for the private chapel, study or bedchamber of a devout patron, and would almost certainly have been protected under a glass dome and originally paired with a similarly-sized bust of the Ecce Homo (Christ as the Man of Sorrows). The Fitzwilliam Museum has already raised a substantial amount towards the work (including £30,000 from the Art Fund and £10,000 from The Henry Moore Foundation) but needs to secure a further £85,000 by the end of September 2014 in order to acquire the remarkable bust. [link]

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The Race to Find New Art Collectors

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Kelly Crow

Korean collector Hong-gyu Shin bid on a $142 million Francis Bacon, but lost Nicholas Hunt/Patrick McMullan

In early May, Christie's invited a group of 18 new collectors from China to visit New York. The auction house threw the guests a lavish dinenr at its Rockefellor Center ballroom, escorted them on guided tours through the Museum of Moden Art and arranged VIP tickets to a local art fair. Christie's efforts paid off: During its May 13 contemporary art ales, members of the grip placed bids on at least half the top 10 priciest pieces in what became an historic $745 million auction. [link]

A quarter of all art-auction sales were made to first-time buyers this year. An inside look at Sotheby's and Christie's global quest to identify and recruit them.

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