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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

I have a bad habit. As Palestinians and Israelis clash and die in Gaza, I've remained a bystander. Tomorrow evening on Monday, July 28, the Islamic holydays of Ramadan end following a month of fasting and prayer to rid ourselves of bad habits. Prayers are said in the direction of the Kaaba, a cubed black building at the center of Mecca, and my prayer is that before Ramadan ends that I will stop being a bystander. That's why "Diversity" by Siddiqa Juma (above) is my NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Takashi Kikuchi and Park Dong-ki team-up for exhibit [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Mannerist paintings of Pontormo, aka Jacopo Carucci [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Hindu deities get muscular makeovers; a ripped Vishnu [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Palestinians and Arabs hang tough at the New Museum [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: Jews and the first kosher comic books blazing trails [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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

Is "sacrifice" at the heart of Christian religious practice? This week, Archie Andrews, the freckle-faced teenage comic book icon, sacrificed his life for his gay friend when hate came to their  hometown. "The way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie," said Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics publisher. "He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomizes not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us." Seeing comics as religious art, makes Archie's taking a bullet (above) my NEWS OF WEEK.

ARCHIE COMICS on 7/16/2014 8:02 AM

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: New Book: "In Search of the Christian Buddha" [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Atlanta's A&O Meetup Was an Inspiring Success [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Utah Museum Exhibits Explore Art and Hindu Belief [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: An Edification Vacation in Chautauqua, New York [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: Nina Yankowitz Plays Word Games With Sacred Texts [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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

Who would you turn to for a new look on an old story like the Garden of Eden? NYC's Museum of Biblical Art turned to 19 living artists, including Barnaby Furnas for their interpretations in creating the exhibition, "Back to Eden: Contemporary Artists Wander the Garden." The exhibit explores the influences of the Genesis story on artists working today. Dripping wet with fresh color, "The Fruit Eaters" (above) by Barnaby Furnas captures that moment earlier today when a pale toned Adam and Eve ate the golden apples while encircled by a bright red serpent. For those seeking new ways to see old stories, "Back to Eden" (above) is my NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Before Buddha, Tao, and Confucius, there was "Ti" [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Cowboy artist, Gib Singleton was favorite of popes [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Crow Collection presents exhibit on the God Krishna [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Movie: ‘Honour,’ a thriller about British muslims [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: Orthodox Jewish women artists exhibit at Stern College [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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

The new exhibition, "Facets of the Three Jewels" at the Saint Louis Museum of Arts is my NEWS OF WEEK. The exhibition is organized around the three foundations of Buddhism, and without these three "jewels," Buddhism would not exist today. The first is the historical Buddha Shayamuni; second are his teachings; and third is his community of followers who spread his message. Featured are 18th-century thangkas (banner paintings) from a set of illustrations of the Buddha's previous lives including "llustrations from the Jatakamala: King of the Monkeys, Teacher of Forbearance, and the Visitor from Brahmaloka" (above); along with other paintings, drawings, bronze sculptures and other ritual items. The exhibit closes in February. Would you meet me in Saint Louis to visit?

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: San Francisco takes a new look at defining "Gorgeous" [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Marsden Hartley is the INSPIRE ME! Artist for July [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Hannah Kunkle's Hindu diety upsets activist from Nevada [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: European Court upholds France's ban on burqas in public [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: Ken Goldman creates & recreates Jewish ceremonial objects [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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

This past week, the Center for Civil and Human Rights opened in Atlanta and gay couples earned their freedom to marry in Indiana. For three days, gay couples married as part of the equality movement inspired by Civil Rights heroes like Coretta Scott King, Bayard Rustin, and current Congressman John Lewis. It is Lewis's life and example that are told in 37 expressionistic works by Georgia artist Benny Andrews, now in the center's collection. The works feature John Lewis’s recollection of key episodes in his life and his unwavering fight for civil rights. For a week when freedom both waxed and waned, "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speaking" (above) by Benny Andrews is my NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: New book, "Artful Contemplation" from Bhutan [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Pat Robertson says Christian tattoos are "heathen" [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Smithsonian's yoga exhibition illuminates in Cleveland [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Capture the Spirit of Ramadan" returns for holymonth [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: ArtFest - 4 days of art, performance, music & writing [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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

The Old Masters, who worked through the Renaissance continue to inspire and fascinate us with their skill and faith, but most of all by the value placed on their work by their patrons. There is no other generation that better embodies the ideal of arts patronage—a time when both private collectors and institutions banded together to collect works that lifted-up religion, but also lifted-up the careers of artists. Francesco Botticini was one of those artists who created works for both, and one of his private devotional works realized $425,000 at auction this month when sold by the Indianapolis Episcopal Diocese. It's a genuine honor to showcase this sale as my NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Buddha's new home at Rhode Island School of Design [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: James Ensor's "Man of Sorrows" at The Getty Center" [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: M.F. Husain's "Ganesha" at Victoria and Albert Museum [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Samra Habib's online exhibition celebrates queer Muslims [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: Artist salons to explore Judaism are spreading worldwide [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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

What's more interesting to today's audiences: (a) Peter Paul Rubens was a Baroque artist, or (b) that Rubens was interested in women and God? The answer is "b" according to the director of the Detroit Institute of Arts. This past week, Graham W.J. Beal, the museum's director credited Edsel Ford's 1933 commissioning of a Diego Rivera mural for putting the workers of Detroit at the center the museum experience. A detail of that mural with the holy family being inoculated (above) is my NEWS OF WEEK. What can you do to help restore the status of religious art in your community?

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Artist duo uses household items to create Mandalas [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Gonzalo Orquin's gay Catholic love banned by church [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Sharma and Swami's Hindu Goddesses [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Mohammed Al Kindy is a hit in Saudi show [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: Judith Prays' 10 Commandments: Bracelet Project [More News]

Join the journey. We are all members of one spiritual family united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's Religion. We follow artists who explore religious ideas with their creativity. When you follow religious artists, you join 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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

Burial at Paris's Panthéon requires a parliamentary act, but the NEWS OF WEEK is the mausoleum's transformation by French artist JR (standing above) into sacred space for experiencing the lives of 1,000s of everyday citizens. Originally built in 1758 as a church to house the relics of St. Genevieve, it was later rededicated as a mausoleum for France's most distinguished citizens. Designed in the form of a Greek cross, JR has woven an enormous black-and-white collage of selfies on floor and ceiling among the massive portico of Corinthian columns. In Greek, Panthéon means "every god" and today this temple is a place where every person is a distinguished citizen, a saint, and a god.

JR Installs “Au Panthéon” in Paris’ Panthéon

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Dorothy Iannone's penchant for love and Buddhism [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Andres Serrano, Photographer & Christian artist [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Cambodia welcomes return of 1,000-year-old sculptures [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Lalla Essaydi’s explorations of the Arab female identity [More News]
• Judaic Art Week: Controversey in Pittsburgh over Palestinian and Jewish artists [More News]

“Au Pantheon”: Project Adorns Construction Around Pantheon With Gigantic Portraits

Join the journey. We are all members of one spiritual family united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's Religion. We follow artists who explore religious ideas with their creativity. When you follow religious artists, you join 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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

"Where you go, I will go," said Ruth to Naomi, and one of my favorite paintings of this moment is by Jewish artist Arthur Szyk (1894-1951). This week, Jews worldwide mark their holyday of Shavuot with readings from the Book of Ruth, and many will also celebrate the women's relationship as a symbol for Gay Pride month (June). Szyk was not gay, but he was a highly respected illustrator and a fierce human rights advocate. During his funeral, his rabbi eulogized him as "a champion of justice" who "brilliantly" used his art as his tool. This June, a new documentary, Soldier in Art: Arthur Szyk is traveling, and a retrospective on his work ends at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. For all these reasons, Arthur Szyk's "Ruth & Naomi" (above) is my NEWS OF WEEK. Happy holiday & Happy Pride!

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Red Baron's art collection to be auctioned at Sotheby's [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Mary Carlson’s soulful little ceramic sculptures [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Mystical Hindu paintings suddenly appear at Angkor Wat [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Javed Qamar's calligraphic "The Islamic Dream Land" [More News]
• Movie of Week: Angelina Jolie brilliantly stars in ‘Maleficent,’ from Disney [More News]

Join the journey. We are all members of one spiritual family united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's Religion. We follow artists who explore religious ideas with their creativity. When you follow religious artists, you join 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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

Why do we memorialize? A new altarpiece for St Paul’s Cathedral in London is a video quadriptych of unnamed figures engulfed in flames, doused in water, buried by soil and strung up by the ankles. Installed during a week when death felt close at hand, this digital work "Martyr's" (above) by Bill Viola is my NEWS OF WEEK. Critics predict Viola's universal work will change the future of religious art. During this week, when a family member passed away; 3 shot dead at a Jewish Museum of Belgium; 7 killed in a rampage in California; and a museum opened for 2,977 who died in NYC; we ask, how should art memorialize?

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Korea's iron Buddha gets NYC star status at home [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: El Paso Museum of Art announces retablo exhibition [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Houston's Asia Society exhibit spotlights Hindu deities [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: New art by Negar Ahkami at Jen Bekmann's 20x200 [More News]
• Judaic Art of Week: Gifts of Jewish art from the Jewish heartland [More News]
• Interfaith Art News: Deadline for Butler University's Religion, Spirituality and the Arts

Join the journey. We are all members of one spiritual family united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's Religion. We follow artists who explore religious ideas with their creativity. When you follow religious artists, you join 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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

This week victims' friends and relatives, rescue workers and survivors of Sept. 11, 2001 descended into a subterranean space in NYC to consolidate their hearts at the world's first interfaith pilgrimage site. A religious pilgrimage is a physical demonstration of solidarity with others of your faith to consolidate in your heart that you are living the life intended by God. Pilgrimage sites remind us what and why we believe, and the museum and this week's opening ceremonies were designed as a religious pilgrimage akin to Christian, Buddhist, or Islamic shrines. That's why the September 11 Memorial & Museum (above) is my NEWS OF WEEK. Do you feel called? Join me.

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: 50 Manga artists gather together for Buddha exhibition [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" auctioned for $185,000 [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Tuesday was the Hindu holyday of Narasimha Jayanti [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Brit's organize contemporary Islamic art show for Russians [More News]
• Judaic Art of Week: Non-Jews donate Holocaust Torah to Virginia University [More News]

Join the journey. We are all members of one spiritual family united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's Religion. We follow artists who explore religious ideas with their creativity. When you follow religious artists, you join 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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

Happy Vesak Day! This Tuesday, millions will celebrate the birthday of the founder of Buddhism. A major teaching of the Buddha is that everything is continuously changing, and the traditional symbol for this impermanence is the "skull." Zhang Huan is one of the world's leading contemporary artists and he forms great clusters of these skulls with layer upon layer of thick paints in bright hallucinatory colors. He is also an ordained Buddhist monk, and his "Spring Poppy Fields" (above) are my NEWS OF WEEK. What insights into your own life do you see in Zhang Huan's spiritual paintings?

Detail of Spring Poppy Fields No.9, 2012” oil on linen - Zhang Huan

Zhang Huan photographed at Pace London April 24

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Rubin Museum explores the balance of bodily forces [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Museum of Biblical Art celebrates 10 year anniversary [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: "Lost Kingdoms" at Metropolitan captures world's notice [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Artist Lalla Essaydi spoke at Hunter Museum in Tennessee [More News]
• Judaic Art of Week: Lost treasures of Italy's Jewish Ghetto displayed in Austria [More News]

Join the journey. We are all members of one spiritual family united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's Religion. We follow artists who explore religious ideas with their creativity. When you follow religious artists, you join 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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

Large numbers of Americans are uninformed about the tenets, practices, history and leading figures of major faith traditions – including our own. For instance, fewer than half of Americans (47%) know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist. Educational attainment is the single best predictor of religious knowledge, and also the biggest predictor for artistic appreciation. This week, we invite you to join the A&O board in taking an abbreviated version of the Religious Knowledge Survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, and afterwards to go visit a local museum. It is this link between art, education, and religious knowledge that makes "Lost Kingdoms" (above) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art my NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Hiroshi Sugimoto is the INSPIRE ME! Artist for May. [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Gehard Demetz brings his wooden children to NYC [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Samira Akbari is fascinated with the temple erotica of India [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Tareq Sayed Rajab de Montfort is both avant-garde & gay [More News]
• Judaic Art of Week: Jewish/Hasidic artists open art gallery in Crown Heights [More News]

Join the journey. We are all members of one spiritual family united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's Religion. We follow artists who explore religious ideas with their creativity. When you follow religious artists, you join 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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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

Jewish photographer Annie Leibovitz creates iconic and revealing celebrity portraits, and Neil Patrick Harris as "Hedwig" is her latest for Vanity Fair. The Broadway revival, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," is the tale of an innocent boy (Hansel) who is emasculated by an absent father, a distant mother, and a series of men who at first profess devotion and then deny-it. Hansel becomes Hedwig as he gets wrapped in the serpent-like coils of this life while also developing a cult-following for his super-star talents. Even without a dramatic tossing of a mascara marked "Shroud of Hedwig," the Christian allusions are clear, and that is why "Hedwig" (above) is my NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: A&O Meetup for lunch at Metropolitan Museum of Art [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Poet laureate confronts his childhood abuse by priest [More News]
• Sikh Art of Week: Sikh collectors buy back their history one bid at a time [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Noha Al-Sharif's sculptures reflect religion and lifestyle [More News]
• Judaic Art of Week: Rabbi leads 12 Indianapolis artists on spiritual journey [More News]

Join the journey. We are all members of one spiritual family united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's Religion. We follow artists who explore religious ideas with their creativity. When you follow religious artists, you join 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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