Nomination's Open for America's Religious Art Prize

AOA NEWSNEW YORK - Nominations are now open for the 4th annual Alpha & Omega Prize for Professional Artists, sponsored by the Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts. "Throughout this month, nominations will be solicited from the religious & artistic communities," says Ernest Britton, Project Director. "Unlike typical visual arts awards, the A&O Prize celebrates both artistic excellence and the faith dialogue the artwork...

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INSPIRE ME! Artist, Francisco Goya

By CHARLIE GOETZPlate 34: Por una navaja (For a clasp knife). A priest tied to a stake grasps a cross in his hands. On my shelf--frequently taken down--is a slim volume of etchings by Francisco Goya (1746-1828) entitled The Disasters of War. The eighty aquatint plates are unrelenting, nightmarish depictions of the 1808 Spanish insurrection and the consequent conflict with Napoleonic France. Goya saw first-hand the bloody combat and the related Madrid...

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A&O Meetup in NYC, October 28-30, 2011

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS"Market in Jerusalem" (1927) By Ludwig BlumNEW YORK - Once again celebrating creative and religious freedom in the city of our founding in 2008, the Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts is planning an annual meeting/meetup:Tony ward winning musical "The Book of Mormon" An exhibition featuring internationally acclaimed painter of Jerusalem, Ludwig Blum (above) at the Museum of Biblical ArtVisit the National September...

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The Generous Gifts of Islamic Art at California Museum

PALISADIAN-POSTBy Elizabeth Marcellino"Sindukht Comes to Sam Bearing Gifts," a folio from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, Iran, Tabriz (1525-35) CALIFORNIA - Ramadan begins next week [today]. The ninth month of the Islamic calendar is a time for spiritual reflection and fasting, and the fast will be broken with a celebration that includes gifts for children, those in need and loved ones. It is just one of several occasions for gifts in a culture that...

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Islam's Most Sacred Site: The Kaaba in Mecca

AOA NEWSSAUDIA ARABIA - The Kaaba is a cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham and his son Ishmael, after Ishmael had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram. All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform...

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Catholics Eye Charges vs Cultural Arts Center Over 'Blasphemous' Exhibit

GMA NEWSArtist Mideo Cruz speaks about his art installation ''Poleteismo'', on exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila July 29, 2011.PHILIPPINES - Lay Catholic groups are considering filing charges against the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City over what they called a “sacrilegious and blasphemous" art exhibit. Pro-Life Philippines sent a letter to the CCP and the artists who claimed to be from the University...

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Doris Duke Foundation Awards $1 Million for Islamic Art's Building Bridges Program Across USA

WALL STREET JOURNALBy Associated PressRHODE ISLAND — Providence is one of five cities across the country that will participate in a pilot program designed to showcase the diversity of Islamic societies through their art. The Providence-based organization FirstWorks will host an artistic and cultural exchange program known as Caravanserai: A place where cultures meet. It is funded by a $1 million grant from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art's Building Bridges grants program. Officials said the program will focus on music and film from Pakistan....

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Video News: London Museum Hosts Contemporary Islamic Art Show

BBC NEWSUNITED KINGDOM - Some of the finest new art works influenced by the Islamic tradition of design are on show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. They are all nominated for the £25,000 Jameel Prize which is given to contemporary works inspired by Islamic art. The winner will be announced in September. Contenders come from countries as diverse as Iran, the US, Iraq and Pakistan. Salma Tuqan, curator of contemporary Middle Eastern art, gave the BBC a tour of the exhibition. [Watch Vid...

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Indianapolis Hosts Interfaith Fair, BBQ & Art Exhibit

AOA NEWSBy Ernest BrittonINDIANA - It was a fun day for many in Indianapolis on Saturday as the Center for Interfaith Cooperation hosted its first Community Fair at the Indiana Interchurch Center. The fair which celebrated the culture and traditions of central Indiana's interfaith community, included an International Barbeque competition, Asian, Middle Eastern and American cuisine, the opening of Asra...

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Rembrandt's Jewish Jesus in Philadelphia Museum of Art

SACRAMENTO BEEBy Joann LovinglioYoung Jew as Christ by RembrandtPENNSYLANIA - A new exhibit coming to the Philadelphia Museum of Art takes a fresh look at religious paintings, drawings and prints by one of history's most revered artists. "Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus" debuts Wednesday in Philadelphia. "This was very likely the first time in the history of Christian art that Jesus appeared to be Jewish," curator Lloyd De Witt said. "Rembrandt and...

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Calendar: Museum of Islamic Arts 3-D Exhibition in Doha, Qatar

ARAB NEWSQATAR - Aug 1 — 31: Water… One of the greatest secrets of life. By reflecting upon the collection of the Museum of Islamic Art (which includes tabs, fountains, ewers, cups, bowls and strainers made of various materials), participants will be inspired to create a 3D art work. The 3D art will be decorated by verses from the Holy Qur’an in which the word “water” is mentioned. This will be delivered through an artistic workshop that sheds light on the importance of water in Islam, Islamic art, and culture. Mondays and Wednesdays at the Museum...

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American Artist Appreciation Month

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONEach August we recognize the American artists who have enriched our lives. It’s also a good time to offer art-related programming for children and adults at your library. Here are some library programs offered for inspiration:The Northbrook Public Library teamed with its local YMCA’s visual arts program for children to display the children’s paintings, drawings, and ceramics. The exhibition kicked off with an opening reception with refreshments.The Chicago Public Library based its 2010 summer reading program on art....

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RELIGIOUS ART | TALK OF WEEK

AOA NEWS AOA PICK OF WEEK is “26000 Pages” by Hadie Shafdie (Image above), an entry in this year’s Jameel Prize for Islamic Art. The Jameel Prize exhibition runs through Ramadan with the winner of this international fine arts competition being announced on September 12 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. You can comment online on all the weeks top news below (“Sunday” only). AOA’s three questions of the week are: Ramadan...

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Siona Benjamin's Interviews on Canvas Faces of the Bene Israel

ASIAN JEWISH LIFEBy Erica LyonsSharon Galsurkar at Magen David SynagogueINDIA - The story of the Jews in India goes back 2,000 years and is one of peaceful coexistence in a colorful world that embraced them yet one of isolation from global Jewry. When artist Siona Benjamin, an American, set out on her trip back to the India of her childhood in 2010, she arrived with an intense sense of purposefulness heavily laden with nostalgia. She was intent on...

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Documentary on Hospice Care Provided by Death Row Inmates

AOA NEWSLOUISINA - Serving Life documents an extraordinary hospice program where hardened criminals care for dying fellow inmates. Narrated and executive produced by Academy Award®-winner Forest Whitaker, the film takes viewers inside Louisiana's maximum security prison at Angola, where the average sentence is more than 90 years. This was the final project of AOA Advisory Council member, Lynn Harden before leaving NYC for a new assignment in Portland. It premieres on OWN tonight, Thursday, July 28 at 9/8c. [link]...

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BELIEVER FOR ARTISTS: Pastor Joseph Shreve | WV

AOA NEWSBy TahlibThe board of directors for Alpha and Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts is proud to recognize Methodist minister, and Pastor Dr. Joseph Shreve of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in West Virginia as a Believer For Artists. This past year, Pastor Shreve was a leading advocate for the painting of a new mural at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church as a tool to help bring the stories of Jesus to life....

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Head of Surfing Madonna to be Featured at California Arts Festival

NORTH COUNTY TIMES By Barbara HenryNorth County Times file photo CALIFORNIA - The central part of a much-loved surfing Madonna mosaic will make a brief public appearance in late August, roughly two months after the rogue public art project was removed from under a railroad bridge and put into storage. Mosaic artist Mark Patterson, a longtime Leucadia resident, said Monday he will display the panel containing the Madonna's face at the LeucadiART Walk...

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The Bone Church of Sedlec

AOA NEWSCZECH REPUBLIC - Sedlec's Church consists of fascinating sculptures and artwork from 40,000 dead. Fashion in 1870, some says that the Czech wood carver was m...

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The Jameel Prize for Islamic Art at the UK's Victoria & Albert Museum

THE ARTS DESKBy Marina VaizeyFashion Week (2010) by Soody ShafiriUNITED KINGDOM - Soody Shafiri’s Fashion Week (2010) (pictured above) digitally manipulates a large-scale photograph of a centuries-old Mughal miniature featuring a cheerfully ceremonial crowd of men and women in a palace courtyard, digitally inserting contemporary women in conventional, conservative Muslim dress on a catwalk in a palace courtyard, surrounded by the painted crowd of...

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Comedian (Artist) Ricky Gervais’ Evangelical Atheism

BIG HOLLYWOODBy John NolteRick Gervais "Stand up for what you believe"HOLLYWOOD - Why Christian symbols? We’re awfully easy pickings. If you’re a rich Hollywood star, offending us takes about as much courage as bringing a case of beer to a frat party. He’s one of those obnoxious non-believers always pushing his non-belief on you. He’s like a Mooonie without the charm, flowers or airport. That’s why I call [Rick] Gervais an “evangelical atheist.”...

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Arts & Religion in Indianapolis: It's Been Complicated

AOA NEWSBy TahlibINDIANA - In sharp contrast to the liberal vitality of its neighbor to the east, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Indianapolis relationship between the performing arts and religion began with hostility and became a partnership. Prior to the 1950s, morality rules often crushed artistic expressions in dance and music. Today, however that once hostile relationship is now uniquely Indy-positive. For instance, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church now holds its contemporary Sunday morning worship service at the Beef & Boards dinner theater, and...

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Tennessee Tattoo Parlor Becomes a District of Hope

KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINELBy Melissa PriodeHope District owner Stephanie Cobb shows off one of her faith-based tattoos.TENNESSEE - The Hope District, a custom tattoo shop and body piercing studio in Halls, is using its art as the most permanent form of evangelism possible. Bibles in the shop's display case and religious art on the walls may have folks wondering if they are in the right place, since the tattoo industry has the stigma of being dark and...

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VIDEO: Animated Film Roils Hindus in NYC

THE DAILY BEASTBy Salil TripathiA scene from "Sita Sings the Blues" featuring Rama (far left) and his wife Sita (second from left). , Nina PaleyNEW YORK - Something unremarkable was going to happen on the evening of July 21 at Richmond Hill, a suburb in the diverse New York borough of Queens, where an 82-minute animation film called Sita Sings the Blues was going to be screened at the Starlight Pavilion. Drawing on the Sanskrit epic, Ramayana, the...

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Presbyterian Church Features "Heads of Christ Room"

NEWNAN TIMES-HERALDBy Winston SkinnerGEORGIA - Jekyll Island has its share of tourist attractions – the miles of beaches, the Millionaire's Village, the remaining tabby walls of the colonial Horton House. Then there is the huge collection of images of Jesus. The room at Jekyll Presbyterian Community Church is not included in tourism brochures, but the paintings, carvings and prints tell a story of how Christ has been viewed by artists from many different...

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Ohio Art Show Honors Famed Artist Howard Chandler Christy

ZANESVILLE TIMES RECORDERBy Bryan McKee"Head of Christ"OHIO - For the 44th time, a celebration will take place to remember the life of famed artist Howard Chandler Christy. Christy's high-fashion "Christy Girls" were known all over the world. Later in his life, Christy underwent a religious conversion and devoted the closing years of his life to painting Christian subjects. An inspiring painting by Christy, titled "The Christ," is owned by the United...

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Essay: Creativity is the Language of God

SUNDAY HERALD SUNBy Bryan Patterson AUSTRALIA - All great art -- not just great music -- has the ability to touch us on the deepest parts of ourselves.  Faith has always sought to interpret its understanding of existence through art. Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, said French author and Nobel Prize winner Andre Gide, and the less the artist does the better. Writing in the 12th century, theologian Meister Eckhart urged humanity to embrace and practise art as a way of unveiling ``the truth of our deep, creative selves''....

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Buddhist Religious Texts Preserved on Human Bone

MAYANMAR TIMESBy Zon Pann Pwint A monk holds a ‘kamawa’ made from human bone at Thatamayanthi Monastery in Mayangone township, Yangon.MAYANMAR - IT is a long-standing tradition in Myanmar for Buddhists to offer rectangular cards or plates inscribed with religious textas to monks in order to gain merit. The Venerable Sayadaw U Wilarthetga said that some kamawa had even been fashioned from human bones, according to the wishes of the deceased. “Some...

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British Museum Plans to Showcase Islam's HAJ Piligrimage

THE NATIONALBy Jessica HollandThe Kaaba in MeccaUNITED KINGDOM - Intense emotion, sacrifice and ancient ritual: last year more than 6,000 Emiratis joined the throng of three million making the gruelling pilgrimage to Mecca to perform rites such as circling the Kaaba, "stoning the devil" and standing vigil at Mount Arafat. Now the Haj pilgrimage is set to be the focus of the British Museum's next major exhibition, Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam,...

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RELIGIOUS ART | TALK OF WEEK

AOA NEWSARTWORK OF THE WEEK, "He died for all races, tribes and tongues" by John Katerburg (image above) is one of the major stories of this week. You can "comment on it online" (“Sunday" only). People are talking about: The A&O Prize, an interfaith religious art prize exploring what happens after death? (Sunday Comments)Who determines great art? Patron-collectors, critics, dealers or great Artists? (Sunday Comment)Can a work of religious art...

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A Christian Lens Defines the Lens of NYC's Cobi Moule

ART DAILYNEW YORK - Cobi Moules creates a fantasy world in which only he exists. Throughout, there are many different narratives, coexisting to create an alternate world with a sense of excitement, self worth and play. Through the figure's multiplication and overwhelming presence within the landscape, it takes precedence over the landscape and integrates into it. The landscape, based off the Hudson River School style, is a stand in for the artist's...

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Methodist Church Displays 50 Modern Christian Art Pieces

SUFFOLK FREE PRESS UNITED KINGDOM - A collection of paintings by some of the world’s finest artists drew a steady stream of visitors during its opening weekend. The Art and Soul exhibition at St Peter’s Church in Sudbury features a collection of more than 50 modern Christian art pieces dating back to the turn of the 20th century. The collection is widely regarded as one of the finest of its types outside the Vatican and is rarely seen in its...

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Christian's Getting Inked in Sweden

THE LOCALBy Emy GelbSWEDEN - As more and more Swedes roll up their sleeves and trouser legs to get tattoos, contributor Emy Gelb takes a look at what inspires Swedes to let their bodies become walking works of art. “I am a Christian, and I always have God with me so I am getting a tattoo that says ‘Never Alone’ on my foot. It will always remind me of my faith. I think tattoos are pretty, and this is something that I can stand for the rest of my life," explains Johanna, an 18-year-old visitor at East Street. "I’ve been thinking about it for a year...

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Artist Wins $20K for "Christian Country"

SYDNEY STAR OBSERVERAUSTRALIA - 2011 Mardi Gras Art Prize winner Liam Benson was last week awarded the 2011 Hazelhurst Works on Paper Prize for his photographic self-portrait, "A Christian Country". The prize, valued at $20,000, was judged by artist Ben Quilty, winner of the 2011 Archibald Prize. The announcement was made as part of the Hazelhurst Art Award 2011 Art on Paper exhibition. A Christian Country is a digital photographic print featuring...

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Siona Benjamin's Hindu Portraits Show the Varied Faces of Jews

MONTCLAIR TIMESBy Elizabeth OgussNEW JERSEY - In an empty synagogue in Pune, India, an old man prays alone, his still-strong voice rising to the rafters as he chants the Hebrew prayers. The moment is captured in still photos and on video by an American artist, Siona Benjamin. "His voice in the empty synagogue was a symbol," Benjamin said, recalling the moment in the basement studio of her Montclair home. "Once there were 30,000 Jews in India. Now...

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Buddhist Blockbuster in Tokyo

WALL STREET JOURNALBy Hiroyuki KachiA huge statue of the Buddhist priest, Kukai, stands in Niigata in 2001. JAPAN - In a blockbuster display of Buddhist art treasures, the Tokyo National Museum Wednesday opened an exhibit devoted to one of Japan’s best-known monks, credited with bringing “Esoteric Buddhism” to the country from China in early 9th century. And for enthusiasts, the setting is one not to be missed: “Kukai’s World: the Arts of Esoteric...

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Kuwait Opens Islamic Art Gallery in Budapest

KUWAIT NEWS AGENCYHUNGARY - Kuwait opened on Friday its second Islamic Art Gallery in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. The four-day gallery, held at the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest, is co-organized by Kuwait's Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Kuwait Center of Islamic Arts, the Kuwaiti embassy in Budapest as well as the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Resources. Choosing Budapest to host such event comes as a result of Kuwait's and Hungary's concerns to push forward their cooperative ties. Speaking...

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Vatican Seeks to Reassert its Dominant Role as Art Patron

VOICE OF AMERICABy Jean Di MarinoVATICAN CITY - The Vatican - once the world’s premier art patron - is again reaching out to artists, organizing an exhibit of contemporary works. Sixty living artists, including two Americans, were invited to reflect on the theme of truth and charity. U.S. artist Max Cole, 75, was one of them. She found herself shaking hands with Pope Benedict while standing in front of the painting she submitted to the Vatican's...

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NYC College Aquires Online Islamic Art Museum

WNYC RADIOBy Marlon BishopNEW YORK - Queens College is positioning itself to become a mecca for art and art history in the Arab World. The college recently announced it would take ownership of an online Islamic art museum, thanks to generous donations from big names in the Asian art world: the London-based shopping mall magnate Nasser Khalili and the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation.The caligraphy lion above is part of the new collection. [...

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Collector Gives Tibetan Art Collection to Smithsonian

FOX NEWSWASHINGTON, DC - A New York art collector has announced the donation of Tibetan art, including a shrine room, to the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Alice Kandell announced the donation of her collection at a ceremony with the Dalai Lama at the Smithsonian on Saturday. She built the collection over 40 years. The shrine room contains hundreds of Tibetan Buddhist bronzes, paintings and objects created between the 12th and 19th centuries...

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Controversial Indian Painter is Subject of New Documentary

HINDUSTAN TIMESBy Priyanka JainBOLLYWOOD - Ketan Mehta’s ambitious project Rang Rasiya has been in the cans for almost a year and a half. However, after receiving accolades at the London Indian Film Festival, the biopic based on controversial painter Raja Ravi Varma, will be finally be released this September. Ketan says, “The film charts Raja Ravi Varma’s life, from his early days under the patronage of a king in Kerala to his time in British Bombay in the late 1800s, where he makes his fortune. Here, he gives birth to Indian modern art and helps...

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A&O Prize for Young Artists Seeking Central Indiana Talent

AOA NEWSINDIANA - The Indiana Interchurch Center will name its first central Indiana high school student recipient of the Alpha & Omega Prize for Young Artists on November 12, 2011, but first they are spreading the word to congregations, schools and arts organizations to help identify the best in the region's multi-faith talent.The A&O Prize, a $750 scholarship for the winners of an interfaith arts competition is part of the 16th annual Spirit...

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Church Tells Artist to Remove Mural of Christ

The Philadelphia InquirerBy David O'ReillyPENNSYLVANIA - Luminous and translucent, commanding earth and sky, the risen Christ is too vast to be contained within the borders of artist Lothar Speer's mural. When he finished his headless Jesus in 1995, Speer believed his "ethereal vision" would reside "for a long, long time" in Bustleton's Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church. After Calvary Lutheran dissolved in the fall due to dwindling membership,...

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San Diego's "Space 4Arts First Open-Call Includes "Must Sees"

BLOGCRITICBy Kevin FreitasCALIFORNIA - [A] must-see work is entitled Dewdropic by Lea Anderson. It's a stunning work, one of many that can be found on her website. Dewdropic is impressive for its size (a large oval) and uncanny ability to rest passively on the wall (it’s not the first piece your drawn to in the show) until you come closer. I’m not much for artist statements but Anderson’s, like her work, is succinct yet elusive enough to respect...

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Art Review: "Lilith" by Siona Benjamin | NYC

JEWISH PRESSBy Richard McBeeNEW YORK - Siona Benjamin's exhibition Finding Home: The Art of Siona Benjamin is simply beautiful. Set in the spacious lobby gallery of the JCC Manhattan, it allows for a peaceful contemplation of this complex artist's meditations on biblical women, war, exoticism and contemporary society. The painted walls range from soft ochre to a pale turquoise, setting off Benjamin's palette to maximum effect, each work sensuously...

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Vandal Sprays Paint on Poussin at London's Natl Gallery

THE GUARDIANBy Cherry WilsonUNITED KINGDOM - A 17th-century painting by Nicolas Poussin was vandalised at the National Gallery in London after a 57-year-old man reportedly sprayed it with red paint before being arrested by police (above). The Adoration of the Golden Calf, completed by the French classicist in 1634, along with a smaller painting on the adjacent wall in the Poussin Room, was attacked at around 5pm. The oil-on-canvas painting depicts...

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Christian Art Gallery Selected to Assist in Pope's Art Exhibit

AOA NEWSPENNSYLVANIA - Philadelphia's White Stone Gallery was selected to assist in the multi-denominational exhibit, Art & Faith, for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Madrid, Spain. Contemporary artists from around the world will be featured in this historic exhibit for World Youth Day. For the first time in Europe, contemporary artists from different countries are gathered together to exhibit art influenced by Christian faith. The exhibit is scheduled...

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Hindu Deities Coming to New Orleans Museum of Art

AOA NEWSLOUISIANA - On Friday, August 5, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) will premiere The Elegant Image: Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Bronzes from the Indian Subcontinent in the Siddharth K. Bhansali Collection. The exhibition includes over 100 bronze sculptures of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain deities, presenting a rich diversity of figures of the three major religions of ancient India. Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion in the world...

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Help is Still Needed for Korean Art Installation

AOA NEWSSOUTH KOREA - Canadian artist, Christian, and father Mark Philip Venema has returned from his successful journey to Korea to install "Entrenched Thought", an international bridge-building project, and he is anxious to share the photos with those who missed the experience. The mammoth outdoor project cost thousands of dollars to conduct but is still in need of financial support. To-date, the project has raised just under $1,000 and there is...

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