Nomination's Open for America's Religious Art Prize

AOA NEWS

NEW 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 inspires." Open to artists of all faiths, past honorees include Kehinde Wiley (2008) for his painting, "Dead Christ"; Helen Zughaib (2009) for "Midnight Prayers"; and last year's honoree was Thomas Blackshear (2010) for his US Postage stamp honoring Mother Teresa. In keeping with past practice, the winner of the annual prize will be announced on November 1st following the meeting of the board in NYC. To make a nomination, please send an email recommendation of 200-words (or less) to aoprize@alphaomegaarts.org by August 31.

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INSPIRE ME! Artist, Francisco Goya

By CHARLIE GOETZ

Plate 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 famine and he did not stint in his re-creation of the savagery of these events. Captions accompany each characterization: "With or without reason"; "And are like wild beasts"; "Bury them and keep quiet."

The Disasters of War constitutes some of the most effective propaganda art ever created. So strong is Goya's case that one forgets that his point of view was obviously not shared by the military and political prosecutors of the suffering Goya portrays. Indeed, publication of the artist's decade-long efforts (1810-1820) did not happen until 1863, 35 years after Goya's death. Clearly, the delay muted the collection's impact which would have been explosive had the pictures appeared during the time of the actual events Goya recorded.

Now, with considerable distance from the occurrences that wrenched the art from the artist, his propaganda is generalized, powerful still, but antiquated, particularly in the overshadowing realities of our own suspensions of civilization, from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to--well, pick one from the array of current conflicts visiting suffering and deprivation on our fellow earth-tenants. (Would that we had a Goya to remind us of our own beastliness.)

The effectiveness of Goya's work notwithstanding, one cannot dismiss the propagandistic elements. And his POV leads to the question, how much other art also has propaganda dimensions? Michelangelo's subjects are famously Biblical: The Creation (Sistine Chapel ceiling); David; The Pieta, et al. Raphael, DaVinci, and Salvador Dali, among many others, have made liberal use of Judaeo-Christian inspiration.

Then there are the Handel oratorios and the Bach Masses. And whether or not the output of so-called Christian rock and pop music-makers can be called art, they seem clearly propagandistic, urging hearers toward the performers' POV. (Also, remember the Soviet-era symphonies, operas, etc., glorifying the industrial and agricultural might of the USSR?)

Are artists from other cultural traditions grinding axes, too? Are the Buddahs and Indian deities in some way the products of quasi- "missionaries"? (Interesting that Islam frowns on images of its prophet. And Judaism's God must not be named.)

Obviously, the creations I'm citing here are different in kind from Constable landscapes, Rembrandt portraits, self and otherwise, and VanGogh's (and O'Keeffe's and Mapplethorpe's) flowers: no axes to grind in these. And some art seems absolutely to contradict the propaganda elements in offerings inspired by religious figures: the Francis Bacon Cardinal portrait, Andres Serrano's photo, "Piss Christ,"of the small plastic crucifix submerged in a glass of Serrano's urine.

What a flap that work engendered among believers! But maybe there is a clue here to a more important truth about Jesus, Mary and Moses (and Buddha) art as well as its antitheses and alternatives. Get beyond the provocative title--and what you know about the medium--of the Serrano work and just look at it; you'll find it quite lovely.

A good friend is an atheist, but, were he an archbishop, he could not be more enthusiastic about churches. His travels abroad have been focused on visiting houses of worship from village chapels to the great cathedrals. He's seen the inside of more churches than the most assiduous adherent to Christianity.

Obviously, his interest, intense as it is, is aesthetic--as is altogether appropriate. To work its transformative magic on our senses and our spirits, art has to be approached on its own terms, no matter its inspiration, no matter its subject. It can only be gelded if it lives in the shadow of what--and who--brought it into being.

A work of art is like the guy (or woman) we meet at a party. Of course the new acquaintance has a job, a function, a work life. But this is a party, play time, and the person with whom we shake hands transcends his/her function as a lawyer, doctor, Indian chief.

For it to have its full impact, an art work has to be greeted that way. The subject doesn't matter. Questions regarding beauty, magnetism, do. As with a potential friend, the important query is does this connection trigger in me a sense of appreciative agreement? Does it, in some way, make me happy?

chasgoetz1@gmail.com

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

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

"Market in Jerusalem" (1927) By Ludwig Blum

NEW 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 Art
• Visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on this, the 10th anniversary of the tragedy
• Guided tour at the Museum at the Eldridge Street Synagogue
• And a DJ Party of the Rubin Museum of Asian Art. You will not want to miss this annual pilgrimage to New York City.

Broadway Shows, Religious Art Collections, Houses of Worship and America's largest Halloween Parade are waiting for you in New York City this coming October.

Contact education@alphaomegaarts.org to get signed up.

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The Generous Gifts of Islamic Art at California Museum

PALISADIAN-POST
By 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 promotes giving as an essential practice. The Gifts of the Sultan, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, uses that custom of generosity as a thematic frame for a notable exhibition of Islamic art. Organizing a show around the notion of gifts was an entirely new idea, as gift-giving has been an area of more interest to anthropologists than art historians, until recently. But Komaroff hoped that such a universally understood concept would emphasize our shared humanity. Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts will run through September 5 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. [link]

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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 the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if they are able to do so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to walk seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed from above). This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). However, the most dramatic times are during the Hajj, when about 6 million (officially) pilgrims simultaneously gather to circle the building on the same day.

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

GMA NEWS

Artist 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 of Santo Tomas (UST) and demanded that the exhibit Kulo be stopped by Thursday. The exhibit “Kulo" will run from July 17 to August 21. [link]

A poster of Jesus Christ with a wooden penis on his face. Courtesy: Huff Post

“Poleteismo” by Mideo Cruz

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

WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Associated Press

RHODE 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. It will feature contemporary vocal and instrumental music and an award-winning Pakistani filmmaker. A public performance is scheduled for November. The other participating cities are Littleton, N.H.; Oswego, N.Y.; West Long Branch, N.J.; and Helena, Mont. [link]

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Video News: London Museum Hosts Contemporary Islamic Art Show

BBC NEWS

UNITED 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 Video]

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Indianapolis Hosts Interfaith Fair, BBQ & Art Exhibit

AOA NEWS
By Ernest Britton

INDIANA - 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 Burney's photo exhibit, America the Beautiful: Through the Eyes of a Pakistani Immigrant, as well as other family and children's activities. With dozens of ethnicity's and faiths participating, this fair was a great opportunity to get familiar with the interfaith world right in the heart of Indiana. Expected to be an annual event, the fair was sponsored by BRIDGE, International Interfaith Initiative, Indiana Interchurch Center, Muslim Alliance of Indiana and OBAT Helpers.

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Rembrandt's Jewish Jesus in Philadelphia Museum of Art

SACRAMENTO BEE
By Joann Lovinglio

Young Jew as Christ by Rembrandt

PENNSYLANIA - 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 the Face of Jesus" will make its final stop at the Detroit Institute of Arts from Nov. 20 until Feb. 12. [link]

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

ARAB NEWS

QATAR - 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 of Islamic Arts from 9 a.m. till 12 p.m. Booking is necessary. For more information, please visit educationmia@qma.org.qa.  [link]

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American Artist Appreciation Month

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

Each 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. Titled “Reading Is Art-RAGEOUS,” the children’s program allowed kids to read about art and artists and nurture their own creativity.
• The West Dade Regional Library is partnering with ArtCenter/South Florida and the Florida Center for the Literary Arts for a children’s storytime that also allows children to create their own illustrated books. Program instructor and artist Maria Gonzalez inspires children ages four through eight.
• DeLand Area Public Library has an ongoing monthly program for elementary school children sponsored by the Museum of Florida Art.
• The City of Rancho Mirage Public Library hosted “Art of the Olympians.” The traveling exhibition features paintings in various media by past and present Olympic athletes that celebrate the talents, energy, and competitive spirit of the athletes and games that form the modern Olympics.
• The Atwood-Hammond Public Library District hosted a Listening Doll art program for children in grade four through six. Children found out about the oral traditions of Native American Pueblo communities and how small figures of people or animals were used to help tell stories. The children also created their own listening dolls from clay and fabrics.

And some resources for American artists: http://www.programminglibrarian.org/library/planning/events-and-celebrations/american-artist-appreciation-month.html

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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:

1. Ramadan begins tomorrow (August 1), so why should non-Muslims explore Islamic Art? (Comment Here)
2. Why should non-Christians join AOA at the Creation Museum next Sunday? (Comment Here)
3. What lessons have non-Hindu's learned from the roil about an animated Hindu film? (Comment Here)

Below is the rest of week's biggest religious art news. The stories are grouped by the five largest faith traditions, with an additional category for other. The AOA team is commenting and we invite you to comment too.


BUDDHIST ART:

• Buddhist Religious Texts Preserved on Human Bone (MAYANMAR TIMES)

HINDU ART:

• Animated Film Roils Hindus in NYC (THE DAILY BEAST)

ISLAMIC ART:

• The Jameel Prize for Islamic Art at the UK's Victoria & Albert Museum (THE ARTS DESK)

FINE JUDAICA:

• Siona Benjamin in Asian Jewish Life (JEWISH ART SALON)

CHRISTIAN ART:

• Essay: Creativity is the Language of God (SUNDAY HERALD SUN)
• Ohio Art Show Honors Famed Artist Howard Chandler Christy (ZANESVILLE TIMES RECORDER)
• Presbyterian Church Features "Heads of Christ Room" (NEWNAM TIMES-HERALD)
• Tennessee Tattoo Parlor Becomes a District of Hope (KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL)
• Arts & Religion in Indianapolis: It's Been Complicated (AOA NEWS)
• Comedian (Artist) Ricky Gervais’ Evangelical Atheism (BIG HOLLYWOOD)
• The Bone Church of Sedlec (VIDEO)
• Head of Surfing Madonna to be Featured at California Arts Festival (NORTH COUNTY TIMES)

OTHER RELATED ARTS:

• Documentary on Hospice Care Provided by Death Row Inmates (AOA NEWS)

Do you want to get a daily dose of religious art news? Join Alpha Omega Arts on Facebook or Twitter. Google Plus is coming soon too! The "Religious Art Talk of Week” is a weekly project of Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts in connecting artists, faiths and communities through art.

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

ASIAN JEWISH LIFE
By Erica Lyons

Sharon Galsurkar at Magen David Synagogue

INDIA - 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 rescuing the stories and narratives of these people, her people, the Jews of India. Benjamin was awarded the Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship 2010-11, which enabled her to embark on this four month intensive research study in India that allowed her to photograph, interview, and record the Bene Israel's stories lest they fall into oblivion. [link]

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Documentary on Hospice Care Provided by Death Row Inmates

AOA NEWS

LOUISINA - 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 NEWS
By Tahlib

The 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. Created by West Virginia artist Sheri Gaudet, the massive 80-foot-long by 8-foot-high mural took over two-months to create, and the each of the events told in the mural are chronicled on the church website.  Pastor, Dr. Joseph Shreve, said, “Sheri Gaudet’s mural of ‘The Life of Christ’ is both a tremendous tool for teaching about our Lord Jesus Christ and a wonderful focus for meditation and prayer for those who seek to follow Him. Chapel Hill United Methodist Church is truly blessed to be the recipient of this gift of art.”

Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts salutes Pastor Joseph Shreve as a Believer For Artists.

***If you know a member of the American clergy who is working to bridge the artist & church divide, please nominate them today!



Artist Sheri Gaudett with Mural



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Head of Surfing Madonna to be Featured at California Arts Festival

NORTH COUNTY TIMES
By Barbara Henry

North 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 event in August "because I know people miss her." He said he feels it's important to bring part of his 10-foot-by-10-foot artwork back for a public viewing because he's expecting it may take months for him to select a permanent home for the mural. "I don't think anything will happen before August or September," Patterson said as he discussed his options for the mosaic. [link]

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The Bone Church of Sedlec

AOA NEWS



CZECH 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 mad.

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

THE ARTS DESK
By Marina Vaizey

Fashion Week (2010) by Soody Shafiri

UNITED 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 Mughal men and women(above). [It is] among the pieces in various media on exhibit from the 10 short-listed artists and designers for the 2011 Jameel Prize, which will be announced on 12 September (£25,000 for an artist or designer whose work is inspired by an Islamic aesthetic). Their personal faith (or lack of it) and family is irrelevant; what is crucial is their ability creatively to reinterpret for today any aspect of the arts of Islam, and in any material. The shortlist is chosen from hundreds of artists nominated worldwide by a broad group of experts who each may suggest up to five names. There is a changing panel of judges. [link]

Hadie Shafdie's '26000 Pages' echoes the physical act of ecstatic recitation

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Comedian (Artist) Ricky Gervais’ Evangelical Atheism

BIG HOLLYWOOD
By John Nolte

Rick 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.” 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.[link]

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Arts & Religion in Indianapolis: It's Been Complicated

AOA NEWS
By Tahlib

INDIANA - 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 that the Phoenix Theatre, the city's other Equity company performs out of an abandoned church. Other churches and faith groups have also embraced the performing arts since the 1950s. They include Christ Church Cathedral, Christian Theological Seminary, Faith for a City, the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Indianapolis, Hebrew Congregation, Trinity Episcopal Church, North United Methodist Church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, All Soul’s Unitarian Church, Wesley United Methodist Church, Central Avenue United Methodist Church, the Jewish Community Center, the Eastern Star Baptist Church, and Southport Presbyterian Church. Capping off this still growing bond has been the development of the Spirit & Place Festival, which over 16 years has emerged as the nation's premier annual civic festival of the arts, humanities, and religion. [Source]

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Tennessee Tattoo Parlor Becomes a District of Hope

KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL
By Melissa Priode

Hope 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 macabre. But it's clear that scripture- and cross-adorned Andrew and Stephanie Cobb aren't traditional tattoo shop owners. "In the last couple of years, I've realized my calling to use this to minister to people and to glorify God. It's given to me by Him, it's not anything I have achieved or done on my own," Andrew said. "It's a means to reach people who may never set foot in a church." In 2009, they changed the name of their business to the Hope District because it summed up the mission they wanted to institute. The couple began using evangelical principles in their work and attempting to alleviate negative connotations associated with the tattooing industry and with those who have tattoos. [link]

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VIDEO: Animated Film Roils Hindus in NYC

THE DAILY BEAST
By Salil Tripathi

A scene from "Sita Sings the Blues" featuring Rama (far left)
and his wife Sita (second from left). , Nina Paley

NEW 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 film tells the parallel story of an American animator whose marriage breaks down in India, but who finds inspiration from the life of Sita, the queen at the center of Ramayana.
Protest letters arrived immediately. The part of Queens where the film was being shown has a substantial South Asian population, and many of the residents are Caribbean Americans of Indian origin.Hindus had stayed away from identity politics, but noticing that other faiths are able to attract attention by challenging text, interpretations, films, books, music, and imagery, they have begun to show their assertiveness. Watch: Sita Sings the Blues (82-min). [link]

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Presbyterian Church Features "Heads of Christ Room"

NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD
By Winston Skinner

GEORGIA - 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 eras and cultures. There are more than 100 different pieces in the Heads of Christ room at Jekyll Presbyterian. The room also includes a comfortable sofa and some books with art featuring images of Christ -- forming a fine place for contemplation and prayer. [link]

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Ohio Art Show Honors Famed Artist Howard Chandler Christy

ZANESVILLE TIMES RECORDER
By 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 Methodist Church and hangs in the church's headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. [link]

The Christy Girl"

"Nudes at the Beach"

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Essay: Creativity is the Language of God

SUNDAY HERALD SUN
By 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''. He warned that the creative process could be as destructive as it was inspiring if it were practised only by those who did not have compassion. Writer Virginia Woolf said the whole world was a piece of art and we were all parts of that work. She also noted that religion had in the past century generally denied creativity its rightful place in the spiritual life and that art had, therefore, become a servant of the material world.There is something of the poet, painter, musician, dancer or architect in all of us. It must be so if we are created in the image of God. [link]

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Buddhist Religious Texts Preserved on Human Bone

MAYANMAR TIMES
By 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 donors have made it be known that when they died, they wanted their bones to be ground into powder, moulded into kamawa plates and donated to a monastery. We have such a set in our monastery,” he said. [link]

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British Museum Plans to Showcase Islam's HAJ Piligrimage

THE NATIONAL
By Jessica Holland

The Kaaba in Mecca

UNITED 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, opening in January and following shows on Afghanistan and Iran. According to Neil MacGregor, the museum's director, the show will also fulfil one of the institution's original goals, which is to examine the relationship between faith and society as seen in past shows such as Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead and Buddhism across Asia. [link]

Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam opens at the British Museum on January 26, 2012.

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RELIGIOUS ART | TALK OF WEEK

AOA NEWS

ARTWORK 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:

1. The A&O Prize, an interfaith religious art prize exploring what happens after death? (Sunday Comments)
2. Who determines great art? Patron-collectors, critics, dealers or great Artists? (Sunday Comment)
3. Can a work of religious art actually win a major art prize in the USA? (Sunday Comments)

Below is the rest of week's biggest religious art news. The stories are grouped by the five largest faith traditions, with an additional category for other. We invite you to comment on them too. The commenting online is an experiment, and we'll see just how it works.

BUDDHIST ART:

• Dali Lama Visit to Chicago Inspires Interfaith Art Project (The Chicago Tribune)
• Collector Gives Tibetan Art Collection to Smithsonian (FOX News)
• A&O Prize for Young Artists Seeking Central Indiana Talent (AOA News)
• Buddhist Blockbuster in Tokyo (Wall Street Journal)

HINDU ART:

• Cleveland Museum of Art Displaying Hindu Deities (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Window to the World of India's Art (The Times of India)
• India's Akshardham Temple wins a "Wonder" Award (The Asian Age)
• Hindu Deities Coming to New Orleans Museum of Art (AOA News)
• A&O Prize for Young Artists Seeking Central Indiana Talent (AOA News)
• Controversial Indian Painter is Subject of New Documentary (Hindustan Times)

ISLAMIC ART:

• Islamic Art Feature: Pick of the Month (Muslim Matters)
• A&O Prize for Young Artists Seeking Central Indiana Talent (AOA News)
• NYC College Acquires Online Islamic Art Museum (WNYC Radio)
• Kuwait Opens Islamic Art Gallery in Budapest (Kuwait News Agency)

FINE JUDAICA:

• Art Review: "Lilith" by Siona Benjamin | NYC (Jewish Press)
• A&O Prize for Young Artists Seeking Central Indiana Talent (AOA News)
• Sonja Benjamin's Hindu Portraits Show the Varied Faces of Jews (Montclair Times)

CHRISTIAN ART:

• Ossawa Tanner Retrospective Premieres in Pennsylvania (AOA News)
• Church Panel Studying Dress Codes for Visitors (The Times of India)
• Review: The UK's "Devotion by Design" (The Australian)
• Tennessee Artists, Churches Work Together for Understanding (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Fine Arts Enrollment at Christian Colleges is Surging (Huffington Post)
• Warner Sallman, the Artist Who Painted "The Head of Christ" (Salina Journal)
• Michigan Artist of Jesus Paintings to Enter ArtPrize (Grand Rapids Press)
• Old Master Painting, "St. Joseph and the Infant Jesus" at Auction in New Orleans (Art Daily)
• Vandal Sprays Paint on Poussin at London's National Gallery (The Guardian)
• Christian Art Gallery Selected to Assist in Pope's Art Exhibit (AOA News)
• Church Tells Artist to Remove Mural of Christ (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• A&O Prize for Young Artists Seeking Central Indiana Talent (AOA News)
• Vatican Seeks to Reassert its Dominant Role as Art Patron (Voice of America)
• Gay Artist Wins $20K for "Christian Country" (Sydney Star Observer)
• Christian's Getting Inked in Sweden (The Local)
• Methodist Church Displays 50 Modern Christian Art Pieces (Suffolk Free Press)
• Cobi Moule’s Christian Lens at NYC Group Gallery Show (Art Daily)

OTHER RELATED ARTS:

• Help is Still Needed for Korean Art Installation (AOA News)
• San Diego's "Space 4Arts First Open-Call Includes "Must Sees" (BlogCritic)
• A&O Prize for Young Artists Seeking Central Indiana Talent (AOA News)

Do you want to get a daily dose of religious art news? Join Alpha Omega Arts on Facebook or Twitter. Google Plus is coming soon too! The "Religious Art Talk of Week” is a weekly project of Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts in connecting artists, faiths and communities through art Would you like to support this work? (Give online today).

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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 own Christian upbringing, seeking to renegotiate his relationship, as a queer and transgender person, with his religious upbringing and of being seen as 'unnatural' through such Christian lens. The importance becomes the experiences of his multiple and overall presence in the landscape; engaging in different activities: playing, exploring his selves and nature, and thus becoming part of it. Cobi Moules,"Untitled (Coast of Mount Desert Island)", 2010 (above). Oil on canvas, 44 x 68 inches. Moules is part of an eight member exhibition currently on view at Lyons Wier Gallery through August 21.[link]

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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 entirety. Exhibition’s organiser Graeme Garden said people had been coming from far and wide to get a glimpse of the collection. “We have been very busy,” said Mr Garden, who lives in Sudbury and has been involved with the Methodist church his whole life. The exhibition is open every day from 10am till 6pm until August 21. [link]

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Christian's Getting Inked in Sweden

THE LOCAL
By Emy Gelb

SWEDEN - 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 and a half, but I’m ready. A little bit nervous too," she said as she prepared for her first tattoo. Media coverage and pop culture have helped to make tattoos a mainstream trend. [link]

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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 Benson clad in body paint representing the Australian flag and wearing a tiara bearing the words "A Christian Country". The work focuses on national as well as gender identity. [link]

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

MONTCLAIR TIMES
By Elizabeth Oguss

NEW 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 there are around 4,000. When he sang alone, his voice echoed."Her aim is to explore the many faces of Indian Jews in order to "reconfirm" something she has always known: "There is no such thing as a Jewish race." As a Bene Israel Jew raised in a Hindu and Muslim society and educated in Christian and Zoroastrian schools, Benjamin knows firsthand what it is to feel "other." PHOTO: Benjamin with cantor in Mumbai. [link]

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Buddhist Blockbuster in Tokyo

WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Hiroyuki Kachi

A 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 Buddhism” offers a collection of 99 items related to Kukai, some of them much more easily accessible in a museum than in their traditional temple locations far removed from the capital. PHOTO: Courtesy of Wall Street Journal. [link]

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Kuwait Opens Islamic Art Gallery in Budapest

KUWAIT NEWS AGENCY

HUNGARY - 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 to KUNA after the gallery opening, Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Khulaif Mutheeb Al-Othainah and the General-Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Hungarian Foregin Ministry lauded the high level of relations between the two countries. "This event is considered another opportunity to familiarize the entire world with the Arab and Islamic culture, in general, and with the state of Kuwait's cultural, intellectual and civilized aspects, in particular," he pointed out. [link]

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Vatican Seeks to Reassert its Dominant Role as Art Patron

VOICE OF AMERICA
By Jean Di Marino

VATICAN 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 exhibit. “I thank you very much for embracing the spirit of art and the artist,” she said to the pontiff. PHOTO: Max Cole's "Saltflat". [link]

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NYC College Aquires Online Islamic Art Museum

WNYC RADIO
By Marlon Bishop

NEW 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. [link]

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Collector Gives Tibetan Art Collection to Smithsonian

FOX NEWS

WASHINGTON, 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 on the Tibetan Plateau and in China and Mongolia. There are also textiles and painted chests dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The shrine room is on view at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. PHOTO: Smithsonian Affiliates.[link]

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Controversial Indian Painter is Subject of New Documentary

HINDUSTAN TIMES
By Priyanka Jain

BOLLYWOOD - 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 inspire the freedom movement and Indian cinema with his depictions, which bring to life Hindu Gods and Goddesses.” [link]

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A&O Prize for Young Artists Seeking Central Indiana Talent

AOA NEWS

INDIANA - 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 & Place Festival and run collaboratively by Indiana Interchurch Center, the Center for Interfaith Cooperation and Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts. It gives high school students the opportunity to explore inter-religious themes through visual art.

This first year’s exhibition & competition title, Beyond Dead: A Student Response will showcase the art work from central Indiana high school students, both those attending private and public schools. The title, Beyond Dead was selected in response to the Spirit & Place Festival's 2011 theme, The Body.

Mel Jolliff, executive director of Indiana Interchurch Center formed this partnership to harness the power of the arts to connect Indiana communities of faith and to respond to the social needs of Indiana youth.

“Young people today, of all faiths, are wrestling with far more complex issues than the youth of my day, and we wanted to provide a visual arts forum for them to express their feelings through both art and dialogue. Jolliff said. “Indiana Interchurch Center wants to represent the diversity of all faith traditions in central Indiana, and this is another important opportunity to build that interfaith connection.”

Ernest Britton, director of the Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts, said the A&O Prize is an expression of the deep and abiding relationship between the visual arts and religious beliefs.

“We are seeking young people who will create wonderful artworks so that we all gain deeper insights into the ideas and issues that students contemplate as they negotiate their complex worlds,” he said. “The A&O Prize demonstrates the importance of having a belief system and of a visual arts education to express that faith.”

Entry forms and more details for the fine arts competition are available onsite at the Indiana Interchurch Center's main office at 1000 West 42nd Street, Indianapolis or online at http://www.alphaomegaarts.org/. Space at the IIC gallery is limited so registrations are currently being accepted for all entries at aoprize@alphaomegaarts.org or 317-755-8400. The exhibit will run from November 1 through December 31, 2011.

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Church Tells Artist to Remove Mural of Christ

The Philadelphia Inquirer
By 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, a Ukrainian Baptist congregation bought the church. Early this month, the leadership of First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church informed him that it wanted the painting gone.[link]

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

BLOGCRITIC
By 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 the viewer’s intelligence and imagination. “Through my creations, I convey the heightened sense of inspiration and wonder one feels when encountering the beauty and complexity of the natural world. (See detail below) [link]

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Art Review: "Lilith" by Siona Benjamin | NYC

JEWISH PRESS
By 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 vibrating with the atmosphere of Benjamin's native Mumbai, India. (Above) "Finding Home #102 'Lilith' (Fereshteh)" 2008. The exhibit will run through July 30. [link]

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Vandal Sprays Paint on Poussin at London's Natl Gallery

THE GUARDIAN
By 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 the worshipping of a calf by the Israelites during the absence of Moses as he climbed Mount Sinai to receive the tablets of the Ten Commandments(See unaltered below).[link]

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

AOA NEWS

PENNSYLVANIA - 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 for August 9-26, 2011 at the Fundación Pons headquarters. White Stone Gallery, a leading gallery in contemporary Christian art is writing an introduction for the exhibit catalog as well as providing a selection of artwork for the show. Photo: Reaching by Ruth Naomi Floyd. [link]

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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 with about one billion adherents, and American museums have recently begun to embrace Hindu art with a new vitality as exemplified in exciting exhibitions in Cleveland, New York City, Nashville, etc; as well as a controversey in Idaho. "The Elegant Image" will run from Aug. 5 to Oct. 23. [link]

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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 only one day left on his Indie GoGo online campaign. As one of his "Good Soul" supporters, AOA wants others to know there is still time to help. Every Good Soul out there (or better souls) can help.

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