Book Review: ‘The Testament of Mary,’ by Colm Toibin

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Mary Tobin

Mary, the mother of Jesus, has given Christianity a good name. The problem with all this is that it has led to centuries of sentimentality.... Colm Toibin’s novella “The Testament of Mary” never even approaches the swampy terrain of sentimentality. For “The Testament of Mary” is a beautiful and daring work. Originally performed as a one-woman show in Dublin, it takes its power from the surprises of its language, its almost shocking characterization, its austere refusal of consolation. The source of this mother’s grief is as much the nature of humankind as the cruel fate of her own son. Her prayers are directed not to Yahweh but to Artemis, Greek not Jewish, chaste goddess of the hunt and of fertility, but no one’s mother. Mary’s final word on her son’s life and death is the bleak declaration: “It was not worth it.” [link]

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I AM Part of the 1000/$10 Campaign

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Tahlib

Artists, particularly artists with a spiritual connection often pursue their life's work in isolation, but the NYC-based International Arts Movement gives these individuals a home. Founder and artist, Makoto Fujimura sent a tweet of invitation this week, "You can be part of a greater movement toward a re-humanized culture. Join our 1000/$10 campaign: http://internationalartsmovement.org." I was intrigued,  persuaded and I joined. I invite you to watch their inspiring video of artists talking about isolation, faith and  creative expression to see if you are also inspired to join the 1000/$10 campaign.

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Atheist Extremists Challenge ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

THE EXAMINER
By Michael McGuire

ARKANSAS---The American Humanist Association is challenging an Arkansas elementary school for planning to take children to see “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the organization announced Thursday. The organization released a letter dated Nov. 26 in which it warned the principal of Terry Elementary School in Little Rock that a planned field trip to Agape Church to see the Charlie Brown TV movie violates the United States Constitution. "The school is encouraging impressionable young students to attend an event in a Christian venue with a Christian message," the AHA legal team warned. Among the objections the AHA raised is the movie includes a scene in which the characters sing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” [link]

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Experience the Art, Not the Claustrophobia, in Smithsonian's 3D Buddhist Cave Experience

THE WASHINGTON POST
By Maura Judkis

"Pure Land," a glimpse into a Buddhist cave temple. (Courtesy ALiVE, CityU and Dunhuang Academy)

WASHINGTON---A new digital installation at the Sackler gallery is all the fun of spelunking, with none of the claustrophobia. Visitors can surround themselves in 360 degrees of an ancient Chinese Buddhist cave, which seems like the lovechild of Google Art Project, IMAX 3D, and that Circle-Vision display at Epcot. Part of the Sackler’s 25th anniversary celebration, the technology of “Pure Land: Inside the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang” comes to the gallery from China, where scientists used laser scanning and ultra-high-resolution photography to recreate a cave painted in the early Tang Dynasty, 618-705 A.D. Put on your 3D glasses and enter cave 220 — chosen because it is one of the most ornate, and also the most in need of preservation — and the walls of the cave surround you, first illuminated by flashlight, and then in full light. [link]

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Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: King Gesar of Ling

TRICYCLE
By Alex Caring-Lobel & Jeff Wyatt

Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition. This week Jeff takes a look at artistic renderings of King Gesar of Ling, folk hero in Tibetan epic literature. [link]

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Seeing Orientalist Art as an Aid to East-West Dialogue

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Robin Pogrebin

“The Philosopher” by Ludwig Deutsch (1905) from the collection of Shafik Gabr.

NEW YORK---One of the world’s leading collectors of Orientalist art believes the genre can teach the diplomatic world much about East-West relations. Shafik Gabr, an Egyptian businessman and philanthropist, says the sort of immersion that Western painters had in the Middle East in the 19th century is the sort of personal interaction that can lead to better understanding between cultures. So he’s holding a symposium on diplomatic relations based on the concept of Orientalist painting on Monday to be followed by a big party at the Metropolitan Museum’s Temple of Dendur.[link]

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Egyptian Jihadist Calls for Destruction of Sphinx, Pyramids

AL ARABIYA ENGLISHA
By Al Arabiya

Murgan Salem al-Gohary

EGYPT---An Egyptian jihad leader, with self-professed links to the Taliban, called for the “destruction of the Sphinx and the Giza Pyramids in Egypt,” drawing ties between the Egyptian relics and Buddha statues, local media reported this week. Murgan Salem al-Gohary, an Islamist leader twice-sentenced under former President Hosni Mubarak for advocating violence, called on Muslims to remove such “idols.” “All Muslims are charged with applying the teachings of Islam to remove such idols, as we did in Afghanistan when we destroyed the Buddha statues,” he said on Saturday during a television interview on an Egyptian private channel, widely watched by Egyptian and Arab audiences. “God ordered Prophet Mohammed to destroy idols,” he added. “When I was with the Taliban we destroyed the statue of Buddha, something the government failed to do.” [link]

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Mormons Pissed at OC Weekly For Satirical Image of Mitt Romney

GOTHAMIST
By Jessica P. Ogilvie

UTAH---During election week, the OC Weekly ran an image on its cover portraying Mitt Romney as the Angel Moroni, the figure in Mormonism who reportedly gave Joseph Smith the content for the Book of Mormon. The image was meant as satire, but according to the Weekly's news blog, Mormon readers didn't take too kindly to it. Starting on Wednesday and continuing ever since, Mormons from across the country but mostly centered around the Newport Beach LDS temple have called and written in to complain that our cover is offensive to their religion. The readers in question have also threatened to stop picking up the Weekly and to boycott its advertisers. But Arellano isn't apologizing. He says that the Weekly has been "equal opportunity offenders" and that there's no reason for Mormons to get unduly upset. [link]

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Burqa Art: Naneci Yurdagül's 'Burquoi' Exhibition Forces Visitors To Veil Themselves (PHOTOS)

THE HUFFINGTON POST

Photo of visitors at exhibition courtesy of Der Tagesspiegel

GERMANY---Most everyone seems to have an opinion on the burqa, a type of garment worn in public by some observant Muslim women. But many who debate the ethics surrounding the controversial veil have likely never worn one. Artist Naneci Yurdagül is out to change that. Yurdagül's upcoming exhibition at the Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden in Germany requires viewers wear a burqa while in attendance. The artist, who was born and still lives in Germany, aims to address topics of national and religious identity by forcing his viewers to become a part of the installation. "I consider myself a Free Artist -- Bildhauer [but] I was raised as a patchwork -- partly Protestant, partly Muslim," Yurdagül wrote in an e-mail to The Huffington Post. [link]

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Chris Stedman Is A Faithiest: Atheists Involved In Interfaith Dialogue

THE HUFFINGTON POST
By Religion News Service

MASSACHUSETTS---As the assistant humanist chaplain at Harvard University, Chris Stedman coordinates its "Values in Action" program. In his recent book, "Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious," he tells how he went from a closeted gay evangelical Christian to an "out" atheist, and, eventually, a Humanist. On the blog NonProphet Status, and now in the book, Stedman calls for atheists and the religious to come together around interfaith work. It is a position that has earned him both strident -- even violent -- condemnation and high praise. Stedman talked with RNS about how and why the religious and atheists should work together. [link]

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Barack Obama Depicted As Jesus: 'The Truth' Painting Draws Criticism For Controversial Metaphor (PHOTO)

THE HUFFINGTON POST
By Meredith Bennett-Smith

A painting featuring President Barack Obama in a Christ-like pose is getting poor reviews from some religious authorities, Fox News Radio reports. The painting by New York-based artist by Michael D’Antuono is titled "The Truth" and features Obama with a crown of thorns on his head, in a position that is reminiscent of the crucifixion. Currently on display at Boston's Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery as part of D'Antuono's politically charged “Artists on the Stump – the Road to the White House 2012" collection, the piece was actually supposed to debut several years ago at New York City’s Union Square. [link]

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Artist Yisehak Selassie Spotlights Art of Ethiopian Christian from Worshiped Family

WND
By Marisa Martin

"Shield of Faith" by Yisehak Selassie

Any Ethiopian artist whose family name is Selassie may be almost certain to have notions of grandeur and entitlement, but Yisehak Fikre Selassie is not one of them. He is the great-grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie, who was killed in a Marxist coup along with Yisehak’s parents in a 1974 bloodbath. Recovering from dangers and trauma of Ethiopia, Yisehak is grateful to live in the U.S., where he is free to worship, express himself and follow his conscience. Yisehak hopes his work creates a desire in viewers to meet the God who motivates and protects him, Jesus Christ, AKA Lion of Judah.[link]

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California Collectors's Nepalese Art at the Crocker Museum

THE SACRAMENTO BEE
By Victoria Dalkey

The gilt copper alloy plaque is from 17th century Nepal.

CALIFORNIA---A gilt copper cup made out of a real human skull is one of the rare and arcane objects included in "Celestial Realms: The Art of Nepal" at the Crocker Art Museum. The skull cup is a common attribute of numerous Buddhist and Hindu gods, goddesses and protective deities and would have been used in Tantric Buddhist worship as a container for offerings – in some cases, blood, meat or alcohol. Symbolizing the impermanence of life, skull cups demonstrate emptiness and are used for the purification of the ego. Drawn from private collections in California and the Crocker's permanent collection, more than half of the objects in the show have never before been on public display.[link]

Crocker Art Museum: "Celestial Realms: The Art of Nepal," (Ends Feb. 10). 216 O St., Sacramento, CA. More information: (916) 808-7000 or crockerartmuseum.org.

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London - A World City in 20 Objects: No. 9 Shiva Nataraja, the God Shiva Dancing in a Ring of Flames

LONDON EVENING STANDARD
By Richard Blurton

Bronze, Chola period, c.1100AD, from the Thanjavur region of Tamil Nadu, south India

UNITED KINDGOM---At a time when sculpture in bronze is in the public eye in London at the Royal Academy, it is salutary to view an example from 1,000 years ago from a tradition that many people believe to be one of the greatest, both in terms of beauty and technical mastery. This tradition of lost-wax casting continues in southern India today with images being cast for Hindu devotees all over the world. Lord Shiva is depicted in this famous dance form as the deity at the extremes of time — the lord who crushes ignorance underfoot and who ushers out one cycle of existence and dances in a new one. On permanent display in Room 33, British Museum, WC1 (020 7323 8299, britishmuseum.org). Open Sat-Thurs 10am-5.30pm, Fri 10am-8.30pm, admission free. [link]

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Book Review: Titian Painted in a New Biography

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
By Nicholas Delbanco

"Christ Carrying the Cross" by Titian, oil on canvas 67x77 | The Prado

This is a long book about a long life, a large volume about a large talent. Titian, its titular subject, was the most celebrated painter of his time. He died in his beloved Venice, Italy, on Aug. 27, 1576. The death certificate listed the cause of his demise as fever and age as 103. Sheila Hale is the author of guidebooks of Florence and Tuscany (1983), Venice (1984) and an architectural history of Verona (1991). What she has not done before is write principally as an art critic, and this is not the sort of book to read if you admire, say, Simon Schama on "Rembrandt's Eyes" or Robert Hughes on "Goya." We learn about Titian's business dealings, his letters to and from his patrons, his arguments with and aspirations for his children. Yet Hale's discussion is nothing if not comprehensive. [link]

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Daniel Mitsui Announces Creation of Millefleur Press

DANIELMITSUI.COM 
By Daniel Mitsui

ILLINOIS---I am excited to announce the establishment of my own private press. I will be the publisher and the principal illustrator, designer and typographer. I will hire pressmen, papermakers and bookbinders as needed for its various projects. My first projects will be broadsides, but my ambition is to produce printed books, inspired by the incunabula and blockbooks of the 15th century that retained the large illustrations, ornamental borders and elaborate versals that characterized illuminated manuscripts. Millefleur Press takes its name from an art historical term for a decorative fill composed of tiny plants and animals, common in late medieval tapestries and in my own artwork. [link]

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Vatican Sells Stamps To Restore Famed Bernini Colonnade In St. Peter's Square

HUFFINGTON POST

Image of stamp courtesy of Boston Globe

VATICAN CITY -- Not even the Vatican is immune from the economic crisis. For the first time, the Vatican is seeking funds directly from pilgrims, collectors and tourists to pay for the ambitious restoration of the 17th century Bernini colonnade surrounding St. Peter's Square. The Vatican's Philatelic and Numismatic Office, which sells commemorative coins and stamps featuring popes, saints and the like, is offering a special (EURO)20 ($26) stamp and certificate package to help offset a recession-induced drop in corporate sponsors for the project. The office's director, Mauro Olivieri, said Vatican officials were asked earlier this year to think up fundraising initiatives to help finance the restoration. If the full 150,000 print run is sold, some (EURO)3 million ($3.9 million) could be funneled toward the restoration, Olivieri said. "That's our hope. We'll see what happens."[link]

Famed Bernini Colonnade In St. Peter's Square

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Michael D'Antuono's 'Who The Hell Is Grover Norquist' Painting May Haunt Your Dreams (PHOTOS)

THE HUFFINGTON POST

We've seen Barack Obama riding a lion, Paul Ryan as a hot dog and Hilary Clinton as Marilyn Monroe. After all this, you'd think no political art could shock us any more. And then we saw this. Political artist Michael D'Antuono's painting, entitled, "Who the Hell Is Grover Norquist?" gives a whole new look at the conservative lobbyist opposing congressional tax increases. The founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform looms Oz-like above well-dressed supplicants, breathing smoke onto a backwards Republican logo. The only thing that could make this partisan painting better is a surprise appearance by Jon Keas' Wicked Bachmann of the West. [link]

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Multi-faith Exhibition in England Breaks Down Barriers

HACKNEY GAZETTE
By Syma Mohammed, Reporter

UNITED KINGDOM---Given recent turmoil in the Middle East, an exhibition in Shoreditch to promote friendship and understanding between people of different faiths seems very timely. Organised by the Three Faiths Forum (3FF), an initiative set up 15 years ago by leaders from Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities, it aims to bridge the divide and address misunderstanding between people from different backgrounds. Running for a fourth successive year, the Urban Dialogues exhibition is showcasing emerging art from across faith divides to stimulate discussion about art, belief and identity at the Red Gallery in Rivington Street. The exhibition comprises solo artwork and multi-faith collaborations meditating on these themes. [link]

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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton

At A&O, we believe Americans will overcome our resistance to religious diversity. We also believe that when this happens, American artists will lead our way. At A&O, we strive to be a beacon for religious diversity through fine art, and this week we shine our light on "Homage" by Australian artist Hyun- Hee Lee (detail above). Using pencil, ink, hanji paper, cotton thread and canvas, the work comprises a series of panels with each panel featuring texts of the New Testament translated into Korean which have been cut into strips, folded and knotted into small bows and attached to canvas . The complexity and religious dignity on display make "Homage" my NEWS OF WEEK.

In other Religious Art news from across the USA, and around the world:

• Interfaith in Art: The first Thanksgiving with pilgrims and Native Americans. [More News]
• Christianity in Art: Modernist sculpture of Pope John Paul II is unveiled...again. [More News]
• Hinduism in Art: Movie "Life of Pi" directed by Ang Lee [More News]
• Buddhism in Art: Watch Korean-born artist talk about her conversion from Buddhism to Catholicism. [More News]

We need your help on our journey. Each November, the A&O Society awards the A&O Prize for Contemporary Religious Art in celebration of our vision of an America that embraces religious diversity. While voting begins each November 1st, the major nominees are introduced each week here in the A&O News of Week. That's where you come in. Please register today: [subscribe here], so that you can help narrow the gap of religious understanding in America. It's a year-long journey to engage with creators, believers, and skeptics too about the impact of the Religious-in-Art. Who is Religious Art for? It's for you.

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Sifting Through Anatolia's Dark Sins and Bright Cultures

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By SUSANNE GÜSTEN

Ahmet Gunestekin at work.

TURKEY---Before emerging into the bright colors of Ahmet Gunestekin’s celebration of the diversity of Anatolian cultures, visitors to his exhibition step into the darkness of mourning for its victims. Though Mr. Gunestekin’s work is not included in any Turkish museum collection of contemporary artists, the opening night of his exhibition drew a mix of prominent politicians, business leaders and respected artists that was highly unusual for Turkey. “Only art can bring these people together,” said Mr. Gunestekin, who is Kurdish and was raised by an Armenian step-grandmother orphaned in the 1915 expulsions. Religious motifs abound, especially those common to several faiths, like the legend of the seven sleepers, who slumbered for centuries in an Anatolian cave, or the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. [link]

Ahmet Güneştekin “Doors Opening to Sun”, detail

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Camille Paglia Takes a Personal Tour Through All Art Ever Made

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
By J.M. Tyree

There always have been two sides to Camille Paglia’s career as a celebrity cultural pundit and best-selling arts critic. Paglia’s new book, "Glittering Images," a personal tour through All Art Ever Made, from ancient Egypt to "Star Wars," is the kind of Plato-to-NATO survey whose passing she laments in her introductory essay as a casualty of the culture wars. Fortunately, this book, despite its vast scope and mostly chronological arrangement from 2800 B.C. to 2005, makes no attempt to be systematic or totalizing, being modeled instead on "Catholic breviaries of devotional images, like Mass cards of the saints." [link]

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Artist Wins Art Prize for Work on Her Conversion from Buddhism to Catholicism

CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY

"Homage" by Hyun-Hee Lee wins Blake Prize 2012

AUSTRALIA---An art work called Homage documenting Korean-born artist, Hyun-Hee Lee's conversion from Buddhism to Catholicism and paying homage to both, is the winner of the prestigious John Coburn Emerging Artist Award as part of the 2012 Blake Prizes for Religious and Spiritual Art announced this morning. Hyun-Hee Lee [Video] has produced an outstanding and highly original work. Using pencil, ink, hanji paper, cotton thread and canvas, the work comprises a series of panels with each panel featuring texts of the New Testament translated into Korean have been cut into strips, folded and knotted into small bows and attached to canvas in a complex overlay. "Homage embodies the respect I have for the two religions which have guided my life," she writes in notes that accompanied her entry explaining her inspiration for the work. [link]

First ever winner of the Blake Prize in 1951 was Justin O'Brien for the triptych The Virgin Enthroned

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Movie Review: "Rise of the Guardians" Directed by Peter Ramsey

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By A. O. Scott

Jack Frost is one of the heroes in “Rise of the Guardians,” determined to help children maintain their magical beliefs

The new movie “Rise of the Guardians,” for example, works so hard at celebrating wide eyes and naïve joy that it comes close to spoiling its own intermittent wonderfulness. Directed by Peter Ramsey and written by David Lindsay-Abaire (and based on a story by William Joyce), “Rise of the Guardians,” like so much animated entertainment these days, is by turns silly, maudlin and noisy, with just enough ingenuity to make you wish it were better. [link]

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France Bans Access to 'End of World' Refuge

ARTDAILY

The Bugarach peak will be closed to the public on December 21, 2012

FRANCE---France on Friday dashed the hopes of those who had planned to take refuge in one of the few places on Earth some believe will be spared when the world ends on December 21. Local officials banned access to the Pic de Bugarach, a mountain in the southwest where rumour has it the hilltop will open on the last day and aliens will emerge with spaceships to save nearby humans. Eric Freysselinard, the state's top representative in the area, said he was blocking access to the mountain for public safety reasons to avoid a rush of New Age fanatics, sightseers and media crews. Believers say the world will end on December 21, 2012, the end date of the ancient Mayan calendar, and they see Bugarach as one of a few sacred mountains sheltered from the cataclysm. [link]

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The Left's Christian Bashing Art is Cowardly, Hypocritical, and Predictable

RENEW AMERICA
By Gabriel Garnica

In fact, if people like Serrano, Toibin, Gordon, Ofili and Murphy have anything in common, it is the desire to use their influence, fame, power, and success to reshape Christianity to look and feel as differently from that of their upbringing as possible. It is clearly cowardly because it strikes at Christianity with a bitter gusto it would never dare apply to the Muslim religion. Finally, it is certainly predictable because, once one identifies and accepts the bitter resentment and shallow arrogance that feeds its fire, there is no surprise regarding how low it can go, nor how highly a society which sees Christian-bashing as a sport will praise and honor the effort. As champions and warriors for that faith who will not meekly accept such disrespect, we may suggest that those who enjoy bashing what we hold so Sacred can kiss our cheeks instead. [link]

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Japanese Artist Shinji Turner-Yamamoto's Bright Ideas For a Forgotten Cincinnati Church

NEW YORK TIMES | BLOG
By Stephen Heyman

In Doug and Mike Starn's latest installation, a church in Cincinnati shines brightly,
thanks to a display of photographic mosaics and a 45,000-watt carbon arc lamp.

CINCINNATI---Crumbling brick, fading gold leaf and a skeletal ceiling conspire to give the Holy Cross Church, in the Mount Adams section of Cincinnati, the appearance of a sacred ruin. In 2010, the Japanese artist Shinji Turner-Yamamoto exploited the atmosphere of otherworldly decay in this deconsecrated chapel with a site-specific installation, “Hanging Garden.” The exhibition, part of the continuing FotoFocus regional photography festival, is on view through Dec. 30. It also coincides with a new monograph, “Doug + Mike Starn: Gravity of Light” (Rizzoli, $55). [link]

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Movie: "Lincoln" (4 Stars)

ROGER EBERT

★★★★---Daniel Day-Lewis, who has a lock on an Oscar nomination, modulates Lincoln. He is soft-spoken, a little hunched, exhausted after the years of war, concerned that no more troops die. He communicates through stories and parables. At his side is his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field, typically sturdy and spunky), who is sometimes seen as a social climber but here is focused as wife and mother. She has already lost one son in the war and fears to lose the other. This boy, Robert Todd Lincoln (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), refuses the privileges of family. [link]

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Paintings Created Hundreds of Years After 1st Thanksgiving Aren't Historically, Factually Accurate

STANDARD-EXAMINER
By Becky Cairns

“The First Thanksgiving 1621,” by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, includes some inaccuracies about the feast.

UTAH---If only there had been a camera at the First Thanksgiving. Many of our stereotypes about the feast and its attendees come from artists’ renderings of the event, painted long after the 1621 event was over, says a Brigham Young University historian. Take, for instance, a popular painting of the First Thanksgiving, done in 1915 by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris, an American painter. The art — like many pieces that portray this event — depicts the Indians wearing elaborate feathered headdresses common to tribes who lived on the Plains, not in Massachusetts. A modern painting of the First Thanksgiving would be more apt to feature both groups sitting at a table, the professor says, or both groups sitting together on the ground. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag enjoyed a cooperative relationship at the time, Pulsipher says — “not one people dominating over another.” [link]

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Movie Review: ‘Life of Pi,’ Directed by Ang Lee (3 Stars)

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By A.O. Scott

★★★---It unfolds in a setting that is one of the great achievements of digital cinema, and a reminder that the eclectic Mr. [Ang] Lee is, among other things, an exuberant and inventive visual artist. The problem, as I have suggested, is that the narrative frame that surrounds these lovely pictures complicates and undermines them. The novelist and the older Pi are eager to impose interpretations on the tale of the boy and the beast, but also committed to keeping those interpretations as vague and general as possible. And also, more disturbingly, to repress the darker implications of the story, as if the presence of cruelty and senseless death might be too much for anyone to handle. [link]

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'Color Of Christ': A Story Of Race And Religion In America

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO | WBUR

Black & white copy of Warner Sallman portrait of Jesus

What did Jesus look like? The many different depictions of Christ tell a story about race and religion in America. Edward J. Blum and Paul Harvey explore that history in their new book, "The Color of Christ: The Son of God and the Saga of Race in America". The book traces how different races and ethnic groups claimed Christ as their own — and how depictions of Jesus have both inspired civil rights crusades, and been used to justify the violence of white supremacists. [link]

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North Carolina Joins the Power 2 Give

BEACH CAROLINA MAGAZINE

NORTH CAROLINA---Thanksgiving marks the start of the season of giving, and a new online fundraising website will allow citizens of North Carolina to donate directly to arts and cultural organizations of their choice. The N.C. portal for power2give.org connects people across the state to cultural projects from the mountains to the coast. The groundbreaking fundraising platform was developed by the Arts & Science Council (ASC) in Charlotte and launched in August 2011.[link]

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An Oil-Rich Revolution: Christian Painting in the 15th Century

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Jonathon Lopez

Jan van Eyck, The Three Marys at the Tomb, c. 1430-1435. Panel, 71.5 x 90 cm. Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

NETHERLANDS---Early in the 15th century, the Van Eyck family of Netherlandish painters—principally brothers Hubert and Jan—initiated a visual revolution that radically altered the course of European art history. A splendid exhibition at this city's Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen traces the roots of these developments through a judicious survey of the art and culture of the era, culminating in an excellent (although not extensive) selection of works by the Van Eycks themselves. This show, which will not travel, presents the Van Eycks' achievements in a rich and revelatory context impossible to replicate in any individual museum or collection anywhere in the world, and therefore merits a special trip. [link]

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Eight Days to Learn Islamic Ornamentation

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
By Sehrish Ali / Photo: Myra Iqbal

PAKISTAN---At the end of an extensive workshop on Islamic ornamentation, many girls were proud of what they had managed to learn in a little over a week. The 45 participants seemed extremely satisfied with the outcome of their work, which featured some creative use of bright, bold colours in some pieces, while others stayed conventional. The eight-day workshop was organised at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).

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Artist, Michael Galovic Finds Modern Meaning in Christian Relics

THE DAILY ADVERTISER

"Icons & Art" by Michael Galovic

AUSTRALIA---As a child Michael Galovic watched his step-father restore Serbian monasteries and old church relics not realising he would devote 40 years to the mysteries of Christian imagery. In Wagga as a guest of St John's Church last week, Mr Galovic displayed a selection of his work taking ancient religious symbols and placing them in a modern setting. He said it is artwork based on the concept of finding God in a fast-paced, modern world. [link]

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Onion Domes On The Seine? Orthodox Cathedral Sparks Controversy In Paris

RADIO FREE EUROPE
By Antoine Blua

FRANCE---Orthodox cathedrals with their trademark golden onion domes are a familiar sight across Russia. And one may soon become part of Paris's famed skyline, near the Eiffel Tower. French President Francois Hollande has just weeks to decide on a controversial plan to build a massive Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in downtown Paris on the banks of the Seine River, on a UNESCO-protected world heritage site. The project is staunchly opposed by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, who has described the architecture as "pastiche” and "mediocre." [link]

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Revamped Pope John Paul II Statue Unveiled to Public

ARTDAILY

Modernist sculpture by Oliviero Rainaldi

ITALY---A giant bronze sculpture portraying Pope John Paul II is displayed outside Romes Termini train Station on November 19, 2012. The city of Rome has inaugurated the revamped version of the statue after the first one, unveiled in May 2011 was widely criticized. [link]

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Tribute to Kailee (Nov. 4-11, 2012)

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Michael Bourke, delivered Sunday, November 18, 2012

Kailee Daniels on Nov. 6 with one of her Grandfathers

We have a favorite saying in our family. I have quoted it frequently and recently Aunt Kaye used it in a speech. It is a quote by the esteemed social commentator, highly praised author and friend of Oprah, (and let’s face it, who doesn’t want to be a friend of Oprah’s?) Maya Angelou. Ms. Angelou stated:

"People will forget what you have said, 

And People will forget what you did, 

But, People will never forget how you made them feel."

And in these past 14 days, haven’t we all felt the spirit of God move gently, quietly and peacefully in our lives?

Most obviously, we have all felt the spirit of God when we looked at and held that small, frail, beautiful little baby, Kailee Renee Daniels. My heart changed forever the moment I saw her; an ephemeral gift from God made all the more poignant by the knowledge that Kailee was destined to be with us for a very short period of time as Kai described her medical condition to me.

I felt the Spirit of God move gently, quietly and peacefully in our lives through the doctors, nurses, caregivers and ministry team at the hospital as they not only cared for Kailee but also cared for Kai and Tocarra as Kai and Tocarra moved through the process of caring for and making difficult decisions on behalf of Kailee.

I felt the Spirit of God move through Verneida, Kai’s Grandmother and Ernie’s mother, when she whispered in my ear on Sunday “You have arrived, Ernie is on his way, Kai will be okay. Now I can go home.”

I felt the gentle Spirit of God move quietly and peacefully through Tocarra’s mom, Francis, Dad Ron, Great Aunt Doris, best friends Mee-ah and Gary as they nurtured Tocarra, Kai and Kailee, making sure that Tristan and Camarie were cared for, that Tocarra and Kai ate and slept and that all of us who gathered at Children’s Hospital were made to feel welcome and loved.

I felt the Spirit of God move gently, quietly and peacefully through Carlos, Kai’s best friend since 4th grade as he said to Kai with tears streaming down his face “I am here for you Kai.”

I witnessed the gentle, quiet and peaceful Spirit of God move through Renee, Kai’s mom, as she held the baby, through his sister Deanna as she cared for her brother, through the gentle hug of Kai’s other dad Ernie and his partner Greg, through the spirit filled words of Roncill and Stan and Tashia and the reassuring touch of Kai’s Aunt Renee and cousin Tambra.

And finally, I felt the Spirit of God move most evidently and most gently, quietly and peacefully through Kai and Tocarra as they listened to what other had to say without judgment or denial, as they listened to each other and came to intelligent, well informed and respectful decisions, as they made tough choices that impacted not only their baby but the children of others as well. Kai and Tocarra gave, through their pain so that others might feel joy—now isn’t that the very essence of the Spirit of God?

I felt the Spirit of God move gently, quietly and peacefully through Kai and Tocarra when as they held Kailee the nurse offered medicine to keep Kailee calm so that they might lay her down, they said no, they would hold her, and in holding her kept her calm in their gentle loving arms. No medicine is better than the love of a parent.

And finally, when the end of this life came for Kailee I was honored to witness the gentle, quiet and peaceful Spirit of God move through Kai and Tocarra as they washed their sweet precious baby Kailee for the last time, Tocarra curling her hair with her finger and Kai, struggling to get her t-shirt on as all new father’s seem to do.

In the new book "Far From The Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity" by Andrew Solomon. The author states: “Life is enriched by difficulty,” he says. “Love is made more acute when it requires exertion.”

And now that Kai and Tocarra have experienced this difficulty, that they have been made more aware of love through this acute exertion, I pray that the gentle, quiet and peaceful Spirit of God may continue to move in their lives and bring them peace. Amen.

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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton

As you know, I am not a Hindu but this past week I celebrated a pure, infinite, and eternal light, and she was named "Kailee". While Hindus lit candles for their holy day of Diwali, as captured by photographers such as B.K. Bangash (above), I lit one for our newly born granddaughter Kailee. For Hindu believers the Diwali Festival of Lights honors awareness of an "inner light" that goes beyond the physical body and mind, and when Kailee's body and mind gave up after only 8-days of life, she left behind her inner light. Because of Kailee, the Diwali Festival of Lights is my NEWS OF WEEK.

In other Religious Art news from across the USA, and around the world:

• Judaism in Art: Yona Verwer helps make sense of Judaism's "Thin Line." [More News]
• Christianity in Art: Caravaggio's dramatic light comes to California. [More News]
• Buddhism in Art: I joined a Kickstarter campaign to preserve an ancient site. [More News]
• Islam in Art: A holy hair brings conflict to some but inspiration to others. [More News]
• Hinduism in Art: Hindus shine their light for the world during Diwali [More News]
• A&O Meetup: NYC Weekend Ahead, November 16-18 [More Meetups].

Lastly, I again salute the 2012 A&O Prize honorees and invite you to join the new board of the Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts at Indiana Interchurch Center in preparing for next year's celebration as a member-subscriber (It's free!). After all, "Who is the religious art for?" Religious art is for you. It's for me. It's for Believers, Creators, and Skeptics too!

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Hauntingly Beautiful Video Wins Blake Prize for Religious Art

ARTINFO
By Nicholas Forrest

Still image from Fabian Astore’s video "Threshold"

AUSTRALIA---A hauntingly beautiful video by Sydney multi-media artist Fabian Astore and an intricate triptych by mixed-media artist Eveline Kotai have been awarded joint first prize by judges of the 61st Blake Art Prize for Religious Art. Awarded since 1951, artworks entered into The Blake Art Prize must address a subject of religious or spiritual integrity. This pre-requisite is one that intentionally invites open responses from artists and poets and, as such, has drawn much discussion and debate over the past 61 years. [link]

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Art Review: 'Bodies and Shadows' Shows Caravaggio's Influence

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
By Christopher Knight

"Saint Francis of Assisi" (1595) by Caravaggio. Oil on canvas.
36 3/8 x 50 1/4 in. (92.4 x 127.6 cm); Frame: 48 x 62 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.

CALIFORNIA---"The Toothpuller" (circa 1608-09), on loan from the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy isn't in the best condition, but it does make for a marvelous coda to "Bodies and Shadows: Caravaggio and His Legacy." The tightly drawn show sketches Caravaggio's artistic innovations in eight paintings. That's not many, but it's more than most American museums have had together in 25 years. Bodies call forth shadows, offering a sharp stylistic contrast while underscoring a central feature of the paintings' original artistic intent. [link]

 Los Angeles County Museum of Art: "Bodies and Shadows: Caravaggo and His Legacy" (Ends Feb. 10). 5905 Wilshire Blvd., (323) 857-6000, lacma.org

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On Gay Marriage, Voters Got it Right Even if Extremists Get it Wrong

THE WASHINGTON POST
By C.s. Pearce

Last week, citizens in Maine, Maryland and Washington state made history with their votes to legalize same-sex marriage. Minnesotans, too, rejected a constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage. Since 1998, 32 states have had marriage equality measures on their ballots, and voters have rejected every one of them. The six states that have legalized gay marriage did it through legislation or by court order. The voters who passed these history-making resolutions on Election Day did so despite significant opposition from Christian churches and institutions that believe their faith requires them to oppose marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. Even though an exceptionally strong biblical case can be made in favor of gay civil rights, these groups generally dismiss such arguments because of tradition. [link]

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A&O Meetup in NYC: A Chance to Scream

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory A. Disney-Britton

No where else in the USA does religious art thrive as it does in NYC. The meetup schedule:

• Friday, Nov. 16 - Yeshiva University Art Museum: "It's a Thin Line: The Eruv and Jewish Community in New York and Beyond"; and Lincoln Center: "Disgraced" at Clare Tow Theater | W. 65th St.
• Saturday, Nov. 17 - Museum of Modern Art: "Scream" (above) and "Figure in the Garden" |  11 W. 53rd St.
• Sunday, Nov. 18 - Madison Avenue Baptist Church | 30 East 31st Street New York, N.Y.

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Proposed India Mosque Hit by Holy Hair Row

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | INDIA
By Joanna Sugden

Muslim devotees worshiped a holy relic, widely beleieved to be
a hair from Prophet Muhammad’s beard, in Srinagar, June 22.

INDIA---Plans to build India’s largest mosque have divided Sunni Muslims in a dispute over a lock of hair. The 25,000-30,000 capacity place of worship was proposed in early 2011 by Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar, who heads a faction of Sunnis in western Kerala and claims to have a lock of Prophet Muhammad’s hair. Opponents from other Sunni groups allege the lock of hair is fake and that Mr. Aboobacker Musliyar is cheating people, taking donations for the mosque in the coastal city of Kozhikode for his own gain. Building has yet to start on the mosque, and opponents say the delay is because of the “Holy Hair Controversy.” [link]

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Art Exhibit Outside of Hillel Commemorates Kristallnacht

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
By Samantha Sharon

The Holocaust Education Committee set up jars filled with
broken glass and candles to commemorate Kristallnacht last Sunday.

PENNSYLVANIA---Seventy-four years after the Nazis destroyed over 7,000 Jewish businesses on the night known as Kristallnacht, Hillel’s Holocaust Education Committee is finding creative ways to commemorate the victims. Kristallnacht ­— or the Night of Broken Glass ­— took place on Nov. 9 to 10, 1938, when the Nazis attacked Jewish-owned stores, buildings and synagogues in Germany. It is often cited as one of the first major events of the Holocaust. On Sunday, the committee installed 24 glass jars filled with shards of broken glass and an artificial candle in front of Hillel’s Steinhardt Hall. The glass shards represent the windows the Nazis destroyed on Kristallnacht, and the candle functions as a sign of mourning. The installation will remain intact until the end of the week. [link]

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A Potent Symbol of Jewish Life in America, the Eruv Gets Unprecedented Exhibition at YU Museum

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Tahlib

Multi-media installation by Yona Verwer

NEW YORK---An Eruv is a border, usually made out of string or wire that allows Jews to accomplish a basic activity on the Sabbath, which Jewish law otherwise prohibits on the Day of Rest: Carrying. An eruv makes it possible for people to carry keys, push a baby carriage or hold a baby, or bring food to someone’s home. It is a little understood concept in Jewish life, and is the subject of a major exhibition, "It's a Thin Line: The Eruv and Jewish Community in New York and Beyond" at the Yeshiva University Museum in Manhattan. Through ephemeral and historical artifacts but also contemporary art by artists such as Yona Verwer of the Jewish Art Salon in Manhattan the exhibition seeks to explain a Jewish tradition that even some Jews don't understand.

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Auction Anonymity Ended By Courts in New York

FINANCIAL TIMES 
By Georgina Adam

NEW YORK---In New York, the Supreme Court has dropped a bombshell. In a recent judgement, it ruled that New York auctioneers will have to reveal the names of both consignors and buyers to ensure a sale contract is binding. Until now, such information was covered by the sacrosanct “confidentiality” clauses of the auction houses, and revealing it could be a disaster for them. Remember that the art trade is supply-driven, dependent on wooing vendors, who are the shyest of beasts. For various reasons – fiscal, family matters and so on – they generally insist on the deepest anonymity when they put something up for sale. In addition, auction houses can be vendors as well – they sell material they have acquired through failed, guaranteed sales, and they certainly wouldn’t want to publicise that either. [link]

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Rick Jenkins Brings Out of the Buddhist Fire to the Art Space

BOISE WEEKLY
By Andrew Crisp

Out of the Fire makes use of a 16th century glaze

IDAHO---Tonight, the Art Space at Eagle Performing Arts Center debuts a series by Idaho ceramicist Rick Jenkins, Out of the Fire. Jenkins employs a Japanese glazing technique that originated in the Mino region in the 16th century. The glaze is linked to the Zen Buddhist tea ceremony, and offers varied results in earthy shades of color. For the past 33 years, Jenkins has served as director of and instructor at the Boise City Art Center. His art remains on display through Monday, Dec. 31. For a chance to meet the artist, the Eagle Performing Arts Center is hosting a reception on Friday, Nov. 30, from 6-9 p.m. [link]

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How to Rebrand Islam? Try Asking an Israeli

JEWISH CHRONICLE ONLINE
By Toby Axelrod

UNITED KINGDOM---Irked by stereotypes of aggressive Muslims poised to impose Sharia law on the world? Blame branding. At least, that is what Israeli artist Dana Yahalomi is claiming in her project, Rebranding European Muslims. In an experiment designed to highlight the power of commercial and political branding, Ms Yahalomi, 30, launched a competition for branding agencies to create new images or slogans that might affect popular views of Muslims in Europe. The winning proposal, “Look Twice”, was a typography-based campaign combining Arabic fonts and Latin letters, designed by the Austrian branding firm Demner, Merlicek and Bergmann. [link]

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NYC Exhibit Highlights Tiffany's Religious Objects

DAILY NEWS

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NEW YORK (AP) — Louis Comfort Tiffany was the quintessential tastemaker of the post-Civil War Gilded Age. His iridescent leaded-glass windows and lamps decorated public buildings and homes of rich and famous clients. But most of his commissions were for America's houses of worship at a time of unprecedented church-building. "Louis C. Tiffany and the Art of Devotion" at The Museum of Biblical Art in New York City is the first major exhibit to focus exclusively on Tiffany's religious output of elaborate altars, baptismal fonts, mosaics, chandeliers, windows and other liturgical ornamentation. It features 84 objects, including 10 stained-glass windows, three of which are on loan from churches that are still active. The free exhibit runs through Jan. 20. [link]

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