RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton

I refer to December as, "The Holydays" (vs. holidays) because it's filled with many holy days including Christmas. Jews celebrate Hanukkah, Muslims Ashura, and Wiccans Winter Solstice. On Saturday, Dec. 8th, Buddhists also celebrated their Holyday known as Bodhi Day. On that day, Buddhists meditate, decorate ficus trees, share gifts of treats, and honor the Buddha's divinity through acts of kindness. One tradition that jumped out at me, particularly during my vegan journey for Advent, is that many meat-eating Buddhists buy and release an animal that was in captivity as part of their celebration. What could be more noble? That's why a "Seated Buddha" (above) from the collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is my NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Interfaith in Art: Swede paints with ashes from Jewish Holocaust victims. [More News]
• Christianity in Art: Tiffany’s impact on American church design at MOBIA. [More News]
• Judaism in Art: The Jewish Museum launches its first Hanukkah app for iPhone. [More News]
• Islam in Art: Russian paints black veils to explore female attitudes on freedom. [More News]

Please join me this December! When I began this project, it was in response to a calling to unite my family and friends in celebrating artists who embrace religious expression. As a result, God blessed me with a growing interfaith family. Some of you joined as a member-subscriber of this RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK; others as an annual donor supporting the A&O Prize & Scholarship Fund; and still others made the big $100 commitment to be a member of the A&O Society. Whatever you do, please know it is valued. Have a great month of Holydays, and as always remember Religious Art is for Believers, but also for Skeptics too.