RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

This was an emotional week for the Religious Art of marriage as the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed Gay marital rights; but no news photos captured the moment as well as the three artworks listed here. The first is "Let Freedom Ring, The Wedding Bells" (above) by Tom Torluemke, this June's INSPIRE ME! Artist of Month. The second is "Bayard Rustin and Walter Naegle" by Ryan Grant Long. Bayard Rustin, a devout Quaker, was Rev. Martin Luther King's right-arm but Walter Naegle was his life partner. The final work is "Moment of Joy" by Jack Hunter featuring Bert & Ernie cuddling on their couch while watching the Supreme Court on TV. Because marriage is both a sacred rite and a legal right, "Let Freedom Ring, The Wedding Bells" is the A&O NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Buddhist Art of Week: Niccolo Cosme's conceptual masterpiece of Buddha. [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Religion Quiz offers chance to compare knowledge. [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Chitra Ganesh opens her studio for an Artist Talk on July 11. [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Whitney Center for the Arts' Call-for-Art in Massachusetts. [More News]
• Judaic Art of Week: San Francisco museums partner to explore spiritual in art. [More News]

Are you on the right side of history? This week, we ask your support in continuing the journey to full marriage equality across the United States. Instead of asking you to sign-up for the A&O newsletter, we ask you to sign the Pledge not to give up on equality nationwide. Instead of asking you to join A&O as a member, we invite you to register for the pro-marriage equality email list. Instead of asking for a donation to support A&O programs and exhibits, we ask you to join us with a donation to FreedomtoMarry.org. Because the freedom to marry is for Believers and Skeptics too, we invite you to join Torluemke, Long, and Hunter on the right side of history.

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Box Office Report: 'The Heat' Crushing 'White House Down,' Eyeing $39 Million Debut

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
By Pamela McClintock

HOLLYWOOD---Providing a respite for females weary of male-action tentpoles, Paul Feig's Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy headliner The Heat is off to a stellar start at the Northern American box office for 20th Century Fox, grossing $13.6 million on Friday for a projected $39 million weekend. The Heat marks another major victory for McCarthy and Feig -- who worked together on Bridesmaids -- as well as for Bullock. To date, McCarthy's top opening at the domestic box office is Identity Thief, which debuted earlier this year to $34.6 million. Costing a modest $43 million to produce, the raunchy R-rated comedy stars Bullock as a strict FBI agent who is forced to team up with McCarthy's rough-around-the-edges Boston street cop. Feig's Bridesmaids grossed $26.2 million in its domestic debut in May 2011.  [link] (A&O Rating: ★★★)

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Movie Review: "Lone Ranger" Can't Quite Pull it Off

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By A.O. Scott

Spirit Horse and Tonto

HOLLYWOOD---The Lone Ranger belongs to the ancient pop culture of the Great Depression and the early baby boom. His adventures were heard on radio, starting in the 1930s, and seen on television from 1949 to 1957, but unlike some of his cape-wearing peers, he has mostly stayed in the past, an object of fuzzy nostalgia and mocking incredulity, a symbol of simple pleasures and retrograde attitudes. The result is a frantic grab bag of plots and themes, a semester-long Westerns 101 college course crammed into two and a half hours and taught by a professor whose lecture notes were rearranged by a gust of wind on his way to class. In the end, though, “The Lone Ranger” can’t quite pull off the daredevil feats it has assigned itself. [link] (A&O Rating: ★★)

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‘The Mystic Black Body’, Photographs by Maïmouna Guerresi in France

ISLAMIC ARTS MAGAZINE

Left image: "Genitilla al-Wilada" (2007) / Right image: "Mother-Minaret" (2007)

FRANCE---The Stimultania Gallery in Strasbourg (France) recently exhibited a collection of large scale photographs by Italian multimedia artist Maïmouna Guerresi. A veteran of the Italian art scene, Guerresi was known in the 1980s for the conceptual feminist work that she exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Biennale and Documenta. An encounter with the Senegalese Murid community in 1991, however, profoundly transformed her art and life: she married a member, had a daughter and was immersed in the mystical tradition of West African Islam. As the “The Mystic Black Body” exhibit attests, the experience continues to nourish and inform her art to this day.[link]

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Buddhist Group Outraged by 'Fallen Buddha' in Munich

BANGKOK POST

Tourists take a picture with ''Fallen Buddha'' displayed in an art exhibition in Munich

GERMANY---The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) has expressed outrage over a disrespectful image of the Buddha placed on the ground in the middle of a market in Munich. Made in Dresden, the sculpture looks like a sitting Buddha image that has fallen over backward. Passers-by often take inappropriate pictures with it and drunks sometimes climb on top of it, WFB said. The organisation added that related authorities were doing nothing to stop the sacrilege. The Buddha image is part of an art exhibition. [link]

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Exporting Enlightenment: How the Buddha Became Chinese

RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART

NEW YORK---The origins of Buddhist devotional art can be traced to its roots in India, but images and doctrine were transmitted by monks as they travelled with merchant caravans across the dangerous deserts of Central Asia on the ancient silk roads. The image of the Buddha was transformed and assimilated in China as the foreign religion of Buddhism encountered the rich and potent traditions of the Chinese cosmological past. Susan Beningson explores the introduction of Buddhism into China, the evolution of the Buddha image, and how these images may have been used in ritual worship. [link]

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Artist Winter Ross's Work Removed From SMU-in-Taos Show

THE TAOS NEWS
By Jim O'Donnell

"Enlightenment Lost" - Quilt art by Winter Ross

NEW MEXICO---Last week, one of the quilted artworks entered into a show being hosted by SMU-in-Taos at Fort Burgwin was taken down and returned to the show curator Melissa Larsen. “The most succinct way to explain it,” says the artist Winter Ross, “is to say that the piece was named ‘Enlightenment Lost’ because I was thinking how sex should be a sacred act but in the West we’ve lost that attitude." Ross is a practicing Buddhist. When asked why she thought people might have found the piece offensive, Ross stated, “Well, I don’t know exactly what went wrong. It hung in there for three weeks. [link]

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God Squad: What is Made in 'God's Image'?

THE NEWSDAY | LONG ISLAND
By Rabbi Marc Gellman

NEW YORK---The Western religious belief that we are made in the image of God is both inspiring and confusing. On the most general level, it inspires us to respect every human life with a reverence and commitment we normally reserve for God. It means that people are not means to an end but an end in themselves, just like God. It means that life is holy and absolutely protected from abuse, oppression and murder. It means that our dignity and rights come from God and not from the state. Are we made in the form of God? That can't be true, since God is invisible. Jews and Muslims are not allowed to even try to depict this invisible God, and because of the belief in imitateo dei (being made in the image of God) there was also a prohibition in Jewish art of depicting the likeness of human beings. Muslims have a similar prohibition about depicting the Prophet Muhammad. May we see God in every person. [link]

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Hindu Artist Chitra Ganesh is Artist-in-Residence at Bose Pacia in New York City

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

"Forever Her Fist" (2006), detail from digital print | edition of 5.

NEW YORK---Born in Brooklyn, controversial Hindu artist Chitra Ganesh is an artist-in-residence at Transparent Studio at Bose Pacia.  Her drawing, installation, text-based work, and collaborations seek to excavate and rewrite hidden narratives typically excluded from official canons of history, literature, and art. Her work is inspired by mythology, folklore, sci-fi, Bollywood, comic books and graffiti. During the month long residency, Ganesh will use the space to develop her wall drawings by exploring the use of sculptural elements, printmaking technique and collage ephemera. The public is invited to an Open Studio event and Artist Talk on July 11, 2013.

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San Francisco's Jewish Museum Explores Modern Art Through Spiritual Lens

J. THE JEWISH WEEKLY
By Rebecca Spence

"Church Façade 5" (1914) by Piet Mondrian

CALIFORNIA---Both art and spirituality express the human desire for transcendence, and the act of making art can be seen as an act of faith. But despite the many interconnections, modern art is rarely viewed through a transcendental lens. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Contemporary Jewish Museum have teamed up to change that with the opening of “Beyond Belief: 100 Years of the Spiritual in Modern Art.” On view from Friday, June 28 through Oct. 27 at the CJM, “Beyond Belief” examines the subtle and not-so-subtle spiritual dimensions of modern and contemporary art. [link] 

Contemporary Jewish Museum: “Beyond Belief: 100 Years of the Spiritual in Modern Art” (Ends Oct. 27) 736 Mission Street (btwn. 3rd and 4th Streets), San Francisco, 415.655.7800 or thecjm.org

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Dallas Museum of Art Announces Plans for ‘Major Traveling Exhibition of Islamic Art and Culture’

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
By mgranberry

Shield Boss, India or Persia, 17th Century, Steel and gold, Furusiyya Art Foundation, Liechtenstein

TEXAS---Officials at the Dallas Museum of Art announced [Thursday] that “a major traveling exhibition of Islamic art and culture, spanning more than 10 centuries and including artworks and secular objects from throughout the Islamic world,” will open at the DMA in the spring of next year. It features 150 objects from public and private collections in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the United States. "Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World" will, DMA officials say, “explore the use and meaning of light in Islamic art and science, and demonstrate how light is a unifying motif in Islamic civilizations worldwide." [link]

Dallas Museum of Art: "Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World" (March 30 through June 29, 2014) 1717 North Harwood Dallas, 214-922-1200 or dallasmuseumofart.org

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Hindu Activist from Nevada Complains About Play in Minneapolis

ALBANY TRIBUNE

MINNESOTA---Hindus are concerned at the play “Displaced Hindu Gods”, which is having a world premiere at Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA) and is announced to run from October five to 27. Play announcement of this Mixed Blood Theatre production says that it is based on the trinity of Hindu deities- Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva- each displaced into the contemporary Western world. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, pointed out that Brhama-Vishnu-Shiva were highly revered deities in Hinduism and were meant to be worshipped in temples and home shrines and not to be trivialized on theater stages. [link]

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Kickstar Helps Build Alex and Allyson Grey"s Art Temple

VICE
By Nadja Sayej

CALIFORNIA---Alex Grey just hit the crowd-sourced lottery. The king of visionary art will be building the “sanctuary” for his trippy, visual-laced spiritual paintings and structures that he calls the Entheon. His Kickstarter campaign received over $210,000 from more than 1,500 backers. That sum is the second-largest sum of money ever donated to an art project on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign ended on May 31, which was the 39th anniversary of Alex and Allyson Grey’s first meeting. The two have been making visionary art ever since. [link]

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Visiting Buddhist Myanmar, Before It's Too Late

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
By Ellen Hale, Associated Press

MYANMAR---Closed off for years by a repressive, corrupt military reign, much of the country seems lost in time, truly untouched by signs of globalization like fast-food chains. Women here still chalk their faces with thanaka, a paste made from tree bark. Men wear longyi, wraparound skirts knotted at the waist. Monks carry begging bowls through town in the early-morning ritual of seeking food. But now that the government is opening Myanmar to the outside world, tourists are rushing to experience the country before it changes. How the opening up of Myanmar will affect its rich, unique culture and traditions is an issue of much discussion, and a major reason for the tourist stampede. "I had to come see the real Burma before it gets spoiled," one Australian visitor said over breakfast as his fellow travelers nodded. [link]

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'Muslim Journeys' Art Exhibit Portrays Islamic Culture at Colorado Museum

REPORTER HERALD
By James Garcia

"Muslim Woman in Mosque Courtyard" by Jeffris Elliott

COLORADO---An artistic exploration of the Islamic culture through the eyes of photographer Jeffris Elliott, titled "Muslim Journeys," will be on display at the Loveland Museum/Gallery, along with Middle Eastern textiles on loan from the Avenir Museum Collection of Fort Collins. The opening reception is 1-3 p.m. Saturday. Elliott's photographs were taken from 2004 to 2009 and are from his collection called "Another Face of Islam," which garnered him international attention, primarily from Europe. The display is in conjunction with the Loveland Public Library's Muslim Journeys Bookshelf, a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities Bridging Cultures initiative. [link]

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William Gropper, Anti-Semitic Artist, that Hitler Made Love Jews

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
By Menachem Wecker

ILLINOIS---When it comes to William Gropper’s illustrations of Jews, it’s a tale of two artists. Some of the New York-born cartoonist’s drawings of fellow Jews epitomize the worst of anti-Semitic caricature — hooked noses, large foreheads, big lips, and hunched shoulders. But Gropper (1897-1977), who grew up as one of six children in a poor Jewish family on the Lower East Side, has another Jewish repertoire. This body of work by Gropper, a 1931 recipient of the Young Israel Prize, includes dozens of depictions of rabbis often in prayer, dancing hasidim, biblical scenes (such as Jonah, Joshua, and Adam and Eve), Talmud scholars, a “Shtetl series,” and other scenes of Jewish life. Rather than denigrating Jews, these pieces celebrate a Jewish identity which seems to have lain dormant in Gropper until he saw the Nazi atrocities of World War II. [link]

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Conteptual Masterpieces Moving Believers Forward by Niccolo Cosme

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

"Buddha" Quito Trenas / MUA Etine Bautista / Styling Lhenvil Paneda

PHILIPPINES---The speed of change with social media is exciting, especially if you are interested in sharing religious art, and especially for conceptual photographer Niccolo Cosme. This past week he posted a "Buddha" image along with the Tweet: "Buddha bless you.... Thoughtlessness in a world of commercialism." Later he Instagramed: "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. @imrufamaequinto as a Hindu deity infused with Marian symbols...." linked to another work from the same series. Because Cosme is never at rest, he also created his first videogram this past week, where viewers see the shadow of cross hanging in his  car window, proving once again that he travels with G-D and is always moving forward.

"Hare Krishna" Rufamae Quinto / MUA Mark Kingson Qua / Styling Lhenvil Paneda

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The 2,600-year-old Cyrus Cylinder Now on Display at the Metroplitan Museum of Art

ART DAILY

NEW YORK---The Cyrus Cylinder-a 2,600-year-old inscribed clay document from Babylon in ancient Iraq-is viewed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. One of the most famous surviving icons from the ancient world, the Cyrus Cylinder is the centerpiece of the traveling exhibition "The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: Charting a New Empire." [link]

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Gay Rights Advocates Predict National Victory by 2018

LOS ANGELES TIMES
By By David Lauter

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Advocates for same-sex marriage set an ambitious timetable Wednesday for a nationwide victory, laying out a plan for a rapid series of campaigns to win over additional states to achieve that goal. "Within five years, we will bring marriage equality to all 50 states," Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, pledged to supporters massed on the sidewalk outside the Supreme Court shortly after the court's decisions Wednesday. The rulings bring to 13 the number of states, along with the District of Columbia, allowing gay marriage. Over the next 18 months, gay rights groups plan legislative or ballot campaigns in at least five states — Illinois, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon and Hawaii — aimed at lengthening the list on their side. Same-sex marriage is also before the courts in New Mexico, where the state law is unclear. Ultimately, however, advocates of same-sex marriage believe that they will have to argue the issue once again before the high court. [link]

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Official Says Nelson Mandela on Life Support; Pres. Zuma Cancels Travel Plans

CNN | WORLD
By Faith Karimi and Robyn Curnow

SOUTH AFRICA---South Africans lit candles outside the hospital where anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela lay Wednesday night amid a report that the former president was on life support. An official briefed on his condition said he was on life support, but government spokesman Mac Maharaj declined to comment on the report, citing doctor-patient confidentiality. Mandela, 94, considered the founding father of South Africa's multiracial democracy, has been hospitalized since June 8 for a recurring lung infection. [link]

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Warhol Foundation Grants Opportunity for Defending Artist Rights

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
Ernest Disney-Britton

A&O Rule #9 is "Never Censor to Defend," and the people at The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts have a deep-seated commitment to defending the First Amendment rights of artists. Grants are provided to curatorial programs at museums, artists' organizations, and other cultural institutions to originate innovative and scholarly presentations of contemporary visual arts. Projects may include exhibitions, catalogues, and other relevant activities. The deadline for the Foundation's Wynn Kramarsky Freedom of Artistic Expression Award is September 1, 2013. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the grant guidelines: http://www.warholfoundation.org/grant/overview.html.

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U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Behalf of Marriage Protections for Gays

FREEDOM TO MARRY

Rev. Martin Luther King's chief aide was Bayard Rustin, a Black & Gay Quaker

WASHINGTON, DC---The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a central part of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act today, ruling that DOMA’s Section 3, which denies legally married same-sex couples the federal protections and responsibilities triggered by marriage, violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution. In a separate case, the court ruled that the sponsors of Proposition 8, which stripped same-sex couples of the right to marry, had no legitimate interest in prosecuting an appeal over the objections of state officials. The decision means that the trial court ruling striking down the law stands, restoring the freedom to marry in California. [link]

"Let Freedom Ring, The Wedding Bells" (2011) by Tom Torluemke

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An Era for Making Sacred Glass Coming to End in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL
By Scott Olson

Image courtesy of the Fox Studios Facebook page

INDIANA---Fox Studios Inc., the venerable stained glass company whose work is on display at countless churches throughout the state and even the Indiana Statehouse, is closing. Clare Fox Acheson, 59, a second-generations owner, is ready to retire from the demands of her 12-hour days. Churches account for about 75 percent of the company's work and keep Fox Studios busy. If parishners aren't building a new sanctuary, they're restoring the one they have. The company's more recent clientele includes St. Paul's Episcopal Church on North Meridian Street, St. Mary Catholic Church at New Jersey and Vermont Streetsm abd St. Roch Catholic Church on the South side. Fox Studios has been accredited since 1978 by the Stained Glass Association of America, meaning it's passed rigourous standards set by the organization. [link]

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Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Controversial Art, Ithyphallic Deities

TRICYCLE
By Alex Caring-Lobel

Maha Deva - Worldly Protector (Buddhist) - Lha Chenpo

CHINA---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. [link]

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Suburbs vs. Downtown Mosaics of Sacred Space

NEW GEOGRAPHY
By Aaron M. Renn

Indiana World War Memorial in downtown Indianapolis is example of Sacred Space.

INDIANA---Suburbs are often unfairly maligned as lacking the qualities that make cities great. But one place that criticism can be fair is in the area of sacred space. There most certainly is sacred space in the suburbs, but usually less of it than in the city both quantitatively and qualitatively. In fact, the comparative lack of sacred space is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the suburb that makes it “sub” urban, that is, in a sense lesser than the city. What Is Sacred Space? The key to sacred space is the linkage to the transcendent. That is, sacred space connects us to something beyond or bigger than our surroundings, our present existence, and even ourselves. Here are three ways sacred space can do that. [link]

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How Much Do You Know About Religion? Take The Pew Quiz

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton

So, you say you are Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Hindu or other, but how much do you know about religion? I took Pew Forum's 15-question quiz and found out a little more about what I didn't know about religion, and I invite to do the same. Compare yourself to the average American. Take this short quiz, and see how you do in comparison with 3,412 randomly sampled adults who were asked these and other questions in the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey. When you finish the quiz, you will be able to compare your knowledge of religion with participants in the national telephone poll. It's funa dn takes only a few short minutes. So, go ahead: [Take Quiz]

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New Superman Continues History of Casting Religious Shadows

THE DESERT NEWS
By Katie Harmer

HOLLYWOOD---Over the 75 years since his premiere in Action Comics, Superman has cast religious shadows — whether it's been as a superhuman Moses sent in a spaceship basket to save his people, or an all-powerful Christ figure who watches over and saves humankind. The new film "Man of Steel" is no different. Featuring both a miraculous birth and a sacrifice for mankind, the new origin film is filled with religious allusions to Christ. In a recent interview with the U.K.'s Metro, director Zach Snyder explained, "I think the relationship between Jesus and Superman is not a thing we invented in this film, it is a thing that has been talked about since the creation of Superman." [link]

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Public Art and Antiracism Organizing

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Mock-up of an abandoned art project in Indianapolis which excluded
both the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the African American community

INDIANA--When selecting Public Art, how much "public" voice is part of the decision-making process? Over a decade ago, at Northern Kentucky University, the university's most prominent work of Public Art was labeled "Racist Art" by Blacks but defended by Whites as "Fine Art". Who selected the work? It wasn't the Black community. After years of bitter debate, it was finally moved to a non-public location as part of the Art Department. Today in Indiana, the Arts Council of Indianapolis is leading a national Call-to-Artists to create a work of Public Art reflecting the African American experience, and in the process the Arts Council is putting the "public" in the driver's seat. The process is simple but the process isn't easy. Tackling issues of racial exclusion in the Arts is never easy, but the Arts Council of Indianapolis has created a true decision-making "partnership" between the Arts community and the African American community, and in doing so is also putting "public" into Public Art. The deadline for artist proposals is Monday, July 8, 2013: www.IndyArts.org/ArtOnTheTrail.

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Movie Preview: "White House Down" -- Opening June 28

WHITE HOUSE DOWN

HOLLYWOOD---In Columbia Pictures’ White House Down, Capitol Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation’s government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country. In theaters June 28, 2013. [link] (A&O Rating: ★★)

• Starring: Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx. 
• Director: Roland Emmerich. 
• Writer: James Vanderbilt. 

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Auction of Fine Judaica at Kestenbaum & Company, Last Thursday

THE JEWISH PRESS
By Richard McBee

German Silver and Enamel Kiddush Goblet

NEW YORK---Judaica Auctions and the exhibition that precede them at Kestenbaum & Company are always a cornucopia of aesthetic delights. The sheer variety and overall quality of the ceremonial objects and works of art make the exhibition and catalogue a museum-like experience. The current exhibition is no exception. While Kestenbaum is normally known for rare books and manuscripts, this sale is devoted to Judaica ceremonial art; specializing in kiddush cups, spice containers, ceremonial plates, menorahs, etrog containers, Torah pointers, finials and crowns. [link]

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Call for Artists: Islamic Contemporary Art Show in Massachusetts

NORTH ADAMS TRANSCRIPT

Khaled Al Saai,from the 2011 Asilah International Arts Festival, Morocco

MASSACHUSETTS---The city’s Office of Cultural Development, in collaboration with the Whitney Center for the Arts, is calling for submissions for a juried art show called "Islam Contemporary." The show, which opens Friday, Aug. 2, and continues through Aug. 29, will explore Islamic cultures, history, art and day-to-day life through contemporary art. A curated series of performances, film screenings, readings and artist talks is also being planned as a companion to the exhibit. The deadline for submissions is June 28, and artists will be informed by July 12. [link]

The jury for the exhibit includes:

• Megan Whilden, director of Cultural Development for the City of Pittsfield; 
• Ghazi Khazmi, executive director of the Whitney Center for the Arts; 
• Aziz Sohail, curator and arts management intern at the Office of Cultural Development; and
• Lesley Ann Beck, director of communications at the Berkshire Museum. 

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Once an African Slave, Now a God in India

THE HINDU
By Nidhi Surendranath

At a shrine for 'Kappiri Muthappan' at Mangattumukku at Mattancherry. 

INDIA---Kappiri Muthappan, believed to be a slave of the Portuguese traders, is worshipped in Mattancherry. The small shrine at Mangattumukku in Mattancherry bears no religious markings, idols, or symbols. It consists of a simple platform built onto an adjacent compound wall and a tiled roof covering it. Yet, people visit this shrine every day to light candles, offer flowers, cigars, tender coconuts, and even toddy to the ‘deity’ unique to Kochi – ‘Kappiri Muthappan.’. The name is a corruption of the word ‘kafir,’ meaning non-believer, which is what Arab travellers called the people of Africa,” said historian M.G.S Narayanan. “Kochi was a centre for slave trade in the 16 century,” he said. [link]

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Exporting Enlightenment: How the Buddha Came to Japan

RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART

Image: Standing Buddha Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India; 5th century, Gupta period (320-550 CE)

NEW YORK---According to legend the first image of the Buddha was not only drawn from life but was itself alive. It was carved on the order of an Indian king who longed for the Buddha’s presence after the Buddha had left his kingdom. When the Buddha returned the image rose to greet him. Replicas of the miraculous image were produced in India, China, and Japan. This talk explores the transmission of this legend, and the replication of this legendary image in Japan, where it served to bridge the temporal and spatial gulf between Buddhist devotees and the object of their devotion. [link]

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$10,000 Cleveland Art Prize Goes to Religious Artist, Douglas Maz Utter

CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
By Donald Rosenberg

OHIO---Expressing himself is a two-pronged joy for Douglas Max Utter. Admired as the creator of layered and provocative paintings depicting everything from religious figures and landscapes to family members, the Cleveland native also has piped in generously on visual-arts subjects as a writer and critic. "Writing focuses on what I'm thinking about," says Utter, who has penned more than 450 articles for publications including The Plain Dealer. "Painting has an unconscious that's far more elaborate." For his distinguished contributions to the arts in Northeast Ohio, Utter is the 2013 winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cleveland Arts Prize. [link]

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ACLU Files Suit Against Evansville, IN for Display of Plastic Crosses

ACLU | INDIANA

INDIANA---The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana today filed suite on behalf of two Venderburgh County residents against the City of Evansille for permitting the display of religious symbols on public property. The display violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. [Release]

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Islamic Art Rises in the 2013 Venice Biennale

THE NATIONAL
By David D'Arcy

A lenticular Photograph of Mecca by Ahmad Angawi

ITALY---At the 2013 Venice Biennale, Arab artists and those from the broader Islamic world are back as never before. The work ranges from stained glass to video, from solemn to satirical. Iraq’s presence in Venice, said another Ruya donor, Shwan Ibrahim Taha, “means that we are alive. We’re not dead. That we are culturally significant. Iraq is the cradle of civilisation and I beg everyone not to make it the grave of civilisation. This is the continuation of culture in Iraq. [link]

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A Pakistani Artist’s Blood Red Display at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | INDIA 
By Shanoor Seervai

NEW YORK---On a rainy day, the splatters of red paint on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have a glossy sheen, appearing like pools of blood fresh from battle. Imran Qureshi’s painting, covering the museum’s 8,000-square-foot roof, is a response to violence across the globe in recent decades. Every year since 1998, the Met has exhibited work by a contemporary artist on its Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. Mr. Qureshi is the first South Asian artist to have work featured here. “The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi“ represents the age-old tension between hope and despair; the capacity for beauty to emerge from suffering. [link]

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Demon Merchandising of Buddies: Buddha & Jesus, in Japan

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

"Saint Young Men" First Teaser

JAPAN---Local businesses could have turned to Buddhism or Christianity to boost the profile of the western Tokyo city of Tachikawa, but instead they have taken a more demonic approach. An animated adaptation of "Saint Young Men," a popular manga series about Gautama Buddha and Jesus Christ living together as roommates in a cheap apartment in Tachikawa, hit cinemas nationwide in May. Hoping to cash in on the opportunity, a Japanese confectionery shop is offering sweet pancakes branded with an "oni" demon character, which is based on the design of a playground slide in a city park that is featured in the manga. An oni-themed cellphone charm produced five years ago is also proving a consistent seller. [link]

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India's Raqib Shaw Has First Exhibition in the Czech Republic

SAFFRON ART BLOG

"Absence of God III…" (2008) by Raqib Shaw

CZECH REPUBLIC---Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague is currently exhibiting a selection of Raqib Shaw’s recent works. His array of works ranges from intricate bejewelled paintings on canvas to painted bronzes. Raqib Shaw creates a surreal juxtaposition of mythical forms against metaphysical spaces set in a dreamy atmosphere. The characters populating his works are half-human, half-animal and they live only according to their instinct. The background of his paintings, contrasts this surreal atmosphere showing nuances of Oriental motifs as well as Greco-Roman thematic influences. [link]

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Famed Shaolin Temple Going Global With Los Angeles Debut

CHINA DAILY

The Shaolin Temple [Photo by Wang Zirui/Asianewsphoto]

CHINA---The Shaolin Temple, known as the cradle of Chinese kung fu, is preparing to stage its first cultural festival in the United States as part of efforts to expand its global clout. The first North America Shaolin Cultural Festival is scheduled to be held from Oct 8 to 14 in Los Angeles, according to Shi Yongxin, abbot of the Buddhist temple in the city of Dengfeng in Central China's Henan province. The temple has successfully hosted an annual Shaolin Temple Day in California for nine consecutive years, Shi said. He added that the temple has over a million followers in North America. [link]

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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Jordan Eagles' painting "BDLF" (above) at the SLU Museum of Contemporary Religious Art in Missouri is part of an exhibition of his works made from decomposed blood. Fifteen years ago, this Jewish artist began using animal blood as a painting medium in response to a debate with a friend about life after death, and the connection between body and spirit. The exhibit, inside a former Catholic chapel, raises other concerns as well including "blood rituals," "HIV," "wellness," and "sexuality." Originally scheduled through May 31, the exhibit's "life" was extended through this Friday, June 28, and that makes "Jordan Eagles: Blood/Spirit" the A&O NEWS OF WEEK.

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

• Buddhism in Art: What do Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammad teach about obesity? [More News]
• Christianity in Art: Quincy Owen's gold-leafed Saints are drink coasters. [More News]
• Hinduism in Art: Learning Hindu divinity is as simple as 26 letters in the Alphabet. [More News]
• Islam in Art: Soody Shari's collages bring traditional and modern world together. [More News]
• Judaism in Art: The Hamsa: Middle Eastern symbol lures Hollywood divas. [More News]

Are you on the A&O list? We are believers and skeptics too, united in the search for human understanding through art of the religious imagination. Some of us join as members of the A&O Society; others are donors supporting the A&O Youth Scholarship; and others as digital-members who receive this weekly art news summary. We are for Believers, and Skeptics too.

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Movie Review: These Dead Don’t Walk. They Run.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By A.O. Scott

HOLLYWOOD---“World War Z” is pretty refreshing. The movie, loosely adapted from Max Brooks’s 2006 novel of the same title, is under two hours long. Its action set pieces are cleverly conceived and coherently executed in ways that make them feel surprising, even exciting. Brad Pitt, playing a former United Nations troubleshooter pressed back into service to battle the undead, wears a scruffy, Redfordesque air of pained puzzlement. And, best of all, “World War Z,” directed by Marc Forster from a script with five credited authors, reverses the relentless can-we-top-this structure that makes even smart blockbusters feel bloated and dumb. The large-scale, city-destroying sequences come early, leading toward a climax that is intimate, intricate and genuinely suspenseful. [link] (A&O Rating: ★★★★)

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Where is Jewish Art Now? Rising, Declining, or Neither?

ALGEMEINER
By Elke Reva Sudin

With a rapidly declining economy, a second wave emerged in the last few years of content creators and appreciators such as the Jewish Art Salon, Art Kibbutz, or Jewish Eyes on the Arts, who have pushed ahead with their own independent programming despite a lack of community infrastructure or financial support. Some more religious groups which were actually started during the boom of the first wave and lacked institutional support also thrived in this environment, such as Shemspeed and ATARA. I believe we are at the crest of the second wave, where more and more interest in Jewish art has developed through increasing grassroots initiatives, and it is ready to crash, in a good way, to further hydrate the land. [link]

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Today's Holydays with Art: Summer Solstice 2013

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS 
By TAHLIB

CALIFORNIA---The Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Festival celebrates summer and the arts from June 21-23. It is open to artists, crafters and some selected resale vendors. All vendors selling original art & craft participate for all 3 days, rain or shine in their assigned place in the grassy lawn of Almeda Park. The summer solstice is a "pagan holyday that harkens the longest day of the year, " wrote Chérie Angélique de Sues.

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Artists Offer Fresh Takes on Traditional Judaica in California

JEWISH WEEKLY
By Emma Silvers

“Hanukkah Menorah of the Talmudic Era” by Abrasha

CALIFORNIA---What do you call a creature that looks vaguely like a cross between a penguin and a miniature robot, made from a discarded wooden shoehorn and intricately arranged, disassembled circuit breakers? If you’re Liz Mamorsky, one local artist featured in a new exhibition of contemporary Judaica on display at San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El, you call him “Shoetree Totem” — and you can explain in one breath how he symbolizes the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees. Mamorsky is one of 34 artists featured in “Traditional By Conception, Modern By Design,” an exhibition of contemporary Judaica organized in honor of Emanu-El’s Rabbi Stephen Pearce, on the occasion of his retirement this month after 20 years at the congregation. [link]

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Picasso is the Answer to a Society That No Longer Believes in God

CATHOLIC HERALD
By Francis Phillips

Femme au Chien' by Pablo Picasso (PA)

UNITED KINGDOM---I recently reviewed for the Herald the “Spiritual Letters” of the well-known art critic, Sister Wendy Beckett. It is a collection of letters to another nun about God, the religious vocation and other topics. There are few references to artists or works of art but Sister Wendy does briefly mention her love for Paul Klee and for Matisse, yet admits to finding Picasso “a very poor third [by comparison.] All power and no beauty.” What happens to art in a society when belief in God has withered away? I suppose Picasso is the answer. The story of Western art -including the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe – and its magnificent flourishing in the Christian centuries has been told by the late Lord Clark in the celebrated 1960s TV series “Civilization.” Significantly, the series ended with the 20th century – just when Picasso stepped into the circus ring. [link]

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Like Letters in the Alphabet: Why So Many Gods in Hinduism

SPEAKING TREE
By Pravin Pai

We have to clearly understand the concept of the numerous Gods that Hindus have. They are only forms or representations like the alphabets. In English we have 26 of these forms. At an early age we struggle to draw these forms, then we make words from it and then sentences. So, in English language by juggling 26 forms we are able (or think we are able to) represent the entire panorama of the external world; while in Chinese you require close to a 1000 of such forms to represent the external world. So a graduate or a doctor (PhD) in US gets the same knowledge-content with 26 forms as a graduate or doctor in China with 1000 of such forms. So, similarly in Hinduism, as we internalize the forms of God and spiritually evolve ourselves, automatically (without our personal intention to do so) we loose our focus on the forms or Gods and understand the 'larger' reality that encompasses the world and the Universe. [link]

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Making The Case For The Arts As A Jewish Communal Priority

THE JEWISH WEEK
By Joshua Ford

It is vital for arts institutions in the Jewish community, Jewish artists and the current generation of philanthropists that support the arts to begin articulating the argument that the support of the arts is not a distraction from the values the next generation of philanthropy seeks to support, but central to them. The announcement that the UJA-Federation in New York will not be renewing the innovative Six Points Fellowship Program is part of a trend that reveals that funding for the arts is falling even further down on our list of Jewish communal priorities. This is the challenge for the next generation of artists, philanthropists and institutions. While it is certain that artists will continue to create art – true artists have no other choice – whether we will harness those individual and collective energies into an asset for the Jewish community remains to be seen. [link]

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Extremist Buddhist Monks Target Religious Minorities

TIME MAGAZINE
By Hannah Beech

Photo by Adam Dean of "Buddhists gone bad"

ASIA---"In the reckoning of religious extremism — Hindu nationalists, Muslim militants, fundamentalist Christians, ultra-Orthodox Jews — Buddhism has largely escaped trial.... Now, tt's Buddhism's turn." Over the past year in Buddhist-majority Burma, scores, if not hundreds, have been killed in communal clashes, with Muslims suffering the most casualties. Burmese monks were seen goading on Buddhist mobs, while some suspect the authorities of having stoked the violence — a charge the country’s new quasi-civilian government denies. In Sri Lanka, Buddhist nationalist groups are operating with apparent impunity, looting Muslim and Christian establishments and calling for restrictions to be placed on the 9% of the country that is Muslim. Meanwhile in Thailand’s deep south, where a Muslim insurgency has claimed some 5,000 lives since 2004, desperate Buddhist clerics are retreating into their temples with Thai soldiers at their side. [link]

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Would Buddha, Jesus and Mohammad Agree that Obesity is a Disease?

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS 
By Ernest Disney-Britton

Buddha in his six years of continuously practicing all forms of severe austerity.

If we model our lives after the lives of Jesus, Buddha or Mohammad, can we also be fat? Not if we look to the examples from history's religious artists, and now you can add the American Medical Association to that list. According to ABC NEWS, "The American Medical Association confronted some weighty issues at its annual meeting in Chicago this week. In perhaps its biggest policy change on weight and health to date, the AMA recognized obesity as a disease." For 1,000s of years, artist-followers of Jesus, Buddha or Muhammad have given us examples of the ideal we should embody. This ideal is slim, perhaps even gaunt; a person who walks extensively (exercise), fasts regularly, and always eats and drinks in moderation. True-followers, who treat their body-temples like Jesus, Buddha or Mohammad don't need the American Medical Association to "weigh-in."

Depicting the prophet Mohammed

"White Crucifixion" by Chagall

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Buddhist Monks Accused of Sexually Molesting Boys

RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE
By Vishal Arora

BHUTAN---The South Asian nation of Bhutan has been rocked by a sexual abuse scandal in which young Buddhist monks molested by older monks fled their monastery and reported the abuse to journalists. While rumors about child sexual abuse in monasteries have swirled around this tiny Buddhist nation for a while, this is the first time confirmed cases of underage monks molested by their seniors have come to the fore. The “Red Hat” sect of Tibetan Buddhism is the state religion of Bhutan, a nation of about 700,000 people in the Himalayas between India and China. According to the code of conduct in monasteries, authorities disrobe an erring monk, throw flour on him and chase him away from the monastery. [link]

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Superman Spirituality: Is Hollywood Manipulating Christians?

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE
By Jonathan Merritt

HOLLYWOOD---A father figure from another world sends his only begotten son to Earth who, at 33 years old, must sacrifice himself to save the human race. Is this the narrative of Jesus and the Christian gospel? No. It’s the storyline from this week’s blockbuster, “Man of Steel.” Is Hollywood manipulating Christians to turn a buck? On the one hand, there is much to applaud in Hollywood’s effort to explore religious themes through film and television. Too much of it is merely mindless entertainment without any redemptive elements to speak of. The more art produced that expresses the good, true, and beautiful, the better. And yet, the whole ordeal makes me a little uncomfortable because it represents another step forward in the commodification of Christianity. [link] (A&O Rating: ★★)

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From the Golden Calf to Gezi Park: Religious Imagery and Modern Protest

THE GUARDIAN
By Fr. Giles Fraser

Simon Peres in the Chagall hall of the Knesset. Behind him,
Moses receives the Ten Commandments, as envisaged by Marc Chagall.

UNITED KINDOM---is extremely odd that Marc Chagall – originally Moishe Shagal – has become the poster boy of Jewish art because his work so spectacularly offends against the fundamental principle of all Jewish aesthetics, the second of the Ten Commandments: "You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above or in the earth below" (Exodus 20:4). From an orthodox perspective, it counts as idolatry, the No 1 thought crime of the Hebrew Bible. Representations are dangerous, the Bible warns. They collapse reality and come to have an independent life of their own. And when they are representations of the divine, this is especially dangerous. God cannot be pictured. Indeed G-d cannot even properly be spoken. [link]

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