Disney-Britton

Many Muslims are concerned that massive new construction projects are destroying the spiritual nature of their holy Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Yesterdays New York Times review by Nicolai Ouroussaff was highly critical: It is an architectural absurdity. Just south of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Muslim world’s holiest site, a kitsch rendition of London’s Big Ben is nearing completion. Called the Royal Mecca Clock Tower, it will be one of the tallest buildings in the world, the centerpiece of a complex that is housing a gargantuan shopping mall, an 800-room hotel and a prayer hall for several thousand people. Its muscular form, an unabashed knockoff of the original, blown up to a grotesque scale, will be decorated with Arabic inscriptions and topped by a crescent-shape spire in what feels like a cynical nod to Islam’s architectural past.   One of the most fierce critics, according to Ouroussaff is a Mecca-born Muslim architect, Sami Angawi who called it, "...the commercialization of ...

Just outside of Bogota, Columbia is the Monserrate mountain and inside is the Salt Cathedral of Zapaquira , an underground Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine. You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate the beautiful   icons  and ornaments which are hand carved in the halite rock  or enjoy the architectural grandeur of the space .  In fact, t he name "Salt Cathedral" is mostly to attract tourists and although it is a functioning church that receives as many as 3,000 worshippers on Sundays, it has no  official status as a Catholic cathedral and does not have a bishop .

Saint Louis, Missouri-based  Council of Conservative Citizens  is outraged that Marvel Comics cast a black man as a Norse God in their upcoming movie. Dr. Sam Francis writes, "It seems that Marvel Studios believes that white people should have nothing that is unique to themselves. An upcoming movie, based on the comic book Thor, will give Norse mythology an insulting multi-cultural make-over. One of the Gods will be played by Hip Hop DJ Idris Elba." Last week, they launched a boycott of the 2011 movie with the theme "keep social engineering out of European Mythology."

In last week's London Telegraph , art historian and nun Sister Wendy Beckett is profiled: "Sister Wendy Beckett, 80, is a contemplative nun who gained national attention in 1991 after appearing in a BBC documentary about the National Gallery. She has since presented several acclaimed art-history programmes and has written more than 25 books. Her most recent, Real Presence: In Search of the Earliest Icons (Continuum) , is out now. For the past 40 years she has lived a cloistered life, devoted to prayer, in a mobile home in the grounds of a Carmelite monastery at Quidenham, Norfolk." ( Read All )

"We all know that Art is not truth . Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies." ~PABLO PICASSO

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS  By TAHLIB Title:   The Infant Christ Artist : Juan Martínez Montañés (b. Spain, 1568–1649) Created : Polychromed wood, 1600–1606. Location : Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio)

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest Disney-Britton Muslims believe that Jesus (called 'Isa in Arabic) was the son of Mary, and was conceived without the intervention of a human father, that it was a "Virgin birth." The Qur'an describes an angel appearing to Mary, to announce to her the "gift of a holy son" ( 19:19 ). For a t-shirt with a contemporary Islamic art image honoring both Jesus & Islam, shop online at " I Wear The Truth ."

FOND DU LAC REPORTER December 23, 2011 A nativity set celebrates the season at St. Paul's Cathedral in Wisconsin WISCONSIN -- The church ladies of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 1600 S. Main St., make Chrismons — ornaments with Christian symbols. The homemade, woven-bead decorations include fish, crosses, crowns and other religious images. The women also sculpt doves and lambs from Styrofoam, said Donna Tetzlaff, one of the volunteers. Some ornaments feature musical themes because the Lutheran church is known as “the singing church.” Every Christmas, St. Paul’s Cathedral at 51 W. Division St. holds the Hanging of the Greens, in which volunteers set up a tree, evergreens, poinsettias and lights. The nativity set is believed to be 120 years old, said Helen Carew, one of three women who make up the church’s Flower Guild. The guild also includes Joann Sabel and Robyn Mojeska. The women provide greens and flowers year-round, but Christmas is a larger effort. [ link ]

An anonymous L.A. street artist spoke out last week about MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch's decision to paint over another artist's mural that he had commissioned by portraying Deitch as an Ayatollah. It's a provocative piece of guerrilla poster art glued to the exterior wall of a restaurant in Little Tokyo but "Fear", whether intentional or not, is the real message as the piece reminds us not only of the power Deitch has in career-making for artists; but also the death threats by Islamic extremists for portrayals that are unflattering of Islamic figures; as well as the current controversy over religious censorship at the Smithsonian.

by Charlie Goetz From Jean Anouilh's play, Becket KING HENRY II: You love work, don't you? If you love anything. THOMAS BECKET: I love doing what I can do and doing it well. HENRY: You'd be as efficient against me as you are for me, wouldn't you? BECKET: If fate had arranged it that way. HENRY: So what in most people is morality, in you it's just an exercise in--what's the word? BECKET: Aesthetics. HENRY: Yes, always aesthetics. When first I heard that exchange--on a New York stage with Laurence Olivier as Becket and Anthony Quinn as Henry--I felt a shock of recognition. I realized that I am rather less concerned with right and wrong than I am with beauty versus ugliness, order versus chaos, harmony versus meaningless noise. Morality requires judgements about the actions of oneself and others that I don't feel qualified to make. There are too many unknowns and, possibly, unknowables, even in contemplation of one's own motives and decision-making. Is the ...

Contributor and friend James Hipps asked me today, well, what can I do about the current artistic censorship at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery? Here are three things we can all do: Write the Museum's Director Dr. Sullivan c/o Sherri Weil, Director of Development and External Affairs at weils@si.edu , and tell him you are offended that he would censor the religious views of an artist because of the religious views of a politician.  Write a member of the clergy, that you know, and ask him/her to share their support for the religious freedom of expression by artists by writing to the Smithsonian.  Write your local art museum director and ask him/her what they are doing to support freedom of artistic expression and opposing political censorship at the Smithsonian?

Over the centuries, European artists depicted a variety of religious figures as black, most notably one of the Three Kings, or Magi, bearing gifts for the baby Jesus. The works of art depicted here can be found in The Image of the Black in Western Art , co-edited by David Bindam and Henry Louis Gates Jr., chairman of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University and editor-in-chief of The Root . ( Read All )

'The people of Kentucky didn't elect me governor to debate religion. They elected me governor to create jobs.' - STEVEN BESHEAR , governor of Kentucky, announcing plans to provide tax incentives to a group building a Bible-based tourist attraction that includes a full-size replica of Noah's ark.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS  By TAHLIB Title : Leonardo's Last Supper: A Vision By Peter Greenaway Artist : Peter Greenaway (b. Wales, 1942) Created : Multimedia Installation (2010) Location : Park Avenue Armory through January 6, 2011

During noon mass this week, I was struck by the irony of the Priest's prayer asking that "Artists, Authors, and Performers may use their talents to speak up for the unborn and for all who suffer injustice." Only a few weeks ago, Roman Catholic leaders galvanized conservative political support to censor artistic freedom at the Smithsonian, and here was a prayer asking for them to side with the church agenda. The true irony is that they will get just what they've asked for:  Artists speaking out against the injustice of censorship, and I pray that the clergy may soon follow their lead.

My neighbor Mark shared the work below by Ai, a poet working in Cambridge and her musings on religion, betrayal and obsession. Below is the first section of a very long and disturbing poem entitled, " The Priest's Confession ." I didn’t say mass this morning. I stood in the bell tower and watched Rosamund, the orphan, chase butterflies, her laughter rising, slamming into me, while the almond scent of her body wrapped around my neck like a noose. Let me go, I told her once, you’ll have to let me go, but she held on. She was twelve. She annoyed me, lying in her little bed— tell me a story, Father. I carried her into my room— the crucifix, the bare white walls. While she slept,  she threw the covers back. her cotton gown was wedged above her thighs. I nearly touched her. I prayed for deliverance, but none came. Later, I broke my rosary. ( Read on at Ai's website) Father, I can’t sleep. I miss my mother. Can I sleep with you?

by James Hipps Everyone is welcome! On my quest to find a house of worship that welcomes people from all walks of life and is a good fit for me, I recently decided to attend a service at the First Congregational Church of Fort Lauderdale, United Church of Christ . One thing that attracted me about this particular church is a disclaimer posted on their website which reads: “We are a welcoming, open and affirming church to all people of all races, genders, ages, sexual orientations, professions, previous religious affiliations, nationalities, or mental and physical conditions.”  I must admit however, I found it interesting how certain parts this disclaimer came into play during the service such as when the pastor asked the congregation if anyone was previously affiliated with the Catholic faith.  She made a point to let the ones who raised their hands know they were especially welcomed, almost as if being Catholic was some type of disease.  The other part of the disclaimer ...

A new study by the conservative research organization, the Barna Group has identified five megatrends in Christian religious practice in America: The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate. Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life. Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating. The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church. The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.

The Andy Warhol Foundation , which granted $375,000 over the last three years to the Smithsonian Institution has threatened to withdraw future funding if they don't restore the recently censored " Fire in My Belly ." "In a letter sent on Monday to the head of the Smithsonian, G. Wayne Clough, Joel Wachs, the president of the Warhol Foundation, said that the foundation's board voted unanimously on Friday to demand that the Smithsonian restore the work, an excerpt of a video by the artist David Wojnarowicz, to the exhibition or the foundation would reject any future grant requests.

Recently, Cincinnati's PBS station rebroadcast a 2008 program,  Sacred Spaces of Greater Cincinnati ." The documentary presents the full spectrum and incredible diversity found inside dozens of historic and contemporary spaces, including over twenty religious buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places" in Greater Cincinnati. On air are architects, scholars and clergy providing historical context on the broader social significance of these sacred buildings, from the earliest ancient and frontier sites, through the "Golden Age" of church and temple construction in the 1800s, urban migration of the 1900s to the architecture of new religious communities of the present. The documentary was produced by an outside group (Not PBS/CET) and produced by the nonprofit  Voyager Media . Thanks to Rachel Kellerman, CET's Communication's director I'm in the hunt for a donated copy of the video for the Alpha & Omega Project. With Cincinnati as t...

"I thought about what I had been taught about Jesus Christ when I was young and how he took on the suffering of all people in the world,"   - DAVID WOJNAROWICZ , 1981, Trial Transcript

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS  By TAHLIB Title : Neapolitan Creche includes Julian Assange (Wikileaks) Artist : Gennaro Di Virgilio (b.1981, Italy) Created: 2010 Location: Naples, Italy

An Italian artist has placed the jailed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in a Neapolitan Christmas creche  this year as the artist's "Man of the Year" -- with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The artist, Gennaro Di Virgilio, 29, who depicts Assange holding his trusty lap top, annually chooses at least one contemporary character to sculpt and place near the scenes of the traditional story of Jesus' birth in a manger. "I included him to poke a little fun at the world and have a good time," said Di Virgilio, whose family has been making nativity statuettes and ornate creches since 1830.

Below are six prominent religious arts prizes. As we find more, we'll update the list for the benefit of artists and communities. Needham Prize - (Australia) First Prize/Aquistion award. Clancy Prize - (Australia) Student Prize Limner Society - (US & International) The Blake Prize (Australia) - Visual Art & Poetry Mandorla Prize (Australia) - First Prize/Acquistiton Prize Saint Vincent Gallery, Saint Vincent College (Pennsylvania) - First Prize

The Australian evangelical businessman who brought America the highly successful, Creation Museum in 2007 is at it again. Last week, his new partners  announced plans to build an Ark, a 450-ft long replica of the ship from Genesis on an 800-acre site in Northern Kentucky. While critics complain about the tax incentives offered by the state, the modern-day "for-profit" Noah's are moving ahead with their plans to build the $150 million  Ark Encounter (and a Tower of Babel) by 2014. Estimates are that it will attract 1.6 million visitors during the first year, create 900 jobs, and have a $250 million economic impact. I'll keep you updated.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest Britton Recently a friend's mother commented that an abstract painting in my collection, "Doesn't look like art to me." So my question for her is what is Art? The woman in question thinks that popular Christian artist Thomas Kinkade sets the standard for great art, and covets his annual calendars like the Pope covets a Michelangelo, but what do the experts say?

“It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism,” critic Fredric Jameson famously mused . This explains why the year 2012 envisioned by Roland Emmerich’s  blockbuster , with its gargantuan fireballs and solar cataclysms, seems more plausible than the prophecy put forth by the latest entry in the rush to doomsday,  2012: Time for Change . Rather than mass destruction, it predicts that in two years, we will abandon our smart phones, SUVs, and prescription drugs in favor of hoes, tandem bicycles, and ayahuasca. ( Source:  Religious Dispatches )

"Jacob Lipchitz, Jew, faithful to the faith of his ancestors, has made this virgin for the good will of all mankind,that the spirit might prevail." - Inscription on sculpture under the dome of the Roofless Church ( New Harmony, IN )

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest Disney-Britton The Roofless Church“ in New Harmony, Indiana, United States, designed 1960 by the architect Philip Johnson. INDIANA - Nowhere else, but NYC, has such a unique collection of sacred spaces, and a concentration of such diverse spiritual paths as New Harmony, Indiana . A community of 900 people with three Labyrinths plus eight thriving congregations: Church of Nazarene, First Baptist Church, Lighthouse Assembly of God, Johnson United Methodist Church, Holy Angels Catholic Church, New Harmony Christian Church, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and Seventh-Day Adventist all in a tiny community founded by a religious utopian society called the Harmonists , but bought and run by Humanists for generations.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest  Disney-Britton INDIANA---Nowhere else, but NYC, has such an intense concentration of diverse spirituality in one confined space as New Harmony, Indiana . A community of 900 people with three Labyrinths plus eight thriving congregations: Church of Nazarene, First Baptist Church, Lighthouse Assembly of God, Johnson United Methodist Church, Holy Angels Catholic Church, New Harmony Christian Church, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and Seventh-Day Adventist all in a tiny community founded by a religious utopian society called the Harmonists , but bought and run by Humanists for generations.

According to the New York Times , "You can count the number of American public museums devoted entirely to African art on a few fingers." As they searched them out, they uncovered a small museum in an "unorthodox in its setting: a stained-glass-windowed hall attached to a Roman Catholic church." They discovered the African Art Museum of the SMA Fathers which "yes" is rich with African Art but also and perhaps even more important, it is rich with African religious art. SMA is short for the "Society of African Missions", and the museum is located on the order's campus in Tenafly, New Jersey.

Start a new tradition this year by giving the gift of religious art in honor of loved ones.  The gift is a simple but important part of continuing the journey of faith in America through artistic expression. I've selected the following three museums to support because of my personal commitment to help others continue the journey of religious expression in America. I invite you to join me with the knowledge that your gift will keep supporting artists and interfaith communities for years to come. Pick one or all , and please share your choice with others: Museum of Divine Statues  | Canton, OH - A 501(C)3 founded to rescue and restore ecclessiastical statues in a reflective and respectful museum setting. With your help the museum can open in early 2011. To donate,  click link . Museum of Contemporary Religious Art | Saint Louis, MO - Located on the campus of Saint Louis University, MoCRA is the first interfaith museum of contemporary art that engages religious and spir...

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB WASHINGTON, DC---When artist David Wojnarowicz died in 1992 with AIDS, he left behind a body of work about the disease that many critics believe remains unrivaled for its power and beauty. On December 1, 2010, as the world honored World AIDS Day, and under pressure by religious extremists , the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery removed David's controversial video, A Fire in My Belly , from its critically acclaimed exhibition about art and sexual difference entitled,  Hide/Seek .

Painting is a way to tell stories and I have a lot of stories to tell.  ~ RYAN PETROW By Ernest  Disney-Britton I have an inspirational artist story to share this morning. I tapped Ryan Petrow’s shoulder following seeing his new work, "Last Transmission" (see above). This work remains on view at the Indianapolis Museum of Art through December 5, 2010 as part of the Watercolor Society's annual juried exhibition. Though he’s obviously got an incredible talent, I asked him to do this for a whole different set of reasons. Knowing him socially, I’ve been struck by his ability to fearlessly state his opinion without second guessing himself. I know that many of us, including myself, can learn to share our opinions more fearlessly. As you’ll read his statement below, it’s pretty clear how he’s able to create such a mix of strength and creativity that is 100% his own. Enjoy!