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THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR By Husna Haq MISSOURI - A St. Louis coloring book publisher is sparking outrage with a new children’s coloring book that depicts scenes from 9/11 and the killing of Osama bin Laden. We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids’ Book of Freedom , was just released by Wayne Bell, publisher of Really Big Coloring Books Inc. in St. Louis. It begins with big graphic black-and-white drawings of bin Laden plotting the 9/11 attacks, then shows the burning towers, the hunt for bin Laden, and ends with a Navy SEAL shooting bin Laden as he hides behind a woman in Islamic garb. [ link ]

FORBES MAGAZINE By Abigail R. Esman  Minnie Mouse in a burqa EGYPT - In June, he tweeted a cartoon of Minnie Mouse in a burqa, and Islamists worldwide threatened him with death . Now, as Egypt wavers between an Islamist and a democratic future, billionaire telecom scion and art patron Naguib Sawiris wants to be his country’s next leader – and he’s founded a political party – the Free Egyptian Party — as he prepares to do just that. According to The Art Newspaper, Sawiris, who stands at number 310 on the Forbes Billionaire list (he’s #2 in Egypt, just behind his father, Onsi, and one ahead of his younger brother), aims not only to establish a secular democratic government in Egypt, but to crown his plans with a national museum that will house his own collection of modern and contemporary art. [ link ]

GRAND RAPIDS PRESS By Morgan Jarema "Trinity" by Julia Quinn MICHIGAN - Artist Julie Quinn was seriously considering putting away her paint brushes for good about a year ago. I thought, ‘Maybe this is not what God wants me to do anymore.’” After a day of particularly focused prayer about it, Quinn got an email from the Vatican. Officials there were looking to host an exhibition. Would she be interested in participating? Quinn was one of 30 artists from around the world who were selected to exhibit their work Aug. 9-26 during World Youth Day activities in Madrid. The Vatican learned of Quinn’s work through Philadelphia-based White Stone Gallery, which represents her work. For “Trinity,” “I was thinking about creation,” she said, “and what part we all play in that. How we’re here for such a short time and how God can use us to make an impact in that short time we’re here.” [ link ]

AOA NEWS By Tahlib Rev. Sam Wheatley, courtesy of Facebook Senior Pastor Sam Wheatley is the innovative pastor at Salt Lake City’s New Song Presbyterian Church, and a Believer For Artists . Prior to moving to Salt Lake City, he pastored at a church in Atlanta where the debate about nudity in religious art came forward as they created an art gallery in the church foyer to coincide with his sermons. Too often, Wheatley said, Christians prefer art that is more like propaganda or illustration — pieces that tell believers what to think rather than pieces with the power to awaken thoughts and emotions within. That’s partly why so many Christians have not been part of the arts community in very vibrant ways, Wheatley said, and why nudity has so often distracted Christians from seeing the artists’ love for grand themes. In contrast to such a tradition, Wheatley said. “When that something is invoked, I am drawn into awe and I want to explore its source."  New Song Presbyterian Chur...

THE GREENVILLE NEWS BY Paula Hyde "Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh" by Benjamin West from BJM collection SOUTH CAROLINA - Whenever Bob Jones Jr. couldn't be found in his office, his staff always knew where to locate the university president. He was nearby in his beloved museum. "If they couldn't find him, they'd always call over here to the Museum & Gallery," says Erin Jones. [ link ]

AOA NEWS "El Shaddai" by Candia Kloverstrom COLORADO - Christian Art of Candis Kloverstrom with Artistic Impact Publishing dispels gospel untruths through using artwork to paint the gospel. Her latest painting, "El Shaddai," depicts Jesus and His mission as a God of mercy and grace who restores people and relationships. The team at Artistic Impact Publishing  of Denver, Colorado considers her work a vehicle for hope, highlighting Biblical truths.

FINANCIAL TIMES By Ariellia Budick PHILADELPHIA - In a provocative but frustrating exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, curator Lloyd DeWitt hazards the theory that Rembrandt found the model for his Messiah in Amsterdam’s Jewish neighbourhood, transforming him from a figment into a genuine working-class Semite. Unfortunately, the show is so replete with hedges, speculations and circumlocutions that Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus might be more accurately titled Rembrandt, Some of His Students and The Face of Someone Who Might or Might not be Jesus – and Who Might or Might Not Be Jewish . [ link ]

THE JEWISH DAILY By Menachem Wecher PHILADELPHIA - In a great catalog essay, “Testing Tradition Against Nature: Rembrandt’s Radical New Image of Jesus,” Lloyd DeWitt, associate curator of European painting before 1900 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, traces the history of representations of Jesus leading up to Rembrandt’s series of seven paintings of Jesus, brought together for the first time in this show. Where Jesus had formerly been typically presented in a stylized manner, with a golden mane and European features, Rembrandt chose to present a decidedly Semitic Jesus. The Philadelphia exhibit, propelled by DeWitt’s essay, makes a compelling case for a Jewish model for Jesus, which departed from the “robust, muscular figure with larger-than-life proportions” often depicted by Peter Paul Rubens and the “similarly muscular and idealized figure” represented slightly earlier by Hendrick Goltzius of Haarlem. " Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus ” is on display at the Philadelphi...

BRISBANE JOURNAL By Andrew Taylor Inspired by a childhood drawing ... a scene from Warwick Thornton's 3D video artwork. AUSTRALIA - Why can't artists leave Jesus alone? Especially when he's in agony and about to die from being nailed to a cross. The latest artistic crucifixion is by the indigenous filmmaker Warwick Thornton, who nails himself to a fluorescent cross floating above a desert landscape. ''I know Thornton's work and he sympathetically uses the symbolism to say something about Aboriginal identity,'' Dr Rod Pattenden, the chairman of the Blake Prize for religious art, said. ''I understand he identifies as a Christian.'' Pattenden said artists such as Serrano, Roberts and Thornton prevent the story of Christ becoming kitsch. ''Because I work in the church I know that images lose their effect and power when they become familiar.'' [ link ]

SALINA JOURNAL NEWS By Gary Demuth KANSAS - Eighty years after Samuel Perry Dins-moor died, his body is getting a brush-up. Beginning in 1907, Dinsmoor, a 64-year-old Civil War veteran and former schoolteacher, built a series of concrete sculptures depicting his religious and political beliefs.  By the time of his death in 1932 at age 89, Dinsmoor had created more than 200 concrete sculptures on a lot in Lucas he named the Garden of Eden . These sculptures included a limestone house, 40-foot-tall concrete trees, animals, angels, devils, soldiers, American flags, the Goddess of Liberty and life-size depictions of Adam and Eve. Earlier this year, the property was sold to the Kohler Foundation , a philanthropic organization based in Kohler, Wis., that specializes in the preservation and restoration of folk architecture and art environments. Since May, art conservators from Kohler and area volunteers have been working to restore the garden to its original condition. [...

AOA NEWS ART TALK OF WEEK is the memorial of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Washington, DC's National Mall by Chinese master sculptor Lei Yixin ( See Above ). Our three AOA Weekly questions for this week are: Should a Christian artist have been selected to create the MLK Memorial? ( Comment Online ) Is Rev. King's impact larger than one nation? ( Comment Online ) Is Rev. King's message larger than one race? ( Comment Online ) While the news focus this week is on the MLK Memorial (and the Hurricane), listed below are the rest of this past week's biggest religious art stories. The stories are grouped by the five largest faith traditions, with an additional category for other. We invite you to start the dialogue about religious art.

CHARLOTTE OBSERVER WASHINGTON DC - Master Lei Yixin, the sculptor responsible for the Mountain of Despair and the Stone of Hope at the memorial stands in front of his scultptures. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, a 4-acre monument of stone, trees and water honoring the slain civil rights leader located along the Tidal Basin, August 22, 2011. King is the first African-American honored with a monument on Washington's National Mall and the [now postponed] dedication [had been scheduled for] Sunday, August 28, the 48th anniversary of his "I Have A Dream" speech.  [ link ]

JACKSONVILLE JOURNAL-COURIER By Cody Bozarth Jacksonville Art Glass workers Yancey Tone (left) and David Graves install a section of stained glass FLORIDA - Long obscured by sheets of cloudy plastic, the grand window at Central Christian Church will shine like new after restoration work by Jacksonville Art Glass. [ link ]

THE KOREAN HERALD By Park Min-young Lee Ju-young at her shop, decorated with artwork inspired by Medieval Christian art , in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald) SOUTH KOREA - Her parents equally influenced her ― Lee Ju-young, founder and designer of the brand Resurrection, loves both music and fashion.  Lee’s mother is Sul Yun-hyoung, a veteran women’s wear designer, and her father used to own C’est Si Bon, the 1960s and 1970s popular rock cafe in South Korea where stars like Kim Min-gi, Kim Se-hwan and Song Chang-shik used to sing. Next month, she will be showcasing her clothes in New York under the name “2011 Concept Korea.” It is not her first appearance in the Big Apple but this time she is going as team Korea, with four other Korean designers. “I am going to showcase some unique menswear ― I am trying to make very edgy menswear with soft and spongy materials. Black has always been the main color but I’m going for colorful this season as wel...

PROSPECT HEIGHTS - PATCH By Jonathon Mandell "What If" by Jamel Shabazz NEW YORK - How do you turn deat into art? On one wall of Crown Heights Gold , an exhibition by 23 artists marking the 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riot, there are two photographs of happy families – one Hasidic in a park, another Afro-Caribbean on a stoop. Both are entitled “What If?” What photographer Jamel Shabazz means by that question is: What if on August 19, 1991, seven-year-old Gavin Cato had not been killed in a car accident and 29-year-old doctoral student Yankel Rosenbaum had not been killed in the ensuing riot? What if both had lived?  “Crown Heights Gold” will be shown through October 31, 2011 at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation Center for Arts and Culture Skylight Gallery, located at 1368 Fulton Street, 3rd floor. [ link ]

CHARLOTTE OBSERVER By Mary C. Curtis "The Baptism" by Romare Bearden NORTH CAROLINA - Romare Bearden left his Mecklenburg County home when he just a toddler. But the memories he took with him and later brought to vivid life – in writings, music and, especially, his collages – solidified his place as an iconic American artist, an African American who transcended the categories and limitations that others would place on him. To mark the 100th anniversary of Bearden’s birth on Sept. 2, 1911, Charlotte is honoring him with a months-long celebration, featuring work that reflects his Southern heritage. Charlotte attorney T. Michael Todd is loaning two Beardens from his collection to the Mint show, including his favorite, “Mother and Child.” [ link ]

AOA NEWS UNITED KINGDOM - The earliest surviving Christian art is in the catacombs in Rome according to art historian & theologian, Rt. Rev. Lord Richard Harries. This month, Gresham College made available a video and transcript of an October 2010 lecture by Lord Harries entitled "The First Christian Art and its Early Developments." Available today on YouTube and at the college's website, the lecture examines how the art developed, survived two centuries of iconoclasm and established itself with a distinctive rationale. The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website .

ABC SYDNEY Lachlan Warner, The Great Question of Thich Quang Doc and Mohammed Bouaziz , 2011, digital print on art paper. AUSTRALIA - Lachlan Warner won the Blake Prize in 2001 and was one of the judges in 2008. His practice spans photography, sculpture and installation. Some of his recent work examines images of violence and spirituality. Other work looks at the meeting of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, particularly Buddhism. The Blake Prize was founded in 1949, as a way of encouraging artists to make religious art. Last night, Warner joined Dr. Phillip George and Rev. Dr. Rod Pattenden (Blake Prize President) on a panel entitled, "Art and the Religious Impulse" at the University of New South Wales in Australia. [ link ]

ALGEMEINER By Maxine Dovere "Women of the Balcony" By Jane Trigere NEW YORK - The Vered Gallery has mounted a unique exhibit which will run through August 30th. As preparations for the holiday begin, the famed East Hampton art centre presents A Stitch in Jewish Time , an homage to the use of "materials, form, construction and creative reach.” Subjects of the pieces range from the Holocaust to history, patriotism to celebration, feminism to family, prayer to personal memory. The concept of the exhibit was developed by Laura Kruger, who was curator at Hebrew Union College in New York. The artists on display represent a wide range of mediums – from thread to metal, simple to complex – and exhibit influences of many cultures. The photographs of Ruth Gruber add a measure of stark reality, acting as a juxtaposition of reality to the pure imagination of the art displayed. The Vered Gallery exhibiti is at 68 Park Place, East Hampton, NY and will run through August 3...

AOA NEWS By Tahlib Pastor Erik Spencer of First Presbyterian Church of Verona, New Jersey is a Believer For Artists . Under his leadership, this large caring church offers a variety of innovative educational, musical programs for people of all ages including interfaith services and creative youth projects. This year, Pastor Spencer, a strong advocate for youth challenged Sunday School students to create projects out of Lego blocks's on a biblical theme for the church's ever Lego Invitational . Fifteen works of art were brought in for the event, on themes from Jonah and the Whale to the Crucifixion. The First Presbyterian Church of Verona is located at 10 Fairview Avenue, Verona, New Jersey. The Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts salutes Pastor Erik Spencer as a Believer for Artists! **E-mail your NOMINATION for a BELIEVER FOR ARTISTS today!

THE NATIONAL By David D'Arcy A comb from Turkey from the late 16th-17th century; rock crystal inlaid with gold and set with emeralds and rubies. CALIFORNIA - Gifts of the Sultan shares a huge new building for temporary shows at the LA museum [Los Angeles County Museum of Art] with a Tim Burton retrospective and a survey of the work of the abstract sculptor David Smith. After it closes in Los Angeles on September, the show travels to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (October 23 to January 15) before it is moved to Doha. The exhibition begins with jewellery, which would have been most transportable and most valuable by weight. Some of the earliest works in the show are a pair of 11th-century gold bracelets decorated with repousse that came from Egypt or Syria. Gift-giving was a widespread practice under the Fatimid Dynasty, which ruled Egypt from 969 to 1171. From Ottoman Turkey, where gift-giving also flourished, a delicate rock crystal comb from the late 16th or 17th ...

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE By Bob Zyskowski Our Lady of Guadalupe MINNESOTA - There is renewed interest in Mary -- her role in lives of faith, how to interpret references to her in Scripture, how she is depicted in art and literature -- enough to spark a second "Mary in Our Day" conference, this one in Duluth and held on the feast of the Assumption, Aug. 15. The College of St. Scholastica hosted this second exploration of the enduring significance of the Blessed Mother. The first was organized by St. Mary's College of California last year. "Christian faith is one that overflows into images," noted Brother Charles, who was a curator for the "Vatican Splendors" exhibit that toured the United States recently. "Christian faith wants to express itself." As a variety of images of Mary from various artists through the ages came up on a large screen, he made the point that Mary has been envisioned by all cultures. "These images serve as opening...

USA TODAY By Melanie Eversley 30-ft Sculpture of King, "Stone of Hope" created by Chinese artist, Lei Yixin WASHINGTON DC - Monday's debut kicks off a week of black-tie, white-tie and informal events all geared toward raising money for and drawing attention to the memorial and Sunday's dedication. Master sculptor Lei Yixin of Changsha, China, who created the King statue, attended the debut. The dedication will take place on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, during which King delivered his seminal "I Have a Dream" speech.

CNN By Emanuella Greenberg NEW YORK - A statue resembling the goddess Athena and jewelry bearing images from Greco-Roman mythology may not be objects you'd expect to see in a museum exhibit of Buddhist art from Pakistan. Their presence among carvings of Buddha and Indian deities is meant to serve as a reminder of Pakistan's oft-forgotten multicultural roots, which form the basis of a new exhibit, "The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Art of Gandhara." The show, which runs until October 30 at New York's Asia Society, is the first to bring works of Gandharan art to the United States since 1960. The pieces, on loan from museums in Karachi and Lahore, highlight Pakistan's history as a crossroads of cultural influences, despite present-day associations of the country as an incubator of religious extremism, museum director Melissa Chiu said. [ link ]

KANSAS CITY STAR By Elizabeth Kirsch Asheer Akram and Linda Lighton collaborated to create this steel and porcelain fixture, “Everlasting Light" ( 2011), inspired by a 200-year-old bronze synangogue chandelier in the Judaica collection of Michael Klein. KANSAS - A yad, or Torah pointer, inspired three artists to create wildly different works. Marcus Cain, curator of the Epsten Gallery, suggested an invitational exhibit in which artists of different ages, backgrounds, religions and nationalities were instructed to “go into a religious artifact collection and see if something speaks to you.”  In art parlance, a “super-object” is a work that refuses to be pigeonholed within the traditional framework of art criticism. A room full of such objects is now installed in “Between Thee & Me: Artists Respond to the Judaica Collection of Michael Klein” at the Epsten Gallery. “Between Thee & Me: Artists Respond to the Judaica Collection of Michael Klein” continues through...

RUSSIAN NEWS & INFORMATION AGENCY RUSSIA - A court in central Russia has ruled that a painting of the Sermon on the Mount that features Mickey Mouse instead of Jesus Christ is extremist, the regional prosecutor's office said on Friday. Alexander Savko's Sermon on the Mount painting - part of a series entitled Mickey Mouse's Travels Though Art History - was first shown at a controversial 2007 exhibition called Forbidden Art. "During the court hearing, it was established that Savko's technique of uniting the image of Jesus Christ, which is sacred for Christians, and the comical image of Mickey Mouse, which in this situation is vulgar, has turned the graphic work into a caricature of Jesus Christ," a statement on the prosecutor's office's website says. [link]

LOS ANGELES TIMES KENTUCKY - Noah's ark is coming to Kentucky. Answers in Genesis, the Christian ministry behind the Creation Museum , plans to build a life-size replica of the biblical ark by 2014. If the plan comes to fruition, the ark will be part of a new theme park called Ark Encounter that, like the Creation Museum, aims to mix a literal take on the Bible with family fun. [ link ]

AOA NEWS ART TALK OF WEEK is that with only 10 days left in Ramadan, Islamic Art news ( See Image Above ) is every where around the world. Your three AOA Weekly questions for this week are: How should Christian’s engage the art displayed during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan? ( Comment Online ) What is the Creationist view on artistic freedom in religious art? ( Comment Online ) Can Evangelical, Baptist, and Methodist Pastors be advocates for Artists? ( Comment Online ) Listed below are the rest of this past week's biggest religious art stories. The stories are grouped by the five largest faith traditions, with an additional category for other. We invite you to comment on them too. The commenting online is an experiment, and we'll see just how it works.

AOA NEWS Founder of Creation Museum, Ken Ham and one of his dinosaurs INDIANA - Ken Ham, the man behind Kentucky's controversial Creation Museum , and the proposed 500 foot long Noah's Ark planned for 2012 is in Indianapolis today and tomorrow. Hosted by the Eastern Star Church , a historically black church rooted in the missionary baptist tradition and today dedicated to discipleship and evangelism. As one of the two featured several speakers this weekend's series, Ken Ham will share three teachings: The Relevance of Genesis in Today's Culture at 10:30 a.m.; One Race, One Blood at 6 p.m.; and How to Reach the Secularize World with the Gospel tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. A white, native Australian now residing near Cincinnati, Ohio, Ham is the author of numerous books on the book of Genesis, the accuracy and authority of the Bible, dinosaurs, and the destructive fruits of evolutionary thinking. Trained as a high school science teacher in Australia today he is ...

AOA NEWS CALIFORNIA - Starting at $8,000, bidding has now begun online for the new Surfing Madonna Painting created by artist-collaborators Mark Patterson and Bryan Snyder at Surfing Madonna Collaboration . The 60" x 48" acrylic painting is a replica of Patterson's now famous Surfing Madonna mosaic. To enhance the authenticity of the painting, it has been edged with glass elements from the original mosaic. For those who find the $8,000 starting price a bit steep, a $20 signed photograph of the two artists with the painting is also available at the website. Mark Patterson and Bryan Snyder united in this project to raise enough funds to cover the fees and fines Patterson incurred as a result of the installation and removal of the original Surfing Madonna mosaic.

THE STAR By Amy De Kanter Reaching the spiritual centre: Dr Amir H. Zekrgoo with his piece, Gateway To Heaven . MALAYSIA -  Even if you cannot understand the words, there is an exquisite grace to Islamic calligraphy. I myself can’t read a word and yet there is something about these strokes that positively breathes. I can only imagine the significance of this work to those who recognise its literal meaning. “Islamic calligraphy is the most important form of Islamic art, sprouting from divine words,”says Dr Amir H. Zekrgoo, Professor of Islamic and Oriental Arts at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Dr Amir, from Iran himself, is a contributing artist to this show.  ‘ Contemporary Islamic Calligraphy Art: Masters from Iran’ is showing till Aug 22 at NN Gallery, 53A & 56, JalanSulaiman 1, Taman Ampang Hilir, KL. TWEET: Creative diversity and freedom convey soulful beauty in Islamic calligraphy. [ link ]

AOA NEWS The Last Supper NEW YORK - Elise York , and art studio, has recently launched its new collection. The collection offers unique, high-end, colorful, interpretations to Christian-icon art, while maintaining a respectful attitude to the Christian belief. The collection offers unique, high-end, colorful, interpretations to Christian-icon art, while maintaining a respectful attitude to the Christian belief. Elise's new designs appeal to individuals who hold strong religious beliefs, while leading modern lives, in which happiness, and the appreciation of art, play a significant part. Elise's new collection offers its clients an exciting opportunity to update their homes with chic meaningful gifts that stay true to their values. All of Elise's designs are created in Israel, the holy land. The designs are made out of steel, cut with laser cutting machines, and are painted with long lasting bright colors.

BANGKOK POST By Yanapon Musiket THAILAND - Serindia Gallery introduces to Bangkok a rare collection of Tibetan carpets showcased along with modern and contemporary designed furniture by Lamont. Titled Tradition & Innovation: The Piccus Collection of Tibetan Rugs & Material Innovations from Lamont , the gallery will present pieces owned by US collector Robert Piccus, who has built up an outstanding array of Tibetan carpets over the past 30 years.  The exhibit runs until Sept 18. [ link ]

ART MEDIA AGENCY 12 Allah Jameel FRANCE - The Musée des Beaux Arts de Lyon is hosting an exhibition entitled Lyon et les arts de l’Islam (Lyon and the Islamic Arts), on view until September 19. The exhibition is divided into five sections. The first, “1800-1850: Discover/Wonder”, recounts the discovery of Islamic art in Lyon. Next, “ 1850-1900: Assemble/Collect”, describes the history behind the superb collections. The third part, “1850–1900: Copy/Create”, evokes how Arabic motifs inspired the Silk industry and the fourth part, “1879–1910: Acquire/Exhibit”, explains the city’s acquisition of Islamic art. Finally, “1877-1894: Promote/Diffuse”, sends the viewer back in time to two exhibitions organised in 1877 and 1894, in order to better understand how Islamic art was produced. [ link ]

DALLAS NEWS By William McKenzie TEXAS - Where would you take a visitor today to see a modern connection between religion and art? If you have an idea in mind, please explain why you would take a visitor there. If nothing jumps to mind, what do you think that says about the modern relationship between religion and art? [14 suggestions below]

LOS ANGELES TIMES Culture Monster Blog It's the Renaissance, stupid. The economy is not what ails us today. No, what ails Americans is what Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and their artistic spawn have wrought in the culture, starting 500 years ago. Hate the art, in other words, not the artist. The Renaissance has dragged us all down. Tea party queen and Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is convinced that America is sinking into tyranny. Why? In a remarkable profile of the candidate appearing in the Aug. 15 issue of the New Yorker magazine , the artistic flowering of the Italian Renaissance takes a beating for having done away with the god-fearing Dark Ages. I'm guessing that Michelangelo and Leonardo would disagree. As the saying goes: Hate the philosophy, but not the philosopher. [ link ]

THE INDEPENDENT NEW YORK - A remarkable trove from Pakistan's little-known Buddhist past has gone on show in New York in an art exhibition that defied floods, riots and explosive US-Pakistani relations before finally crossing the world. The against-the-odds exhibition, The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Art of Gandhara , features sculptures that have mostly never before been seen in the United States. The Buddha figures, including one of just three so-called "emaciated Buddhas" in the world, and the other pieces have survived more than a millennium and a half intact, their mixed styles testifying to cultural fusion and experimentation. Although Pakistan is now overwhelmingly Muslim, the artworks are carefully guarded and revered in their home museums. There's another echo that lives on, Chiu noted with a mischievous smile: the twirly mustaches sported by many in the sculptures. In Pakistan today, "everyone has a mustache. It's de rigeur for men." [ ...

NEW YORK OBSERVER By Laura Gilbert NEW YORK - Not since the Cold War, it seems, have strained diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Russia spilled over into the public arena with such ferocity—only this time the war is over art and two collections of religious books. The art wars were triggered by the private agenda of Chabad, a Jewish sect seeking religious books and manuscripts possessed by Russia. In 2004, Chabad brought suit as the successors to earlier owners of these pieces and claimed to be their rightful owner. Russia instituted an embargo on art loans to U.S. museums after Brooklyn-based Chabad obtained a default judgment in July 2010 from the District Court in Washington, D.C. Russia had walked out on the proceedings, claiming no U.S. court has jurisdiction over it. Last week, the Metropolitan Museum of Art turned up the heat in this standoff another notch when it confirmed its decision not to send 35 works by fashion designer Paul Poiret to the Moscow Kremlin Museum ...

LOS ANGELES TIMES By Richard Winton and Abby Sewell CALIFORNIA - An assistant priest at St. Nicholas of Myra Episcopal Church in Encino strolled into his boss' office Monday night and noticed a new framed drawing placed just inside the door. For a moment, it appeared to be a donation from a parishioner or a new piece of art for the office. But when he went to admire the drawing more closely, he realized he'd seen it before. This, he was sure, was "The Judgment," the 1655 pen and ink work by Rembrandt that had been all over the news since it was stolen two days earlier from the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey. Detectives believe the thieves panicked over the attention the case has received and decided to dump the Rembrandt. [ link ]

AL-AHRAM WEEKLY By Vinous Fouad The Melon Seller EGYPT - Who were the orientalist painters, and what inspired their work? One place to look for answers is the Museum of Modern Art, which is hosting the present exhibition until the end of Ramadan. "Orientalist" is the term commonly used to denote westerners who took an interest in the Arab and Islamic arts during the colonial period, mainly in the 19th century. As a result, both their views and the images they made have been branded ethnocentric and prejudiced. " Masterpieces of the Orientalists," at the National Museum of Modern Art in Cairo, Egypt opened on July 28.  [ link ]

AL-AHRAM WEEKLY By David Tresilian Top: Pascal Coste, 'Minarets of the Principal Mosques of Cairo,' 1818-1826; bottom: decoration of the ceiling of the Hall of the Ambassadors at the Alhmabra, Spain, from Owen Jones, 'Plans, Elevations, Sections and Details of the Alhambra,' 1842; Sketches from Jules Bourgoin, 'Elementary Grammar of Ornament' and 'Architectonic and Graphic Studies,' 1880s EGYPT - Far from giving rise to nostalgic reverie, the Islamic arts could have been the foundation of an 'oriental renaissance' in 19th century Europe. Closing last month after a three-month stint at the Mus³©e des beaux-arts in the southern French city of Lyon, Le g³©nie de l'Orient, l'Europe moderne et les arts de l'Islam was an ambitious, wide-ranging exhibition that invited visitors to rethink much of what they might have been told about the relationship between Europe and the Islamic world in the 19th and early 20th centuries, includ...

WBIR-TV NEWS By Jim Metthany TENNESSEE - A piece of religious artwork that was stolen from a Madisonville resident's closet and recovered by Monroe County deputies will now be placed on open display in the city's Catholic church. Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Madisonville will place the artwork on display on Sunday, August 21, from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. The church has extended an open invitation to anyone wishing to see the picture and participate in prayer of the Litany of the Holy Face of Jesus. "More than likely the art dates back to sometime near 1890. The artwork was part of a devotion and was touched with an original cloth and blessed by the Pope," said Father David Boettner with the Knoxville Diocese. [ link ]

THE COLORADOAN By Stacy Nick 'Farkle Mary,' by Maggie Kunze, will be on display at the 'Holy Crap & Bling' exhibit at ArtLab. / Courtesy of Maggie Kunze COLORADO - Fort Collins artist Maggie Kunze thinks the religious iconic pieces she's collected over the years are quite beautiful; she just wanted to make it more beautiful. In a new exhibit, "Holy Crap & Bling," Kunze and local artists William Pilch, Laurie Zuckerman and Pam Marshall tackle religious icons and imagery with blinged out statues, irreverent paintings, iconic photos and religious altars. "It's very tongue-in-cheek religious art," said Kunze of her works. "I have always been very respectful; I don't believe that I am doing anything blasphemous or derogatory," she said, adding, "I understand that there is a line and that there will be some who don't get (my work). My art isn't for everybody ... I believe that God has a good sense of humor....

GMA NEWS By Carmela Lapena PHILIPPINES - Controversial artist Mideo Cruz on Friday [week ago] asked for forgiveness from people offended by his art, but insisted his inclination is to do projects that are aimed at challenging the mind. Cruz's mixed media installation Poleteismo was seen as offensive by many, particularly for its juxtaposition of religious images with phallic symbols. He said he has been receiving invitations to exhibit Poleteismo both here and abroad, and that in future exhibits he said he would not remove the "offensive" images. Charges have been filed against CCP officials, as well as Cruz, accusing them of violating Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code on obscene exhibitions and indecent shows. "Everybody has the right to express their opinions, including artists and members of the Catholic church. But no one has the right to silence another's voice," wrote Ime Morales, a writer and child advocate. [ link ]

KANSAS CITY-STAR By Dominika Maslikowski POLAND - Polish "death metal" vocalist Adam Darski was found innocent Thursday of insulting religious feelings after he shredded a Bible during a concert in 2007. Darski, of the metal band Behemoth, had thrown ripped pages of the Bible into the audience at a concert in Gdynia, Poland, calling Christianity the "biggest criminal sect" and the Bible an "untruthful book." Fans later burned the shreds. The court in Gdynia cleared Darski, whose stage name is Nergal, and said his actions were a "form of art." [ link ]

BALTIMORE SUN By Mike Giuliano The quilt "Sovereign Service" by Lauren Kingsland MARYLAND - American quilts have been spiced with Indian influences in the exhibit Pieces as Prayers: Kolam and Kaleidoscope Quilts at the Tai Sophia Institute's Himmelfarb Gallery. Gaithersburg artist Lauren Kingsland's quilts reflect Hindu religious practices she saw during a trip to India. The daily religious ritual that impressed her involved Indian women making designs with rice flour on the ground. This ritual is a manifestation of a belief known as Kolam, which states that making the design is itself a form of prayer. The exhibit Pieces as Prayers: Kolam and Kaleidoscope Quilts continues at the Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel through Aug. 27. [ link ]

THE DAILY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA - An important new book by David Phillipson has been published which demystifies the history of Ethiopia’s Ancient Christian Churches and provides research and commentary which is overdue about a significant period of architectural history in Ancient Christian culture which until now has not been fully justified by any author. Phillipson’s Ancient Churches of Ethiopia , a work of scholarship which is also a beautifully crafted "coffee-table book", covers an important period of Ethiopian history: the millennium from the Fourth Century AD, when the Aksumites first accepted Christianity as their state religion, to the Fourteenth Century, by which time a dynasty claiming descent from the biblical King Solomon and the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba was firmly in control in Shawa to the south. [ link ]

ASIAN CORRESPONDENT By James Cordova A scene in La Mala Educacion, a film on sexual abuse by priests PHILIPPINES - Mideo Cruz, the Filipino visual artist who is the subject of a modern-day Inquisition in the Philippines, must be feeling like Jesus Christ these days. That is to say, every bit of abuse he suffers from the mouths of charlatans — online, in the halls of the Philippine Senate, and on the pulpit — must feel no differently from the blows to the nails through Christ’s hands and feet. I am a Christian. I was shocked to see it. But was I offended? Unlike the bigots and ignoramuses who went after Mideo Cruz with a terrifying religious zeal, I don’t worship these symbols. Unlike these bigots, I am secure in my faith, in the knowledge that my god will not be taken down or diminished by the work of an artist.[ link ]

THE ART NEWSPAPER By Anna Somers Cocks Left to right: the German photographer Mattias Schaller, Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Ravasi, The photos are of Schaller's "Disportraits", real spaceman suits, with the light reflected in the visors showing the phases of the moon VATICAN CITY - Gianfranco Ravasi, the dynamic president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, with a sophisticated understanding of contemporary art, persuaded 60 artists of various kinds to accept, among them El Anatsui , Mimmo Jodice, Jannis Kounellis, Matthias Schaller and Arnaldo Pomodoro. At the opening of the exhibition on 4 July, the Pope, who had already met 250 artists in the Sistine Chapel in November 2009, appealed for the artists present “not to divorce artistic creativity from the truth and from charity…but to make the beauty of your works stimulate a desire and need in those who see them to render their lives beautiful and truthful”. “The Splendour of Truth, the Beauty of Charity” (unt...

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By Tripti Lahiri ‘Hungry God’ by artist Subodh Gupta. Gupta is invited to participate in the show in Israel. (Carl Court/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images) ISRAEL - Deconstructing India , a group show of contemporary Indian artists that is being planned for the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in May next year, was keeping a pretty low profile. Until, that is, N. Pushpamala, a Bangalore-based artist, sent an e-mail to artists and writers late last month asking them to boycott the show out of solidarity with the Palestinians, as part of a campaign begun in 2004. But the call to boycott the show in a state-funded museum has met with mixed results. “Israel has done terribly by the Palestinians, but associating art institutions and centers of learning, even state-funded ones, so closely with state policy is a silly mistake in my opinion,” wrote Girish Shahane, a writer, in an email response to an artist who forwarded the boycott call. [ link ]

AHLUL BAYT NEWS AGENCY Islamic Calligraphic Art on display for Ramadan ALGERIA - According to elmoujahid website, the exhibition was opened at 10:30 pm last night [Aug. 16] and hosts visitors until the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Municipality of Algeria’s central region, Mash’al Al-Shahid Cultural Association and Algeria’s Cultural and Art Center have cooperated in holding the exhibition. There are tableaus of Islamic calligraphies and paintings with Islamic themes displayed at the center. A forum on decoration and calligraphy in Islam has also been planned to be held on the sidelines of the exhibition with the presence of Mohammad Iskandar, a top Algerian calligrapher.  The exhibition of Islamic artworks began August 16, at the Cultural-Art Center in Algiers, capital city of Algeria. [ link ]

THE KOREA HERALD By Kim Hee-jung   SOUTH KOREA - The best way to gain the attention of visitors and attract business to one’s country is by making connections and creating invisible bonds. “We are so close, yet so far away,” said Park Kyo-soon, a research scholar of Gandhara art of Pakistan. “The Korean traditional culture is Buddhism-centric and Korean Mahayana Buddhism comes from Gandhara. Therefore, speaking of culture, Korea has a natural bond with Pakistan.” To revive the ancient link, a photographic exhibition of Buddhist Heritage in Pakistan was presented by the Pakistan Embassy, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Pakistan and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Namu Gallery in the Jogye Temple on July 22. Gandhara art has a very important place in the world’s art history because the first Buddha statues in human form originated there, amalgamating both Western and Eastern cultures. [ link ]

THE HUFFINGTON POST NEW YORK - Father James Martin, S.J., HuffPost blogger and official chaplain of the Colbert Nation, stopped by The Colbert Report on Aug. 10 to talk about God's job performance and how He might improve on His poll numbers. [ link ] The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , Video Archive

ELVIS PRESLEY WASHINGTON DC - Elvis Presley's copy of the "King James" Bible will be on display at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. as a part of the new "Manifold Greatness" exhibition. Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible, Sep 23, 2011–Jan 14, 2012 . [ link ]

AOA NEWS By Tahlib Pastor Kevin Chubb (Photo Source: Church Website) This past May, the Baptist pastor of a North Carolina church decided to use the visual arts to inspire its members and the public to be more like Jesus. Under the leadership of Pastor Kevin Chubb, Cape Carteret Baptist Church held their first, "A Celebration of Art in the Church" exhibit and invited the public to view two new murals entitled " The Scarlet Cord " representing four principles that the church had been studying. The four principles from Pastor Chubb's church program are: (1) Connecting with Jesus; (2) Becoming like Jesus; (3) Serving like Jesus; and (4) Sharing like Jesus. Both murals were created by portrait artist and 11-year congregation member, Ann Boyer LePere who said, “It is important that any church welcomes art.” LePere added, “We’re often very welcoming of music in churches but sometimes visual arts not so much. I applaud Cape Carteret for recognizing art.” Cape Ca...

TIMES OF INDIA By Ashley D’Mello INDIA - Mumbai, which has a sizeable Christian population and a rich tradition of religious architecture, is set to get its first museum of Christian art. Slated to open next month, the 2,000-square feet museum will be housed at the St Pius seminary in Goregaon (E) and will have over 150 objects on display, ranging from an over-200-year-old church altar to church silver, statues of saints and even the mitre (head dress) of a past Pope. Says Fr Warner D'Souza, head of the Catholic Church Committee on Heritage, "The museum will sensitize Christians and the general public to Christian art and culture." What will really be an eye-opener for visitors, however, is a timeline of Christianity in the region from 6 AD onward. [ link ]

SX NEWS By Serkan Ozturk AUSTRALIA - An art work featuring an intersex activist, a drag queen, a lesbian academic and renowned indigenous artist Richard Bell in poses reminiscent of Jesus Christ is a frontrunner for this year’s $15,000 Blake Prize for religious art. Luke Roberts, the artist behind the challenging and thought provoking work – known as ‘ Three Figures at the Bases of Crucifixions’ – told SX he has received a plethora of threats against him following an article in the Sun-Herald last week. “I’ve received hundreds of threatening emails, mainly from Christians. They’re threatening me with their God, with hellfire and damnation." Roberts explained to SX that despite his work being seen as controversial as some, there has been a long history of new ideas being attempted into silence. “I grew up Catholic and I actually had great respect for Jesus Christ but I don’t have the same view of Jesus as I did when I was growing up Catholic, but I see him as an extraordinar...

TEHRAN TIMES By Art Desk MALAYSIA - The Iranian glorious Quranic art show centering on the Holy month of Ramadan opened Sunday at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC). Rare copies of calligraphy inscription of the Quran, as well as translations of the Quran in 50 different languages are on display at the 10-day long exhibition, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Sunday. A beautiful Quranic carpet book comprised of 76 two-sided leaves of 70x45 centimeters is among the exhibit’s highlights. The students of the Carpet Faculty of Tabriz Islamic Arts University completed the entire Holy Quran within six years in the form of a book whose pages are small carpets. [ link ]

AHRAM ONLINE By Ati Metwaly Noor Ali Chagani, Life Line, 2010 Terracotta bricks, nylon wires UNITED KINGDOM - The Victoria and Albert ( V&A ) Museum in London has one of the greatest collections of Islamic art from the Middle East in the world. Soon after the museum’s foundation in 1852 they started the collection process. The V&A Museum is [also] one of the hosts of the exhibition from the Jameel Prize 2011, an international award for contemporary artists and designers inspired by Islamic art, craft and design. Its aim is to explore the relationship between Islamic traditions of art, craft and design and contemporary work as part of a wider debate about Islamic culture and its role today. The prize, which was initiated in 2009, after the formation of the Jameel Gallery of Islamic art inaugurated in July 2006 at the V&A Museum in London, and funded by Mohammad Abdul Latif Jameel, is awarded every two years. “There is no complicated criteria for the choice of wo...

THE DENVER POST By Kyle MacMillan Enrique Chagoya's " Resurrection " hangs in Resurrection Fellowship Church. COLORADO - Out of a clash of art and belief rises a vision of healing and understanding. In October, just days after [Enrique] Chagoya's work was ripped from its frame and destroyed, an evangelical Loveland church, Resurrection Fellowship, invited the artist to paint a "loving image" of Christ. He agreed, refusing to accept any payment. The finished 80-by-60-inch canvas, " Resurrection ," was delivered in May and placed on view earlier this month in the west foyer of the church's vast, warehouse-like building. It is a happy ending to an ugly story, one which could happen only when two people — Chagoya and senior pastor Jonathan Wiggins — set aside stereotypes and mistrust and agreed to reach out and listen to each other. "Dialogue is for me the best way to go into resolving conflicts," Chagoya said. "And in this...