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AOA NEWS COLORADO - Artistic Impact Publishing, the Christian Art of Candis Kloverstrom illustrates her belief faith is a relationship with God that creates eternal hope. She is releasing the publication of her latest artwork, "Salvation." This is an acrylic painting inspired by her recent trip to Israel depicting God's plan of salvation from John 3:16 in the Bible. Her artwork "Salvation" is now available at Artistic Impact Publishing through giclee canvas reproductions. The feature article by Roderick C. Meredith for Tomorrow'sWorld.org states, "Millions do not understand their need for salvation. Sadly, many who believe they are "saved" are not even Christian! Are you learning the truth about salvation-and acting on it? You need to be sure!" Kloverstrom's latest artwork "Salvation" is about John 3:16-17 quoting Jesus on salvation, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him...

USA TODAY OHIO — A defunct dinner theater that entertained northeast Ohio audiences for more than 30 years will soon be full again, this time with churchgoers. The former Carousel Dinner Theatre in Akron has been sold to a suburban church that tried unsuccessfully to acquire the property at auction nearly a year ago. An electrical contractor that submitted the winning bid ultimately decided it didn't want to undertake the extensive renovations necessary to transform the building for its purposes, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. The pastor of Community Baptist Temple of Lakemore said he believed God had a hand in the turnabout. "I still felt that was our building and that we were supposed to be there," the Rev. Mark O'Donnell said. "I didn't know how it was going to happen, but we were very confident that with the Lord nothing was impossible." The 31,000-square-foot building will allow the church to seat twice as many people as it does at its curre...

AOA NEWS By Tahlib METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTS new Islamic Art Gallery (above) is the A&O Talk of the Week as the public awaits the grand opening Tuesday, November 1st in New York City. This week's A&O trinity of questions are: Will the MET's new galleries make a difference in understanding the Islamic faith? ( Comment ) Name one thing you've learned about the Hindu faith's "Festival of Lights" (Diwali)? ( Comment ) When will the winning artwork for the 4th annual A&O Prize  be announced? November 1, 2011 Listed below are the other news stories of the past week from the world of religious art. The stories are grouped by the five largest faith traditions, with an additional category for other/interfaith.

A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO & THE BOARD CHAIR As the Board of Directors of Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts gathered this past weekend in Indianapolis this for its annual meeting, it did so celebrating its first anniversary as an independent 501(C)3 charitable trust. It is in the role as trustees that we share with you our observations of the significant progress made by this organization during the past year. In 2008, a group of visionaries saw the potential of the visual arts to provide a little tested vehicle for interfaith understanding. These visionaries had no road-map to follow -- but they had faith that could set the groundwork for broad community ownership.

AOA NEWS Entombment of Christ (2010) oil on canvas, 59 x 79 7/8 inches NEW YORK - On Thursday, NYC's Marlborough Gallery opened the first showing of a new body of work by the world renowned Colombian artist, Fernando Botero. The exhibition, entitled Via Crucis , is based on scenes from the passion of Christ. Botero's most recent American showing was this past Spring at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, but this is Botero’s first NYC exhibition since 2006. The showing of Via Crucis (Latin for The Way of the Cross) consists of twenty-seven oils on canvas of various sizes and approximately thirty-four drawings in mixed media on paper. The Malborough Gallery is located at 40 West 57th street and the Via Crucis show runs through December 3, 2011.

AOA NEWS By Tahlib Photo courtesy of the artist CALIFORNIA - The multimedia solo production, A Missionary Position by Ugandan American artist Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine planned for this November has been postponed to an undetermined date in 2012 at LA's RedCat (Roy & Edna Disney Calarts Theater). Entitled A Missionary Position ,  this searing satirical work is a response to the rampant homophobia now gripping Uganda —shown most notoriously by the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill that would make certain homosexual acts punishable by death. Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is a noted Los Angeles actor and theater artist who portrays real-life and fictional characters, among them figures from the East African nation’s Anglican (Episcopalian) establishment; the political sponsor of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill;   and Ugandan citizens whose very lives hang in the balance.

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Robert Worth NEW YORK - Over the past decade, many Americans have based their thoughts and feelings about Islam in large part on a single place: the blasted patch of ground where the World Trade Center once stood. But a rival space has slowly and silently taken shape over those same years, about six miles to the north. It is a vast, palacelike suite of rooms on the second floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art , where some of the world’s most precious Islamic artifacts sit sequestered behind locked doors. There is far more at stake here than the overhaul of a permanent collection at the Met, itself a once-in-a-generation event. The museum’s directors are acutely aware that their collection will be unveiled at a time when Islam is a more inflammable subject than ever. That is no small part of what makes Haidar so nervous as she prepares for opening day. It is also one reason the galleries — closed since 2003 — spent so long in the dark. [ link ]

ABC NATIONAL RADIO: THE SPIRIT OF THINGS By Rachael Kohn AUSTRALIA - Australia's most generous prize for religious art is celebrating its 60th year. The Blake Prize is named after the 18th century poet, painter and mystic, William Blake, who challenged the Church of England, and rejected its sexual mores. It's a matter of debate just what part of Blake's legacy should be in the foreground; his reverent use of mythic and mystical imagery, or his dissenting views on sexuality and church power. In our day the debate has morphed into whether the Blake Prize should reflect broadly humanistic values and personal spiritualities or directly engage living religious traditions. Today my guests roughly represent the two sides of the debate, with Rod Pattenden, a Uniting Church minister who is the Chair of the Blake Prize, and the Sydney Morning Herald art critic John McDonald. [ Link ]

THE HINDU "Pearl Mosque at Delhi," by Russian artist Vasili Vasilievich Vereshchagin INDIA - A giant painting of New Delhi’s Moti masjid, the most accomplished work from Russian artist Vasili Vasilievich Vereshchagin’s famed Indian series, will be the highlight of a Sotheby’s auction here next month and is expected to fetch USD 5 million. The sale of important Russian art on November 1 will see the monumental work — measuring approximately 13 by 16 feet — on offer from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, along with seven works. Vereshchagin, considered one of the most famous of Russian painters, embarked on a two-year journey to India in 1874 with his wife. His Indian series features numerous depictions of architectural monuments, all of which he realistically captured with painstaking attention to detail. [ link ]

DAILY ECHO By Stephen Fry Student sitting next to Hindu Festival artwork UNITED KINGDOM - Students produced examples of stunning Indian-style art to mark the Hindu festival of Diwali. Almost 90 students from the Arts University College at Bournemouth worked with two specialists in ‘Rangolies’. They used rice, gravel, lentils and beans to create colourful designs and patterns to celebrate the annual festival, which began on Wednesday. The 10 different Rangolies are in the graphics studio and in the courtyard – but they may not be visible for very long. The five-day festival is celebrated with fireworks, gifts and family meals, and commemorates the triumph of good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. [ link ]

YOUTUBE Featuring artwork by Padua, Italy artist Paola Epifani

JEWISH JOURNAL By Dora Levy Mossanen Let me begin by saying that when I finished reading the engrossing “Jerusalem Maiden” by Talia Carner (Harper Collins, $14.99), two thoughts flashed through my mind.  First, that the inevitable ending was quite satisfying!  And, second, that a number of the ancient cultural and religious rituals and practices among the ultra Orthodox Charedi Jews in Jerusalem at the onset of the twentieth century are still being followed, and not just by Charedim. Not until I read the richly detailed “ Jerusalem Maiden ” did I realize that the Talmud, Kiddushin decrees: “Happy the man whose children are boys and woe to him if they are girls.” [ link ]

MSNBC PhotoBlog [ View all ] Visitors look at ancient artifacts during a press preview of new galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Oct. 24, 2011.

YOUTUBE By lciprojects on Aug 25, 2010

TEHRAN TIMES IRAN - Ranking the name of Iran behind other countries in the title of galleries to be reopened in the Islamic Art section of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has aroused some resentment in Iran. Master Iranian miniaturist Mahmud Farshchian and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art curator Mahmud Shaluii objected to ranking the name of Iran “after other countries”. A suite of 15 dramatic new galleries for the art of the Arab lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and later South Asia will open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 1. “Iran possesses more artworks in comparison with other countries that are named ahead of it in the title of the galleries,” Farshchian and Shaluii claimed. The grand reopening of the galleries will house the Metropolitan’s renowned collection of Islamic art—one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of its kind in the world. [ link ]

PALM BEACH POST Daruma, Seki Bokuo is just one of the pieces on display at the Morikami. FLORIDA - The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens opened “ Zenmi: A Taste of Zen: Paintings, Calligraphy, and Ceramics ” on Saturday. It features the work of Zen masters from the 17th to 20th centuries and the assertion that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation, and intuition. The pieces are on loan from the collection of Riva Lee Asbell. The artists represented are venerated Zen teachers who took up the brush late in life to create religious art noted for its drama and boldness. The exhibition features more than 80 pieces, called Zenga, including paintings and calligraphy mounted as hanging scrolls, inscribed ceramics, and other objects dating back to the 17th century. This religious art was used in spiritual exercises, as aids to meditation, and as visual sermons. [ link ]

WALL STREET JOURNAL NEW YORK - The Morgan Library and Museum in New York spotlights a lesser-known pocket of its collection with "Treasures of Islamic Manuscript Painting From the Morgan." Gems include the late 13th-century Persian manuscript "Two Mountain Rams Fighting," above. The text is a treatise on animals; details like the bridge and gold clouds reflect Chinese artistic styles introduced by the Mongol invasion. Through Jan. 29. [ link ]

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES By Mark Johanson A boy prepares deyas, or earthen oil lamps, to decorate his house during Divali celebration. Picture taken November 5, 2010. INDIA - In the midst of India's jam-packed festival calendar, one celebration stands out from the pack as the most dazzling of them all: Diwali, the "Festival of Lights." Here's a look at Diwali customs and traditions as well as a day-by-day look at the typical activities of the five-day celebration: (1) Broadly speaking, Diwali is India's "Festival of Lights" and a joyous celebration that honors the triumph of good over evil; (2) Like all Hindu celebrations, spirituality lies at the heart of Diwali. Two deities in particular play a prominent role in the festivities, Ganesh and Lakshmi; (3) Diwali is predominantly celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains also embrace the celebration; (4) Diwali lasts from Wednesday Oct. 26 to Sunday Oct. 30, 2011; and (5) Also known by the name Deepav...

SCOTTISH CATHOLIC OBSERVER By Martin Dunlop Stephen Callaghan (above), Lentfest director UNITED KINGDOM - Next year’s Lentfest celebrations has attracted 29 artists from across the UK to take part in an historic exhibition of Stations of the Cross and Resurrection at Glasgow University. The Archdiocese of Glasgow Arts Project (AGAP) made the announcement [yesterday] that a record number of artists have signed up to take part the Lentfest art exhibition next year, including Peter Howson, Jolomo (John Lowrie Morrison) and Anne Devine. The 28 artists who will depict the Stations consented to have their names entered into a draw to be allocated their particular subject. The twenty-ninth artist is Glasgow-based sculptress, Kate Robinson, who is working on a three-dimensional reflection on the Crucifixion. [ link ]

THE GUARDIAN By Steve Ross "Seventy Two" (2009) by Lucy Liu. Photograph: Martin Godwin UNITED KINGDOM -  'I have been known to dumpster-dive," says Lucy Liu. "If I see something really fascinating and warped or distorted, like a piece of metal, I'll jump over and grab it and create something from it." Liu has always been an artist, she explains. Even while she was shooting movies, she would be drawing or sewing in her trailer. There's no evidence of dumpster-diving at Salon Vert . Downstairs is the piece that gives the exhibition its name: Seventy Two, a grid of 72 small paintings, mostly black ink on white paper, quickly executed. The inspiration was the 72 Names of God , a Jewish mystical concept derived from the Book of Exodus . [ link ]

AOA NEWS By Tahlib ILLINOIS - The Video of the Week is of Illinois Sculptor Kate Askegaard, who spent nine months creating a replica of Michelangelo's "Pieta" - using tens of millions of dots. The result is a 5ft by 5ft recreation of the classic 1498–1499 work produced by the most famous of sculptors, Michelangelo (1475-564). According to the Daily Mail , the nine months of intensive work resulted in a $7500 purchase by the owner of international Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum.

THE MOSCOW TIMES By Natalya Krainova CALIFORNIA - A Russian frigate refused to dock in San Francisco on a Pacific tour because of concerns that it might be seized and held as collateral for a collection of Jewish books and manuscripts. The three-masted Nadezhda turned sail on the advice of the Foreign Ministry, even though a welcome delegation was waiting for it at the pier, the ship's owner, the Vladivostok-based Maritime State University, said Tuesday. The incident took place last Friday, but the university only disclosed the official reason for the snub on its web site this week. The ministry warned that the tall ship might be seized over a ruling by a Washington court that came into force this month in connection with a lawsuit by Chabad Lubavitch, a Hasidic group, the university said. [ link ]

ABC 13 By Melinda Zosh VIRGINIA - Seven Buddhist monks from India [came to] Randolph College this week to create sacred art. They're creating a medicine Buddha mandala at the college's chapel. It's a 5-foot piece of sacred art completely made of colorful sand. The mandala is supposed to contain healing qualities, and the monks believe that the sick can be healed. The monks say that nothing stays in one form for very long. "Impermanent is that everything is going to change and we all are," said Tenzin Tinley, a monk. The work is on display to the public all this week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Randolph's chapel. There will be a closing ceremony Friday at 3 p.m. where the artwork will be taken apart and then poured into the James River. [ link ]

FARS NEWS AGENCY IRAN - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei met with hundreds of outstanding scientific, cultural, literary, artistic, athletic, social and economic personalities in the western Kermanshah province. Addressing the meeting, His Eminence described art and science as divine blessings and said that the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic will use these divine blessings in order to promote Islam, spirituality and transcendence, a report on the website of the Supreme Leader said. [ link ]

ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - The US Post Office unveiled two new Christmas stamps Thursday, and is following on Friday with new stamps to commemorate the Jewish holiday Hanukkah and the African-American celebration Kwanzaa. This year's traditional "Madonna and Child" Christmas stamp features a painting by the 16th century artist Raphael which now hangs in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. The Hanukkah stamp features the eight letters Hanukkah on colored fields, representing the eight candles, and the second letter "K'' resembles the toy known as a dreidel. [ link ]

FLORIDA JEWISH JOURNAL By Sergio Carmona "Four Species" by Shelter Serra FLORIDA - Every Sukkot, Chabad of Midtown Miami builds its sukkah. However, this being the first year that the Maor Art Gallery , located at the same facility as the Chabad center, was opened during the holiday, the congregation wanted to make its sukkah part of an art exhibit. The exhibit "Four Species," which opened at the gallery, 3030 NE 2nd Ave. in Miami, last week and runs through Nov. 12, is a contemporary group show curated by Jon Feinstein, co-founder and curatorial director of the Humble Arts Foundation in New York, and Shana Beth Mason, a Miami-based art consultant and critic, that incorporates new works from four emerging artists in reference to the holiday. "This exhibition is intended to explore the fundamental principles behind the Sukkot festival," Beth Mason said. "Beyond ritual, custom and liturgy, 'Four Species' investigates ideas of impermanence...

BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK By Catherine Hickley A limewood sculpture of John the Baptist dating from 1510.  GERMANY - A limewood sculpture of John the Baptist dating from 1510 will be returned to the U.S.-based heirs of a Jewish art-dealer couple persecuted by the Nazis, the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said. The sculpture, housed in the Landesmuseum Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart, was auctioned without the owners’ permission in 1937, said an e-mailed statement from Baden-Wuerttemberg’s Ministry for Science, Research and Art. The couple, Jacob and Rosa Oppenheimer, had fled Berlin in 1933. Their art was impounded in 1935, according to ministry spokesman Jochen Laun. “The state has a historical and moral responsibility to investigate and give back cultural goods seized from those who were persecuted by the Nazi regime,” Baden-Wuerttemberg Art Minister Theresia Bauer said in the statement. [ link ]

FOX NY By Julie Chang NEW YORK - City leaders gathered Monday to celebrate the opening of the 15 galleries after eight years of construction [at the Metropolitan Museum of Art]. The galleries house 1,200 pieces of history from the 7th to 19th Centuries. They officially open to the public on November 1. [ link ]

ZEE NEWS INDIA: A three-day international seminar on Islamic art and culture will be inaugurated by Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari here from Nov 25, organizing secretary Khalid Saeed said Monday. The Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad, the Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi, and the Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (MESCO), Hyderabad, are organizing it. The aim of the seminar is to discuss and share the research experiences of the cultural inter-connectedness of Islamic civilization in the context of Arabia, Persia, Central Asia, South-East Asia and India, said a statement from MANUU. "The seminar is being organized to highlight the different spheres of Islamic culture through different angles and the contribution of Muslims in different fields of life through the ages," Saeed said. IANS [ link ]

ASSOCIATED PRESS By Carolyn Thompson NEW YORK - A possible 16th-century Michelangelo (c. 1545) painting that hung for years in a local family's home is being displayed in Rome as part of an exhibit of Renaissance art, a development its owner calls a major milestone as he works to have it accepted by the art world. Scholars disagree on whether "La Pieta With Two Angels" was painted by Michelangelo or by one of his collaborators. For now, the 19-by-25-inch work is described as "Michelangelesque" in a show sponsored by the philanthropic Rome Foundation, which transported the painting from the Buffalo area to Rome and funded its restoration over the past six months. It will be one of 170 pieces on display from Tuesday through Feb. 12 as part of "The Renaissance in Rome: A Token to Michelangelo and Raphael." [ link ]

CLEVELAND FOX 8 TV By Andrea Fishman OHIO - A new art exhibit showcasing the work of Northeast Ohio’s Religious Women opens [today], October 25th at the Cleveland Public Library. Called, "Progress & Promise," the traveling show celebrates the heritage and ministries of religious women through photos, artifacts, and more. Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland , the exhibit is on display in the Library Atrium through November 28th. The Cleveland Public Library is located at 325 Superior Avenue. [ link ]

THE TIMES-PICAYUNE By John Pope The bejeweled altarpiece once seen at St. Alphonsus Church. LOUISIANA - A bejeweled altarpiece from the 19th century that was at St. Alphonsus Church during the time of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos is up for auction Nov. 16 in New York City and may never return to New Orleans. The piece, which is scheduled to be sold at Sotheby’s auction house, is a monstrance, a vessel shaped like a cross surrounded by a sunburst. At the center is a glass case, called a luna, in which the consecrated Host is exposed for the adoration of the faithful. The monstrance, which gets its name from the Latin word monstrare ( to show ), was made in France in 1857 by Jean Alexandre Chertier for the Irish Channel church, one of three built in the 180Os by the Redemptorists. [ link ]

WALL STREET JOURNAL By SARAH MURRAY In Ghana, the fantasy coffins on offer include giant soda bottles and airplanes — and the exuberance extends to the funerals. Within hours of the death of Steve Jobs earlier this month, impromptu memorials began to appear at Apple stores around the world. But creativity in sending off the dead is nothing new. Human beings are seemingly hardwired to use public rituals to mark such moments. We bury our loved ones in the ground. We burn them in fire. Today, gigantic fish, oversized mobile phones, scaled-down airplanes and enormous Coca-Cola bottles are among the fantasy coffins on offer. Boldly carved and painted in bright colors, they are works of art. The exuberance also extends to Ghanaian funerals, which often attract hundreds of guests who are fed, watered and entertained with live music, drumming and DJs. [ link ]

AOA NEWS By Tahlib ERNIE CEFALU's "Jesus Christ Superstar" ( above ) cover is the A&O Pick of the Week as producers announce its return to Broadway this spring 2012. This week's A&O trinity of questions are: Did you vote for America's contemporary religious artwork of 2011? ( Vote Here ) Which Clergy advocate for artists should be the 2011 Omega Prize honoree? ( Vote Here ) Can an album cover really be considered religious art? ( Comment Bottom of Page ) Listed below are the other stories since October 3 in the world of religious art. The stories are grouped by the five largest faith traditions, with an additional category for other/interfaith.

NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER By Dale Artis Hackerman An early Paleolithic painting of a bison from the Cave of Altamira near Santillana del Mar, Spain (AKG/Newscom/Bildarchiv Steffens) The church’s role and support of the arts throughout the development of Western civilization cannot be underestimated. In many U.S. public high schools, budgets are being cut, especially in the arts. So why mention the importance of a strong curriculum in art history as part of a well-rounded Catholic high school education? Because I believe that when students study art history, they become closer to the church on an intellectual and cultural level that greatly enhances their relationship with God. Art and religious expression go hand-in-hand, and the importance of art to convey spirituality is ancient. It has existed since the dawn of civilization. [Dale Artis Hackerman is chair of the fine arts department at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, N.J.] [ link ]

THE TELEGRAPH By Jo Noble 'The Supper at Emmaus’, 1601 by Caravaggio I was interested to read the American artist George Condo's comments regarding The Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio ( Review, October 15 ). This is a naturalistic everyday scene, but there are many symbols in this image. The man standing and looking on in doubt alludes to the acknowledgement that many people will not believe that Christ is the Son of God. The man's shadow hangs on the wall behind Christ, giving Christ a halo. The outstretched arms of St James (wearing a shell) confirm the astonishment that Christ has risen and returned. The grapes are a symbol of Christ's blood and the bread that He is blessing refers to the bread of life. Many religious images had rotting fruit painted in them symbolising original sin, but the presence of the pomegranate symbolises Christ's Resurrection. [ link ]

CHRISTIAN CENTURY by Amy Frykholm "Crucifixion" by Mia Tavonatti MICHIGAN - Mia Tavonatti's Crucifixion, a work of stained glass mosaic, is the winner of this year's ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Decided by popular vote, the award comes with the largest single cash award for a work of art--$250,000.  This is ArtPrize's third year, and there were more than 1,500 entries in 164 venues. Viewers vote, and then vote again for one of the top ten vote getters. This year, however, the award has caused an uproar. On the one hand, critics complained about the aesthetics of the winning piece. One called Crucifixion "Tim McGraw wearing a wig on a cross."  [ link ]

THE HUFFINGTON POST By Daniel Grant [There is] a growing number of artists who have found success selling to the Christian market, a large realm of the population that does not see itself as art collectors but is willing to spend limited amounts of money on prints and posters that reflect its beliefs and values. A pioneer in this market is the California painter Thomas Kinkade. Most of the Christian art market, however, is focused on the specific images rather than the name or style of the artist. Inspirational artwork has a greater likelihood of selling, but that work is less illustrative of biblical stories and more metaphoric of "God's love for mankind, the beauty of the world God created," said Daniel Gerhartz, a painter in Kewaskum, Wis. [ link ]

AOA NEWS NEW YORK - The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) invites socially engaged art lovers to the first International Buddhist Art Gala at Tibet House in New York City on November 19, 2011 from 7-10pm to raise funds for important INEB human rights and peace-building programs in Asia. The gala evening will include live music, cultural dance performances, and a special exhibition and silent auction of Buddhist artwork by esteemed artists from around the world, including Lowell Boyers, Songdej Thipthong, and Steven P. Perkins. Speaking at the gala are Sulak Sivaraksa, the co-founder of INEB, and American Buddhist Bernie Glassman, founder of Zen Peacemakers and Greyston Foundation. The Tibet House is located at 22 West 15th St, NYC. For more information on the gala, visit http://www.inebnycgala.org/ .

BLACK PLANET UNIVERSAL By Oretha Winston CANADA - Producers announced Tuesday that the rock musical, " Jesus Christ Superstar " about the last days of Jesus written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice will hit New York in the spring, a move that was widely expected. Previews will begin on March 1 at the Neil Simon Theatre and an official opening is set for March 22. Des McAnuff, the artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, where the revival originated this summer, will again direct. The latest stage production opened at the Canadian festival in June and ends its run there on Nov. 6 before moving to the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, Calif., for final tweaking from Nov. 18 to Dec. 31 before its Broadway run. [ link ]

DAILY MAIL By Graham Smith Controversial: An art installation showing a film of naked people playing tag in a former Nazi death camp gas chamber has been withdrawn from exhibition in Berlin GERMANY - Modern art installation of emaciated naked Nazi war camp prisoners playing tag in a former Nazi death camp gas chamber has been withdrawn from exhibition in Germany. Jewish leaders in Berlin were appalled that the Game Of Tag exhibit by Polish artist Artur Zmijewski was being screened in a city gallery. The three-minute film shows men and women running around naked inside what at first appears to be a cellar. [ link ]

JEWISH PRESS By Menachem Wecker TEXAS - In some ways, Sukkot is the most contemporary of holidays. Many pay good money and invest a lot of time and effort to obtain a beautiful etrog-indeed its biblical name is "fruit of the beautiful tree"-and the most visually appealing lulav, hadasim and aravot. The lulav and etrog, whether alongside each other or appearing separately, are some of the most prominent symbols in early Jewish art. Steven Fine explains in his book, Art & Judaism in the Greco-Roman World: Toward a New Jewish Archaeology, the lulav form might have evolved from the symbol of the victory palm, which first appeared on coins between 480 and 445 B.C.E.[ link ]

Indianapolis Arts Center's "Day of the Dead" poster Wed., Oct. 26-29, 1-5pm | Art Entry Deadline Art entries are due for Beyond Dead: A Youth Reponse, a High School Art contest exploring what happens to the Body after Death, as part of the 16th Annual Spirit & Place Festival. Includes $750 in prizes and no entry fee. Produced in partnership with the Indianapolis Art Center, entries are due at Indiana Interchurch Center, 1100 West 42nd Street, (317) 755-8400, alphaomegaarts.org .

PATCH "60 degree Sukkah" by Filip Tejchman MISSOURI - An art exhibition  [which opened Tuesday] at Washington University's Danforth Campus explores the concept of boundaries within the framework of the Jewish holiday called Sukkot. The exhibition runs through Saturday on the lawn of the Ann W. Olin Women's Building lawn. It features the artwork of 10 finalists selected from a pool of more than 40 candidates, an article on the university's website states. St. Louis Hillel and The Museum of Imajewnation also developed the competition. Jews worldwide celebrate the holiday of Sukkot by building temporary structures known as Sukkahs, Kastner said. There, they commemorate the Jews' exodus from Egypt and celebrate the bounty of the autumn harvest. [ link ]

WORLD BULLETIN CALIFORNIA - A total of 76,000 people visited "Gifts of the Sultan" exhibition in Los Angeles between June 5 and September 5. Turkish Culture & Tourism Ministry stated on Monday that the exhibition, displaying 200 objects about Islamic culture, took place in Los Angeles Art Museum. The exhibition, also including 19 pieces from Turkey, will be shown in Houston Fine Arts Museum between October 23, 2011 and January, 16, 2012. "Gifts of the Sultan" includes collections like carpets, wooden furniture, jewelry, weapons and books from America, Europe and Middle East. The exhibition aims to introduce Islamic art and culture to U.S. people. [ link ]

AOA NEWS By Tahlib PENNSYLVANIA - White Stone Gallery announces a national call to contemporary artists for the 2012 Fine Art & Faith Exhibit, to be held January 14 - February 4 at the gallery's location in Philadelphia, PA. The faith expressed in the submissions must be supported by the Bible. A selection of works from the exhibit will be featured online for one year. One artist will receive a year contract as a represented artist with White Stone Gallery. For more information, visit the White Stone Gallery website: http://www.whitestonegallery.com/ .

JEWISH LIGHT By Leslie Brownstein "Western Wall" by Peter Max MISSOURI - After a 10-year absence from St. Louis, [Peter] Max will be in town this weekend where his exhibit "Colors of a Better World" is on display at the Ober Anderson Gallery in Clayton. Max was born Peter Max Finkelstein in Germany in 1937 to Jewish parents who fled the Nazis. They first landed the family in Shanghai, China; then Haifa, Israel; Paris, France, and eventually, Brooklyn, New York, where they settled in 1953. And while he doesn't like to be labeled as "a Jewish artist," he says he is very proud of his "Jewishness," adding, "My father's father was from Poland and he was a Hasid. I lived in Israel and I speak fluent Hebrew." [ link ]

AOA NEWS By Tahlib The following are the 10 finalists for this the 4th Annual Alpha & Omega Prize for Contemporary Religious Art. Please cast your vote by sending an email to member@alphaomegaarts.org  by midnight on Monday, October 24, 2011. Key items to remember in making your selection are: (a) this is an interfaith visual art competition; (2) all works are recent works; (3) it's an American prize for America artwork; and (4) the works must add to the American dialogue about faith in America. The winning work will be announced on November 1, 2011. " Sita Sings the Blues " by Nina Paley, an 82-minute animated video exploring Hindu traditions. " Mandela Ornament I " by Stephen Fairey is a Buddhist inspired print. " Alios Itzhuk " by Kehinde Wiley, an oil painting exploring the African experience as Jews.

AOA NEWS By Tahlib For the third year in a row, the readers of Alpha Omega Arts will decide on the annual Omega Prize for Clergy Advocate for Artists.  Please cast your vote by sending an email to clergy@alphaomegaarts.org with the name of the clergy member who has earned your vote by midnight on Monday, October 24, 2011. Pastor Rob Bell , Mars Hill Community Church (MI) wrote bestselling book, "Love Wins" based on the inspiration of an artist who portrayed Ghandi in a church art exhibit. Pastor Bill Carter , First Presbyterian Church of Clarks Summitt (PA) used artwork to fight prejudice and intolerance against Jews. Pastor Kevin Chubb , Cape Carteret Baptish Church (NC) empowered congregation member to paint mural reflecting church teaching series, and hosted art festival.

AOA NEWS This summer, Presbyterian artist Chris Koelle released an iPhone app that powerfully brings the Book of Revelations to life. Simply put it is called the the "RevelationApp" for iPad/iPhone but that's about where the simplicity ends. What they've done is illustrate the entire Book of Revelation – verse by verse, in its entirety – like never before. For the first time in history, this team of art evangelists are presenting The Book of Revelation as a continuous narrative through John's eyes, with over 600 illustrations from beginning to end. For more information, visit http://www.revelationapp.com/ or contact will@revelationapp.com.

THE BRISBANE TIMES By Katherine Feeney "The Penalty is" by Charles Butcher AUSTRALIA - A controversial religious art exhibition will open in Brisbane for the first time in a decade later this month, led by an installation that examines Islamic faith and prayer. Selected works from the 60th Blake Prize competition – the Archibalds for religious works – are bound for the Art Museum at the Queensland University of Technology in a display designed to encourage debate about belief systems and the arts. Curator Vanessa Van Ooyen said the centrepiece of the show was Khaled Sabsabi's Naqshbandi Greenacre Engagement , a video piece that engages the viewer in an Islamic Sufi ritual. [ link ]

CANTON REPOSITORY OHIO — M.J. Albacete, executive director of the Canton Museum of Art , will give a presentation on 13 significant works of religious art at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church at 3430 St. Michael Drive NW. The program is part of an arts outreach sponsored by the Catholic Adult Formation and Education Committee. It includes a current exhibit of 40 art pieces done by St. Michael parishioners. [ link ]

MISCELLANY NEWS By Rachael Borné Studio art majors gather material for the roof of a sukkah, while Noah Lourie-Mosher ’12 saws wood for the construction. NEW YORK - This year, in honor of the sesquicentennial, five studio art majors have worked on an independent study entitled The Vassar Sukkot Project 5772, a reference to the Hebrew New Year. The group was commissioned to construct and design two large-scale sukkot for students, faculty and members of the Poughkeepsie community to use. One will stand between the All Campus Dining Center and Lathrop on the open grassy lawn and the other near the College Center, right outside of the Aula. Since the end of last fall, the artists have worked in collaboration with the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Vassar Jewish Union to develop a design that not only abides by the confines of traditional sukkah parameters, but also serves as an aesthetically innovative approach to the traditional structure. [ link ]

TODAY'S ZAMAN Exhibition is opened with a special opening ceremony. Curator of the exhibit is Mehmet Lütfi Şen (L). ITALY - An exhibition featuring classic and contemporary examples of Hilye-i Şerif --literary portraits of the Prophet Muhammad -- and prayer beads is under way in Rome, drawing huge interest from people of other religions in the city. The exhibition, which began on Oct. 1 and will run through Oct. 19, is titled “Aşk-I Nebi Sanat Olunca” (When the love for the Prophet Muhammad becomes an art). It opened at the Palazzo della Cancelleria, regarded as the first palace built in the Renaissance style in Rome, with a special reception. This is the first time that a Hilye-i Şerif exhibition has been held outside of Turkey. Hilye-i Şerif is a description of the personal virtues and the qualities of the Prophet Muhammad. Focusing on the importance of art without any racial, religious or linguistic discrimination, Mehmet Çelebi, the artist of about 25 pieces in the exhibit...

MISCELLANY NEWS By Matthew Hauptom "St. Jerome in His Study" (1530) by Joos van Cleve (1490-1540) NEW YORK - Put an archivist, art historian, classicist and theologian into the same room, if you can, put a Northern Renaissance painting before them, and let them discuss and pick apart it. Students and faculty will have the chance to see these very four in action on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. when this semester's Kaleidoscope lecture takes place. Kaleidoscope is a lecture series held once a semester that brings a group of Vassar professors—all from different departments—to discuss a work of art from the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center's diverse and impressive collection. Thursday's speakers will include Sarah Gibson Blanding Professor of Art Susan Kuretsky '63, Professor of Greek and Roman Studies J. Bert Lott, Professor of Religion Marc Michael Epstein, and Head of Special Collections and Adjunct Associate Professor of History Ron Patkus. [ link ]

THE TIMES UNION By Tim Kane "Drawing 2" by Ann Wolf (Courtesy the artist) NEW YORK - In Ann Wolf's art, the psychedelic 1960s counterculture meets medieval Christianity. Electric colors dance, as if to the amplification of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze," while saints and the Virgin Mary descend and extol the benefits of the virtuous life. Amid the cacophony, one picture by Wolf emerges for its foreboding solitude in the exhibit "From the Center of Our World." All of the 18 paintings and drawings are from 2007 to this year. Wolf's diminutive and intricate gouache paintings -- she uses a half-inch brush -- take two years to make. Through Oct. 22, Hudson Valley Teaching Gallery, Administration Building, Hudson Valley Community College, 629-4822, hvcc.edu/teachinggallery. [ link ]

THE HINDU INDIA - Thousands of children in Kerala entered the world of learning by scribbling their first letters on Vijayadasami day on Thursday, marking the culmination of the Navaratri festival. Early on Thursday morning, children, mostly aged two to three, along with their parents, gathered at temples, schools, libraries, cultural centres and media houses to go through “Ezhuthiniruthu” ritual of writing their initial letters, invoking blessings of Saraswati, Goddess of Learning and Art. Transcending religious barriers, Christian and Muslim children also underwent the ritual in many parts of the state. The auspicious occasion has for centuries been observed by Keralites as “Vidyarambham”, the beginning of learning. In some churches, priests made the children write a couple of lines of verses from the Bible. Essentially a Hindu custom, the increasing response to “Vidyarambham” from people from other faiths is seen as a sign of the cultural vibrancy of a society that gives great imp...

AOA NEWS By Tahlib INDIANA - An American writer once shared that "Death is a dialogue between, The Spirit and The Dust." In three weeks, Indianapolis youth begin entering their art, both new & older works exploring those same thoughts. With over $750 being awarded in prizes the exhibit, "Beyond Dead: A Youth Response" will accept entries from Oct. 26 thru 29 at the Indiana Interchurch Center Gallery, 1100 West 42nd Street in Indianapolis. In anticipation of the coming show, many AOA readers have begun sharing unlabeled images reflecting on the body after death from a variety of perspectives. Art Contest entry forms can be downloaded here , or for more information call (317) 755-8400 or visit, alphaomegaarts.org . (29 images below)

THE TIMES HERALD By Jenny DeHuff "Spiritual of Mercy" by Emanuel Utti Gene Walsh/Times Herald Staff. PENNSYLVANIA – For more than half a century, Emanuel Utti has left his mark on churches, galleries and museums throughout the Delaware Valley. And at age 78, he’s nowhere near stopping. The North Philadelphia native is currently in the process of completing two paintings inside the narthex of St. Helena’s Church in Blue Bell. The works, commissioned by the Rev. Monsignor Joseph J. Nicolo a year and a half ago, entail the depictions of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The paintings are scheduled to be finished next week some time, when the scaffolding will come down and they will be on display to parishioners. Utti, who now resides in Lafayette Hill, has been doing this his whole life. He explained where he gets his inspiration during a recent tour of the church. [ link ]

AOA NEWS NEW YORK -- Dr. Terrence Dempsey, S.J., Founding Director of the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art in St. Louis will deliver the Loyola Chair Lecture at Fordham University this Thursday, October 6. Father Dempsey is also the 2010 honoree of the A&O Prize for Advocacy . The lecture will be held in McMahon Hall on the Lincoln Center Campus. It will begin at 4:00 pm with a reception to follow. Fr. Dempsey's talk, titled "The Pursuit of the Spirit: The Renewed Interest in the Spiritual and Religious Dimensions in Contemporary Art," will be an overview of a phenomenon that has been going on for more than 30 years--the renewed interest among the artists of our time in the spiritual and religious dimensions. For flyer on the event and contact information, download here .

AOA NEWS "Girls Will Be Girls" by Anita Kunz, pigment print KENTUCKY - These are the final viewing days for "THE VEIL: Visible and Invisible Spaces" at The Art Museum of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. The show, which opened in July, ends on October 9.  The Veil is a visual response to the many cultural and political aspects of veils and veiling throughout human history. Artists from the US, Europe, Asia, and the Near and Middle East including Anita Kunz (above) and Helen Zughaib , 2009 A&O Prize honoree have created thirty-three powerful works that examine the veil and its stereotypes. For visitor information, visit the museums website or call (859) 257-5716.

AOA NEWS By Tahlib The A&O Prize was established in NYC in 2008 to celebrate the creation of contemporary religious art that promotes interfaith understanding and dialogue. During this month of October, AOA members, national advisory board members, and the board of directors will vote to select the 2011 prize honorees. Are you an AOA member yet? Sign-up today . It's free. A&O Prize for Contemporary Art | November 1 2010 - Mother Teresa (Postage Stamp) by Thomas Blackshear 2009 - " Midnight Prayers " by Helen Zughaib 2008 - " Dead Christ in a Tomb " by Kehinde Wiley A&O Prize for Advocacy | November 6 2010 - Dr. Dempsey, SJ | St. Louis, MO 2009 - Fr. Luke | NYC (Harlem), NY A&O Prize for Young Artists | November 12 2011 - Press Announcement

AOA NEWS By Tahlib FATHER JAMES KRISHCHE, formerly of St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church in New York City is a Believer For Artists . Under his leadership (2009 - 2011), the church opened the doors of its closed parish school to create a haven for space-starved artists in Brooklyn, NYC. While the exciting arts program ended when Fr. Krishche was reassigned in June 2011, all 36 classrooms had been claimed by painters, sculptors, a dressmaker and a choreographer with a waiting list of over 90. According to The New York Times , the artists took real pleasure in their new chapter of the Roman Catholic Church’s long history of artistic patronage. It is however a relationship that has often been a complicated one but at St. Cecilia, Father Krische had remained hands off.  Celia Rowlson-Hall, a dancer, choreographer and filmmaker who occupied a cavernous studio on the school’s fifth floor explained, he "never said ‘This certain kind of work’ needs to ...

AOA NEWS Monument Circle, located in the heart of Circle City, was planned in 1821. INDIANAPOLIS - The American Planning Association (APA) announced yesterday the designation of the Indianapolis Monument Circle as one of the 10 Great Public Spaces for 2011 under the organization's Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners play in creating communities of lasting value. APA singled out Monument Circle, the physical and monumental center of Indianapolis, for the impressive array of architecturally diverse buildings that provide a rich backdrop for the dramatic State Soldiers and Sailors Monument. These structures house cultural, religious and business institutions and frame the 4.5-acre Circle, providing a cohesive, clearly defined space. "Monument Circle is a vibrant symbol of history and prosperity for Indianapolis," said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.