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THE COEUR D' ALENE PRESS By Tom Hasslinger Ed Haglund stands by an 9-foot-tall metal sculpture of stalked ciliate bacteria IDAHO -- At 8 a.m. Friday, Ganesha will come down. The five-foot statue of the Hindu God , who earned some criticism for its apparently un-American and un-Christian ways, will leave its spot on the corner of Sixth Street and Sherman Avenue and head to an art studio in Spokane. It its place will be a 7-foot statue called "Art and Soul." It's a creation by local artist Jason Sanchez, and one could describe the futuristic machine as something that stepped out of a Terminator movie. Some people will love it, others won't. [ link ]

THE WALRUS By Brett Grainger "The Donkey Carrying God" by William Kurelek CANADA -- William Kurelek’s commercial success was built on sweet scenes. To a public bemused by his strong religious convictions (one interested buyer said he would gladly purchase one of Kurelek’s landscapes if the artist would simply paint out the mushroom cloud), he responded clearly, “No religion: No Kurelek. And no Kurelek: No farm paintings.” He hoped eventually to devote himself entirely to religious subjects. But he remained a pragmatic prophet, striking a deal with his Toronto art dealer, Avrom Isaacs, to alternate one exhibit of “secular” works with each religious one. William Kurelek: The Messenger is the first retrospective of his art in a quarter century and the largest ever mounted. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest O. Britton A few blocks from our new downtown townhouse is the wondrously impressive  Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art  (far more impressive than their mediocre website). Literally, it is only a few blocks away but as a new resident to downtown, I didn't know about this exhibition " We Are Here " until a friend from NYC emailed me last week that some of the artists would be giving a talk about it in NYC (tonight). Yona Verwer , who is also President of NYC Jewish Art Salon wrote, "My friend Alan Michelson is a NY based artist who does a lot of art based on his Native American heritage. He is also Jewish . If this museum is near you, you might be interested in a visit. Wishing you well." Well, I missed the exhibition while it was in Indianapolis, which ran from November 2011 to February 2012, but I am certainly hoping that friends in NYC can go to see tonight's Artist's Panel about the show at the Nat...

THE DECCAN CHRONICLE By Ram Kumar Ramaswamy Artist Kappari Kishan and works from ‘Gouthama Buddha’ INDIA -- When Kappari Kishan went on a pilgrimage to Nagarjuna Konda and Amravati, he underwent a strange transformation. The entire life of Gautama Buddha flashed before his eyes. The disfigured sculptures and fading edifices in the area fascinated him. These images remained in Kishan’s heart. “The visit made me a Buddha devotee, and inspired me to paint the series ‘Gouthama Buddha’,” says Kishan, whose art exhibition is on display at Also 8 boutique, Banjara Hills. [ link ]

INDIANAPOLIS STAR "The Welcoming Dragon" stretches across the center median at the Missouri Botanical Garden This summer, 26 mammoth Chinese lantern installations will light up the night at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. "Lantern Festival: Art by Day, Magic by Night" features pieces up to three stories tall, made with steel frames and more than 28,000 yards of colorful silk. The festival is among the largest of its kind in the United States. Other show-stoppers include "Lotus Ponds," a large, spinning vase surrounded by 8-foot-tall stems of lotus flowers, and "Heavenly Temple," a three-story installation that mimics the Beijing Heavenly Temple constructed in 1420. [ link ]

SAN DIEGO | JEWISH WORLD By Donald Harrison CALIFORNIA -- The author of Whatever Is Contained Must Be Released is a conceptual artist for whom Torah–and the rejection of some of its passages–have both informed her work and made it controversial. At one stage in her career, Helène Aylon poured gallons of paint on a canvas lying face-up on the floor. Then, after the top layer dried, she stood the canvas up, and the contents inside would burst through the thin upper bubble-like layer and create their own pattern as they flowed by gravity down the canvas. [ link ]

THE TELEGRAPH By Lara Prendergast Muslim women hold posters during a protest against a Lady Gaga's concert that was scheduled to be held on June 3 INDONESIA -- Lady Gaga has taken to Twitter to express 'disappointment' at having to cancel her Born This Way Ball concert in Indonesia. The singer, who has nearly 25 million followers on Twitter, took to the site to express her disappointment at having to cancel the concert after opposition from Islamic groups . The concert was due to take place in Jakarta on June 3, but police refused to issue the pop star with a performance permit due to intense pressure from campaigners. Over 50,000 tickets had been sold for the Jakarta event. Promoters said they would offer refunds. [ link ]

RUSSIAN TIMES SPAIN -- A Spanish artist whose movie sees Jesus Christ being roasted in an oven has become the first person in the country to be accused of violating a law against offending religious feelings. Javier Krahe claims he has been accused of “things he hasn’t done”. ­The Catholic Legal Association, Centro Juridico Tomas Moro took the artist to court. He was bailed for €192,000 ($241,824). According to the association, the law against offending religious feelings had never before been applied in Spanish legal history. Krahe’s film on “how to cook Jesus Christ” was originally censored at the time of its release in 1978. It aired on television in 2004, broadcasted after an interview with the artist. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Dave Itzkoff While there are many unique items being offered at a sale of pop-music memorabilia scheduled for next month by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills – – one suspects the artifact that is going to generate the most interest is the crypt where Elvis Presley was first laid to rest before his body was buried at Graceland. Julien’s Auctions said on Monday that it would be selling the private crypt, in the mausoleum of the Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis on the first day of a two-day auction that will run June 23 and 24. [ link ]

USA TODAY By Judy Keen ILLINOIS -- Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which were carried out by hijackers from Arab countries, animosity toward Muslims sometimes has taken the form of opposition to construction of mosques and other Islamic facilities. National debate erupted over plans for a community center that became known as the "Ground Zero mosque" in Lower Manhattan. In the last five years, there has been "anti-mosque activity" in more than half the states, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.  There were 2,106 mosques in the U.S. in 2010, up from 1,209 in 2000, according to a study by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research and other groups. A 2011 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life estimated there are 2.75 million Muslims in the nation. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Elisabetta Poveledo ITALY -- The Vatican acknowledged Monday that the newest crisis in Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy was damaging trust in the church, even as it tried to contain a scandal that has sent the Italian news media into a frenzy since the pope’s butler was arrested days ago and accused of leaking the pontiff’s confidential correspondence. [ link ]

MONSTERS & CRITICS Tune in alert for Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World which transports viewers to nine countries and across 1,400 years of cultural history to explore the astonishing riches of Islamic art and architecture. The program premieres July 6, 2012, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) as part of the PBS Arts Summer Festival , a seven-week event with films that highlight art, artists and performances from around the world. [ link ]

SUN SENTINEL By Phillip Valys FLORIDA -- The thousands of supernatural beings inhabiting Japanese cultural tradition – and American pop culture, apparently – are the subject of Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens' new exhibit, " Ghosts, Goblins and Gods: The Supernatural in Japanese Art ." The showcase of artworks tackles the otherworldly creatures rooted in the Shinto and Buddhist religions, from benevolent Gods named "kami" that inhabit the natural world to evil tricksters dubbed "tengu," half-men, half-bird creatures who are hellbent on deceiving humans. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest O. Britton Today, the Christian church celebrates Pentecost or the gift of the Holy Spirit, while Jews celebrate their harvest of First Fruits as well as receipt of the Torah ( Shavuot ). Because of these two holydays we have the sermon-laden work of self-taught artist Rev. Howard Finster . Finster was filled with the Holy Spirit, and when he passed away in 2001 there were 46,000 works of Folksy Religious Art as evidence for it, including many with the brilliant Pentecost red shown above. His artwork is witness to the power to renew and transform, and that is why the Akron Art Museum's current exhibition of work by Rev. Finster is the  NEWS OF WEEK .

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib "Pentecost" by He Qi Pentecost Sunday  is observed by Christians: Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and other Christians as the day the Holy Spirit descended onto Christ's Apostles and others. Celebrations: Religious (church) services, Festive meals, Processions, Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination, Folk customs, Dancing, Spring & woodland rites, Festive clothing. Observances: Prayer, Vigils, Fasting (pre-festival), Novenas, Retreats, Holy Communion, Litany Length:  One day Date: Sunday, May 27 in 2012 Linkages: Christian holydays of Easter and  Ascension Day , as well as the Jewish holyday of Shavuot, historically and symbolically

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib "The Giving of the Law" by Arnold Friberg The Holyday of Shavuot is  a major spring harvest festival, and also  the very anniversary of God’s revelation to the entire Jewish people at Mount Sinai. Shavuot commemorates the giving and receiving of the Torah.

NY - THE JEWISH WEEK By Eric Herschthal The Metropolitan Opera’s 1991 production of "The Magic Flute," with sets by David Hockney One thing that often turns people off from art is that they can’t figure out what it means. The lack of fixed meaning frustrates them. But the cultural critic Charles Rosen makes an important point about art’s essential ambiguity — its inherent lack of fixed meaning — in his astute new collection of essays, “ Freedom and the Arts .” The history of how art has unsettled authority is long, so it should be no surprise that religious authorities in particular have often had a difficult relationship with it. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest O. Britton Photo of choir courtesy of Desert News INDIANA - America's Choir, formally known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will perform in Indianapolis on Friday, June 14, 2013. The concert at the Banker's Life Fieldhouse in downtown is part of their 2013 Tour of the Midwest, and comes just a few months after the groundbreaking for the Indianapolis Indiana Mormon Temple . Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert will be available beginning August 6, 2012 through Ticketmaster, and through the  Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra .

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib This week's A&O 5 Faiths Fridays includes a historic letter from George Washington to the Jewish people; a Japanese artist named Tetta who is dressing people up in the spirit of Buddhism; Arnold Friberg's  Christian warriors from the Book of Mormon;  a discussion of whether India will topple the USA as a major collector of Hindu Art; and a review of the Islamic Art collection of architect Owen Jones.

CNN | EYE ON By Peter Shadbolt It was once that a cassock, a simple cross and a chalice was all you needed to equip the average church, but now the world of liturgical accessories is a big business. Poland's SacroExpo is one of the largest trade fairs of its type in the world, hosting displays of everything from bells to church alarm systems and evangelical multimedia. [ link ]

THE NATIONAL By Christopher Lloyd From collection of architect and designer Owen Jones UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- In the mid-19th century, British design needed a shake-up. Rapid industrial growth had taken some of the beauty out of objects. A new language of design needed to be cobbled together - one that wasn't nostalgic or kitschy but could still bring a little of the sublime back into the day-to-day. At the helm of this curve was the architect and designer Owen Jones who helped assemble what is today the Victoria and Albert Museum's early collection of Islamic artefacts. The show demonstrates Jones's search for a visual language that would be keenly modern, innovate notions of decoration and keep functionality at its heart. Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation , until July 15 [ link ]

THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE By Mary Thomas "Seven Devils" OHIO -- Transported. It's the way I felt as I wandered through Howard Finster's Plant Farm Museum in rural Georgia in the mid-1970s. And it's the experience I had walking through " Stranger in Paradise: The Works of Reverend Howard Finster " Sunday at the Akron Art Museum. The self-taught artist and self-appointed minister, born in 1916 in Valley Head, Ala., was ...was discovered by scholars and collectors, then by New York galleries, and by 1983 was on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. [ link ]

THE KANSAS CITY STAR By Heather Lustfeldt Exhibition placard MISSOURI -- Against a blue sky with black birds, the phrase “We All Die” in white writing hovers above a dark horizon in a large pigment print by David Ford . In works inspired by a January trip to Benin in West Africa, Ford achieves a sort of brutal lyricism with provocative, often harsh themes balanced by a gorgeous, dreamy palette. Whereas in the past Ford explored colonialism and capitalism in relation to the Islamic “other,” the new work responds in part to what he describes as a “synchronism” of Islam and voodoo he observed in Benin. [ link ]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By  Jaeyeon Woo Designer Kim Young-seok and artist Tatsuo Miyajima have transformed a historic Gahoe-dong hanok into an art installation. KOREA -- Korea’s traditional courtyard homes, called hanok, have inspired contemporary artists in the past. Now, two artists have transformed a hanok into art. “House Lives With Time” is a hanok turned art installation by South Korean designer Kim Young-seok and Japanese contemporary artist Tatsuo Miyajima . Located in Seoul’s Gahoe-dong district, the work mixes Mr. Kim’s hanbok – traditional Korean clothing– with Mr. Miyajima’s art, which explores Buddhist concepts of reincarnation using LED technology. [ link ]

WANTED IN ROME Princess Wijdan bint Fawaz al-Hashemi of Jordan curates a fascinating exhibition of Islamic calligraphy in Rome. ITALY -- An exciting exhibition of contemporary Islamic calligraphic art entitled “Reflections from Heaven, Meditations on Earth” (Riflessioni dal Cielo, Meditazioni in Terra) is on show until June in the museum area of the ruins of Trajan’s Market above the Roman Forum. The works on display come from the collection of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman and offer a rare and illuminating overview of the wide variety of styles used by modern Islamic artists from all over the world, demonstrating how the long, unbroken tradition of Arabic calligraphy, an art form which died out in Europe with the advent of the printing press, continues to be developed and adapted to the present day. [ link ]

CHURCH HISTORY Detail from "Eternal Plan" by Chalermchai Hanjakkham | Thailand UTAH -- The Church History Museum has sponsored juried art competitions and exhibitions every three years since 1987 for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Click on the link below for information regarding the Ninth International Art Competition: Make Known His Wonderful Works .  [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib I am a fan of Mormon artist, Arnold Friberg who died in 2010. I am also a big fan of the advertising campaign, " I am a Mormon " sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, but I am puzzled by the Mormon assertion that they are Christians. Jeremiah Films , the maker of a cartoon version (above) of the Mormon history obviously has it out for the faith, but as a past visitor to an LDS history center in Salt Lake City, much of the cartoon interpretation rings true (as do most myths, lies and distortions).

SAFFRON WALDEN REPORTER A tiny jade seal thought to be from a Tibetan Buddhist temple sold for over £10,000 at a specialist Asian Art sale held by Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers last week. The table seal, featuring the figure of a crouching Buddhist lion, stands just 6cm high and is thought to date from the 19th century.

BUSINESS RECORDER PHILIPPINES -- Lady Gaga rocked the Philippines Monday, defying critics and state censors as thousands of fans, many of them dressed as outrageously as she was, roared their approval. Her world tour, "The Born This Way Ball", has been dogged by controversy in Asia, with an upcoming concert in Muslim-majority Indonesia cancelled on police orders for fear of violence from religious hardliners.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib Opening on July 4 -- Independence Day 2012, the National Museum of American Jewish History will open a new exhibition, "To Bigotry No Sanction" which will include a letter from George Washington to the Jewish community expressing his views on religious liberty. According to a press release from NMAHW , "Next to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, it may be the most important 337 words in American history."

THE BUSINESS LINE INDIA -- Like China, India as an emerging economy has a critical mass of high net worth individuals to invest in art. According to The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF), China recently toppled the US, which ruled the global art scene for centuries. The US has been pushed to second position with a 29 per cent market share, while the UK and France, with 22 per cent and a distant 6 per cent are third and fourth place contenders, respectively.

DESSERT NEWS By Trent Toone " Captain Moroni Raises the Title of Liberty" UTAH -- As a hostess in the Book of Mormon gallery room at the LDS Church’s Conference Center, [Virginia] Ashdown takes pleasure in seeing visitors experience the late Arnold Friberg’s 12 large-scale Book of Mormon paintings.There’s chiseled Ammon and his outstretched sword, unconquerable Captain Moroni and the husky 2,060 sons of Helaman, among others. [ link ]

DESSERT NEWS By Trent Toone "The Brother of Jared Sees the Finger of the Lord" UTAH -- During his lifetime, renowned artist and illustrator Arnold Friberg painted a variety of themes and subjects. He is most noted for his religious and patriotic works. During the 1950s, Friberg was commissioned to paint 12 classic scenes from the Book of Mormon . For more on the paintings, visit Friberg Fine Art. [ link ]

BUFFALO NEWS By Charity Vogel NEW YORK -- The hand-forged, irregular brickwork at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church offered a glimpse into the practices of 12th century Lombard artisans. The monk-painted murals inside the former St. Francis Xavier, now the Buffalo Religious Arts Center, which blend Catholic and United States history and culture. (Where else can you see the Virgin Mary depicted with the U.S. Capitol building?) All these sights and more greeted viewers who toured landmark area churches Saturday as part of a “Sacred Sites Open House Weekend” that was a collaboration of the New York Landmarks Conservancy and local worship sites. For more information on the open house weekend, see www.nylandmarks.org. [ link ]

THE TIMES OF TRENTON By Janet Purcell "The Miracle of the Manna" by Fabrizio Boschi PENNSYLVANIA -- Forty-five paintings and tapestries from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, which have never before left Europe, are on exhibit in the Michener Museum’s “ Offering of the Angels: Treasures From the Uffizi ” through Aug. 10. Seventeen regional religious leaders are serving on an Interfaith Council working with the museum to develop interpretive content and to help visitors explore the many religious and spiritual viewpoints expressed in the works, to learn about each other in a neutral space. The leaders represent the Muslim, Christian (both Catholic and Protestant), Jewish, Buddhist and Quaker faiths. [ link ]

MORMON NEWSROOM Rendering of the Indianapolis Indiana Temple UTAH -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) has released renderings of the Hartford Connecticut and Indianapolis Indiana Temples, as well as the site location of the Hartford Temple. The proposed plans call for the Hartford Connecticut Temple to be built at 1024 Farmington Avenue in Farmington, Connecticut. The Indianapolis Indiana Temple site (in the city of Carmel on the southwest corner of the intersection of W116th and Spring Mill Road) was announced in January 2011. [ link ]

THE JAPAN TIMES By Eriko Arita Eye-stopping: A symmetrical image of a volunteer bodhisattva created after artist Tetta's making-up by flipping one side of a photo of her face to form the other side. © TETTA JAPAN -- Eleven bodhisattvas stand in formation, their heads crowned and their almond-shaped eyes and faces dusted with gold. For the last two years, a Japanese artist named Tetta has been working to re-create the 1,000 more than 800-year-old bodhisattva statues in the Sanjusangendo Hall at Rengeoin Temple in Kyoto using people made up and dressed appropriately.... Bodhisattvas are those who are undergoing ascetic training to attain spiritual enlightenment," explained Tetta, of those frequent subjects of Buddhist art and sculpture. She said some people who have taken part in her workshops have described experiencing "instant enlightenment." [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest O. Britton Plenty of people look around and say, "This is a nation without God". It's a nation where skeptics and extremists, moment by moment, try to take away our spiritual joy--our hope given to us by our God. Today, on Ascension Sunday , Christians are reminded of the day Jesus left them to learn to love together on their own. That can be a frightening thought, but this week, an artist at Newsweek reminded believers, and skeptics too that there are Saints in America still teaching us how to love, and that's why that magazine cover is the RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK .

CNN | BELIEF By Eliott C. McLaughlin NEW YORK -- Sebastian Errazuriz has used art to take on an array of issues...Now, the Brooklyn-based artist is taking aim at what he sees as religious extremism. At a party this weekend celebrating New York Design Week , the Chilean-born artist plans to hand out 100 "Christian Popsicles" made of "frozen holy wine transformed into the blood of Christ" and featuring a crucifix instead the tongue depressor that typically hosts the frozen treats, he said. Errazuriz wants his "Christian Popsicles," which will be stained red by the wine after their consumption, to signify the relationship between fanaticism and historic religious violence. [ link ]

REUTERS By Philip Pullella "Resurrection" (1542-1544) by Titian in new Vatican exhibition VATICAN CITY - If you wanted to admire masterpieces of religious art by Titian, Raphael, Lorenzo Lotto, Guido Reni, Carlo Crivelli and other masters in museums around Italy's central Marche region, it could cost you a few weeks of time and a hefty hotel bill. Now, 50 paintings from 15 museums in the region rich in natural beauty and artistic heritage are on exhibition at the Vatican. Called " Meraviglie dalle Marche ," ( See Video ) or Marvels from the Marche, the exhibition is on display in the Braccio Carlo Magno, at the end of the left-hand colonnade of St Peter's Square, until June 10. [ link ]

HUFFINGTON POST | RELIGION NEW YORK – Mary Lou Quinlan always knew that her mother, Mary Finlayson, kept a God Box , a simple container where she put her prayers and dreams for everyone she knew and even those she didn’t know. To her amazement, Quinlan found not one, but 10 boxes stuffed with hundreds of tiny petitions that spanned the last 20 years of her mother’s life. Rather than carrying around the burden of her worries, Mary wrote her thoughts and hopes on whatever scrap of paper she found handy and placed them into her God Box for release and resolution. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib This week's A&O 5 Faiths Fridays artists are Newsweek magazine cover artist for "First Gay President," Choi Jeong Hwa's "Breathing Flower," Catalogue designers for "Gifts of the Sultan," Keith Haring's golden calf at the Brooklyn Museum, and the Maharajah Exhibition at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib 1980. Collection of Keith Haring Foundation. Was Keith Haring a religious artist? That's the question which inspired a recent post by Tony Carnes at NYC Religion [ link ]. We say, "Absolutely," and the evidence for it is in the Brooklyn Museum's current large-scale exhibition exploring the early career of one of the best-known American artists of the twentieth century. Is Haring a religious artist because he made us think about religion? Does his 1980 illustration of the Jewish golden calf (above) prompt a dialogue about faith? What other reason should there be to be called a Religious Artist? " Keith Haring: 1978–1982 " runs through July 8, 2012.

MARKETWIRE A funky Tree of Life Mezuzah NEW YORK -- Spring has finally arrived! Many of us will take the season change as a kickoff to "spring cleaning" and getting our homes into tip-top shape. Redecorating is frequently a favorite part of the process. A few small changes can make a huge difference. Here's a great idea -- jazz up your home by infusing it with little artsy and spiritual artifacts. Introducing: the mezuzah! The mezuzah originates from the biblical precept to "write them on the doorposts of your house and within your gates." MezuzahMaster.com is the perfect site to view beautiful, top-quality mezuzah cases. [ link ]

THE MOSCOW TIMES By Alexander Bratersky Edgy art, like this piece from an earlier show, is a Gelman hallmark. RUSSIA - A religiously themed art exhibition organized in Krasnodar by a prominent patron of the arts has sparked a flurry of protest from activists and even a fake bomb threat, despite being supported by a senior Russian Orthodox Church official. The Icon Expo, put together by Marat Gelman, features works by several contemporary artists — some devoutly religious and others atheists — that aim to show modern icon painting that differs from the traditional style of Russian orthodoxy. [ link ]

READING EAGLE By Bruce Poston "Here Am I for Thou Didst Call Me" by artist Charles Bosseron Chambers. PENNSYLVANIA - Gregory Lynch, 61, of Exeter Township had a physician father who was an inspiration in life and also in the realm of religious art in the early 20th century. A model for the artist Charles Bosseron Chambers , known as the Norman Rockwell of Catholic art , the handsome Thomas F. Lynch (1911-1979) posed for a series of portraits in the the late 1920s and early 1930s encouraging young men to enter the priesthood. These days, Chambers' religious paintings have become highly collectible, his most famous being Jesus portrayed as a young boy in "Light of the World." [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS Salvador Dali's Ascension of Jesus Christ Ascension Day  is a Christian holy day commemorating the transition of the resurrected Jesus Christ from an earthly existence to a return to an eternal heavenly existence.

THE DAILY MAIL  By Meghan Keneally WASHINGTON DC - In a gutsy move, Newsweek has released the cover of their next issue, on the cover of which they depict President Obama with a rainbow halo and the title of 'The First Gay President'. The news-magazine, which hits stands today, is using the shock factor of labeling the straight, married, father-of-two President to draw attention to itself. Tina Brown, who edits the magazine and its sister website The Daily Beast, is known for her love of controversial covers to help boost public interest and sales. [ link ]

DAWN.COM By Asif Noorani An untitled piece by artist Lubna Agha. — File Photo MASSACHUSETTS - Among the top ranking Pakistani-American artists, Lubna Agha , who sadly passed away on Sunday in Boston, did not opt to convey her themes to Western art enthusiasts through traditional genres like miniatures, but chose to communicate through an idiom which was unique and, at the same time, not totally alien to them. She combined the modern-abstract style of the West with traditional Islamic art motifs. When this writer went to see the Aghas in Boston in August 2011, I was shocked to learn that she was battling with cancer. [ link ]

DAILY HERALD "Lead, Kindly Light" by Simon Dewey UTAH -- On Friday, the Utah-based Inspirational Art Association launched "Follow His Light," an exhibition of religious and inspirational art at the visitors' center at Thanksgiving Point Gardens. There are roughly 70 pieces in the show by more than 40 different artists. Many of the paintings have a direct religious theme: Foster, 55, said that there are many depictions of Jesus Christ in "Follow His Light." "There's a beautiful Simon Dewey painting just as you enter," Foster said. "It just jumps out at you. It's gorgeous." [ link ]

CNN | INTERNATIONAL INDONESIA - Lady Gaga may have to disappoint a lot of her "little monsters" in Indonesia after Jakarta police recommended that her sold-out June 3 show not be issued a permit because of security concerns. "Yes, it is for sure, the promoter will not get a permit to hold the concert," National Police spokesman Saud Usman Nasution said Tuesday. The concert promoter, Big Daddy Entertainment, declined to comment on the development. [ link ]

AHRAM ONLINE By Farah Montasser EGYPT - The countdown for the presidential race has begun. In only nine days, Egyptians will head to the polls to vote for Egypt's first post-Mubarak head of state. Thirteen candidates of different political backgrounds are vying for the presidency, but among Egypt's artistic community, only a few of these have received a warm reception. Among the candidates most popular among the arts crowd are leftist Khaled Ali , Nasserist Hamdeen Sabbahi and – in some cases – moderate Islamist Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh. [ link ]

THE GALLERIST NY By Rozalia Jovanovic NEW YORK - The Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) announced yesterday its annual Awards for Excellence for catalogues, articles and exhibitions. First Place (tie): Outstanding Catalogue Based on an Exhibition : Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts , Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2011. Here is the complete list of this year’s award winners: [ link ]

PR NEWSWIRE FLORIDA - Online galleries are good for business and now play a significant role in the success for any artist or art collector.to help meet those challenges, an innovative new advertising program "optimizes" results for artists,photographers and art collectors. It's a fact, there are more than 200 worldwide online galleries . In the past, artists have invested their valuable time and money attempting to find the "right" online galleries to sell their work. The Agency is now offering their valuable Guide to Online Galleries to subscribers that analyses characteristic of hundreds of galleries.[ link ]

THE COAST NEWS By Promise Yee CALIFORNIA -- Crusin’ Califas: The Art of Lowriding opened at the Oceanside Museum of Art on May 12. The exhibit contains works by more than a dozen legendary lowrider artists. The core of lowrider art is based on custom hotrods of the 1960s that were embellished with hydraulic lifts, chrome accessories, pin striping details and custom paint. The artwork combines iconic images from Mexican history, religion and mythology with custom car painting techniques. Art mediums spill across unexpected surfaces. Cars are handpainted and paintings contain custom car glitter. [ link ]

BANGKOK POST Still images from "Buddhist Elation" JAPAN - Atippatai Suwan and Sanchai Noichan have a head full of imagination. Atippatai and Sanchai are amateur animators who won the top title from the Asia Digital Art Awards 2011 held in Japan. ''I personally like anything that represents Thainess,'' said Sanchai. ''And for me, Buddhism is one element of Thainess. Even though Buddhism can be found in many other countries around the world such as China, Japan and India, in my work, I wanted to portray my own interpretation of Buddhism in a Thai way.'' [ link ]

BROADWAY WORLD "The Brooklyn Crucifixion" by Chaim Potok NEW YORK - The conflict between art and religious tradition takes on extraordinary dimensions in My Name is Asher Lev, which is playing at the Long Wharf Theatre. The play opens in the 1950s in Brooklyn with a narration by Asher Lev (Ari Brand), who has been torn since childhood between his extraordinary gift for painting and drawing and his religious and cultural upbringing.  Asher’s fascination with nudes and crucifixes is not simply adolescent rebellion or flirting with forbidden fruit. The play, based on the Chaim Potok novel of the same name, is immensely powerful because the conflict can never be resolved. [ link ]

THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT By Tom Lavis Lithograph “Elvis Meets the Virgin of Guadalupe” (1994) by Enrique Chagoya TENNESSEE - Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Loretto has mounted an exhibition that demonstrates how religious art takes on many forms and styles. “Seeing and Believing: Art Encounters Faith” opens Friday in the Margery Wolf-Kuhn Gallery. It will remain on view through Dec. 8.  “While we are displaying pieces that reflect the traditional European style, we also have the unusual.” She pointed out artist Enrique Chagoya’s lithograph “Elvis Meets the Virgin of Guadalupe” as a good example of nontraditional expression. [ link ]

THE JERUSALEM POST By Jeremy Sharon "The Illuminated Book of Genesis" by Avner Moriah ITALY - Renowned artist Avner Moriah will present the pope with his illustrated version of Genesis, the first book of the Torah, at the Vatican this Wednesday. [ link ]

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE By Jesse Hamlin "Breathing Flower" (2010) by Choi Jeong Hwa  CALIFORNIA - Created by the Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa , the monumental lotus stands across the street from the Asian Art Museum, where 60 other contemporary pieces play off and connect with the museum's prized historical objects in " Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past ," an expansive and ambitious show that opens Friday. [ link ]

THE NEWS TRIBUNE By The Rev. Christopher Morton WASHINGTON - On Saturday, Associated Ministries will partner with the Tacoma Art Museum to host a community dialogue – “ SEEKing Common Ground: A Dialogue About Art, Faith and Sexuality ." Five South Sound religious leaders will engage one another directly in a dialogue. [ link ]

RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH By Roy Procter Procession of Ram Singh II of Kota (detail) VIRGINIA - The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is poised to open a big-ticket exhibition, " Maharaja: The Splendor of India's Great Kings ," which was organized by London's Victoria and Albert Museum. [ link ]