Disney-Britton

SikhNN By Anju Kaur About 3000 Sikhs were killed in 2 days in Delhi, Nov. 1984 WASHINGTON, DC – The Sikh Art and Film Foundation in New York City has postponed its annual gala this week in response to the rising controversy about its decision to honor Indian government officials on the 28th anniversary of the 1984 pogroms . This festive event coincides with the anniversary of the government-planned systematic slaughter and rape of thousands of Sikhs throughout the length and breadth of India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Since 2004, the foundation has held its annual Sikh International Film Festival as its mission of community outreach and awareness, said Tejinder Singh Bindra, its president, in an email to SikhNN. “Above all, the Sikh Art and Film Foundation’s raison d’être was founded as, and remains to celebrate Sikhi, not to divide the Sikh community,” Tejinder Singh told SikhNN.  [ link ]

FRONTLINE By Benoy K. Behl Buddha from Faya-Tepe, 1st-2nd Century, CE Collection: Tashkent National Museum, Uzbekistan INDIA---One of the greatest examples of the dissemination of philosophic and artistic ideas is the spread of Buddhism from the Indian subcontinent to the other countries of Asia. One of the seeming miracles in the story of man is the spread of ideas, across formidable mountains, vast oceans and national boundaries. The warm acceptance of concepts from distant lands goes to underline the deep similarity of human nature and aspirations everywhere. One of the greatest examples of the dissemination of philosophic and artistic ideas is the spread of Buddhism from the Indian subcontinent to the many other countries of Asia. [ link ]

NEW STATESMAN By Kamila Kociallowska St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. (Photo credit: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/GettyImages) The Catholic Church is set to embark upon a new engagement with contemporary art, after confirming that the Vatican will be given its own pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2013. This is the first time the Holy See will be represented at the event – undeniably one of the most prestigious art exhibitions in the world – after several years of discussion. In the past, the Vatican has described the Biennale as a “debacle” which demonstrates “the breakdown of art in modern times”. Italy’s La Stampa newspaper revealed that the “subject matter will be the first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis”.[ link ]

ANSAmed FRANCE---Turkey has accused the Louvre's new Islamic Arts wing, which French President Francois Hollande inaugurated last month, of exhibiting artwork stolen from Istanbul's Piyale Pasha Mosque in the 18th century. Turkish Minister of Culture Erturul Guenay secretly sent two experts to Paris, who confirmed that three terracotta murals now on exhibit are those taken from the mosque, designed by Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan for the vizier and grand admiral Piyale Mehmed Pasha and built between 1565-1573. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Michiko Kaktuani By the age of 42 (in an era in which life expectancy was 40), Leonardo da Vinci had yet to create anything commensurate with his lofty ambitions. At that point, Ross King writes in his new book, “ Leonardo and ‘The Last Supper ” he “had produced only a few scattered paintings, a bizarre-looking music instrument, some ephemeral decorations for masques and festivals and many hundreds of pages of notes and drawings for studies he had not yet published, or for inventions he had not yet built.” In this volume Mr. King — gives us a gripping account of how that painting was created and how it represents, in his view, one of the few times in Leonardo’s life that he managed to “harness and concentrate his relentless energies and restless obsessions.” [ link ]

SAINT LOUIS REVIEW By Teak Phillips | editor@archstl.org "Entombment of Christ" (1579-82) by Federico Barocci MISSOURI---When Christians pray and worship at Church of the Cross in Senigallia, Italy, they face a bold painting of Christ's burial. The picture depicts the crucified Christ being carried by St. John the Evangelist, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea. The narrative found in this painting clearly follows the story of Christ's burial found in all four Gospels, but with a strong influence of the style common in the Renaissance. The oil on canvas "Entombment of Christ" is among the 16th- and 17th-century works of Federico Barocci on exhibit through Jan. 20 at the St. Louis Art Museum.  [ link ]

ASIA ONE | THE BUSINESS TIMES By Helmi Yusof "Namo Buddhaya: A Path Towards The Divine Light" by Phatyos Buddhacharoen SINGAPORE ---Singapore Art Museum's excellent exhibition on Thai contemporary art is certainly worth a look. Titled " Thai Transience ," it is conceptually tight, curatorially elegant and mightily theatrical. And it proves once again why Thailand's art scene is one of the most underrated in the region. Some of these artworks are reactions to the turmoil the country faced in recent years.... But largely, the works reflect the changing values of Thai people against the backdrop of Buddhism. [ link ]

CHICAGO TRIBUNE By Stephanie Pett and Paul Casciato, Rueters "Pieta" (c. 1520-30) by Gerard David UNITED KINGDOM--- Religious rivals of the Protestant reformation, murderous royal patrons and other 15th-16th century power brokers are brought to life in a new London art show telling the tale of northern Europe's renaissance. Some of the characters on show in drawings and paintings put together for " The Northern Renaissance: Duerer to Holbein " at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace come straight from the pages of Booker prize-winning novelist Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall", with Martin Luther, Thomas More and Henry VIII playing key roles. Works by Albrecht Duerer , Lucas Cranach the Elder , Francois Clouet , Leonardo da Vinci , Hans Holbein the Younger and others capture images of people and convey some of the drama from an intense period of religious, political, artistic and philosophical upheaval which convulsed northern Europe. [ link...

COLUMBIA DAILY TRIBUNE By Amy Wilder MISSOURI---Visitors to "Seeing the Divine in Hindu Art" at the University of Missouri's Museum of Art and Archaeology might have the sensation of being watched. This isn't because there are badly disguised eyeholes cut into paintings for spying, or due to the abovementioned optical illusion. Curator of Collections Jeffrey Wilcox explained that images of Hindu deities are created to serve as vessels or conduits for an active divine presence — that can see the viewer — when ritually invoked. He pointed out one image, a silver plaque showing the eyes of the goddess Devi from 19th century India. [ link ]

THE OKLAHOMAN By Associated Press OKLAHOMA---Some traditional Mohawks are treating the naming of the nation's first Native American saint with skepticism and fear that the Roman Catholic Church is using it to shore up its image and marginalize traditional spiritual practices. They see the story of Kateri Tekakwitha as yet another reminder of colonial atrocities and religious oppression. "I was a recipient of these historical profanities and want to ensure this does not happen again," said Doug George-Kanentiio, a Mohawk writer who left Catholicism to follow traditional longhouse spiritual practices. Traditional Mohawks recognize the reverence their Catholic relatives and friends have for Kateri, said Chaz Kader, a Mohawk journalist who was raised Catholic but follows ancient longhouse traditions now. But many remain troubled by how the church portrays her life. [ link ]

HUFFINGTON POST By Cavan Sieczkowski NEW ZEALAND--- Chapel Bar & Bistro , located in Ponsonby, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, is celebrating its seventh anniversary. In honor of "seven years of almighty nights," Chapel released an ad depicting "Jesus" and "Mary" in a compromising position. In the ad, a rocker-type man with long, shaggy hair and layers of bracelets portrays "Jesus." He lays sprawled out on messy bed strewn with tangled sheets. His arms are stretched and his feet are crossed, echoing the crucifixion. Beside him lays "Mary," curled up at his torso with her hands folded in a sort-of prayer and a blue sheet covering her head and body. Clothes are tossed around the room and a half-eaten pizza is left in a box on the floor. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib Detail of Angela Bulloch - Night Sky: Mercury and Venus (2010) In 2010, Canadian installation artist Angela Bulloch (b. 1966) mimicked a night sky to shine above the altar at Basel's Münster cathedral. The installation was a hit in an short career of many hits for her works with sound and installation. Bulloch's piece reveals a wide "view" into the universe to the upward-gazing spectator, and what better place to gaze towards the sky than in a cathedral? At A&O, we are grateful today to Kianga Ellis who tweets @ ModernChrist for introducing us to Angela Bulloch.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest  Disney-Britton In "Magnetism" (above), Saudi artist  Ahmed Mater al-Ziad’s creates a doorway through which even non-Muslims can experience the powerful pull of the Hajj . This week as over 2 million pilgrims went to Mecca to walk in prayer around the sacred black cube known as the  Kaaba , Ahmed Mater's photograuve  series was on view in London at the Edge of Arabia exhibition. Hajj participants say that strangers who meet during this annual journey leave forever bound. Similarly, in this week's film release, " Cloud Atlas " adapted from David Mitchell's novel about faith, choices, and all the things that bind us, one of his characters declares, “...there ain't no journey what don't change you some.” The magnetism of such journeys makes Ahmed Mater’s photographs my NEWS OF WEEK .

HOLLYWOOD JESUS By Elisabeth Leitch Ask Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and even the publisher of the award winning novel what "Cloud Atlas" is about, and you'll probably have no better idea than before. Just Google the title or read the jacket description, and you'll know what I mean. Basically, "Cloud Atlas" jumps back and forth between six different stories, they all take place in different time periods, and they are all connected. The question that most of the book's descriptions leave unanswered—what the stories actually about. And one which filmmakers Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski , and Tom Twyker skillfully answer in their seemingly impossible, yet brilliantly executed adaptation of not only each individual story in the book, but the themes that weave them together. [ link ] ★★★

WASHINGTON POST By Jen Chaney Most people find it impossible to think of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” without simultaneously thinking, “Man, I could really go for a turkey melt at Denny’s.” Actually, that sentence is only true if you change the words “most people” to the “marketing staff at Denny’s.” Which is why, starting Nov. 6, there will be an entire “Hobbit” menu available at Denny’s, as a tie-in with the upcoming Peter Jackson movie.  For example, you could have the Hobbit Hole Breakfast, which consists of two fried eggs on a cheddar bun with bacon and hash browns. (Hobbits all have super-high cholesterol.)[ link ]

ORISHA DIARY By Akshya Rout INDIA---Buddhism held sway over large parts of coastal Odisha in ancient times and the region forms an important part of Buddhist history. The excavation of numerous Buddha images is not only historically significant but also revels the artistic excellence and iconography know-how during the Buddhist era. Magnificent remain of Buddhist edifices and images of the Vajrayana pantheon have been unearthed at Ratnagiri. The Buddhist art in the region attained a high degree of excellence under the patronage of the Bouma-Kararulers, most of whom were devout Buddhists. But the Buddhist historical places are being neglected by the Archeological Survey of India and the locals. [ link ]

ALGEMEINER By Elke Reva Sudin Finding Home #79 “Ishq”, 2006 by Siona Benjamin NEW JERSEY---Threatened by secularization in the wake of modernization, members of different religions are joining together to give strength and inspiration to one another, even if their practices, backgrounds, and beliefs differ. Comes to play, " Blessed Are the Artists ," an exhibit at Caldwell College bringing together 20 artists from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds. Historically a Catholic college, the institution considered doing an exhibition on Christian art, when curator Yulia Tikhonova decided to make the exhibition theme broader. The exhibition shows such a variety of approaches to religion in art and does not make one stance or another, allowing for each approach to be right. [ link ]

PRESSTV SAUDIA ARABIA---On Friday, Muslim pilgrims mark Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday, when they proceed to Mina, a small village east of Mecca, and throw stones at the devil. Following the symbolic stoning of the devil, Muslim pilgrims also perform the ritual of sacrificing sheep and cattle, marking the first day of Eid al-Adha. The day marks the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage and Muslims around the world celebrate the following three days in honor of the occasion [ link ]

JEWISH PRESS By Richard Macbee "Dancing in the Rain" by Rosa Katzenelson NEW YORK---Passion of belief can certainly lead to passion of expression, especially for an artist. Rosa Katzenelson’s paintings and digital artwork, currently at the Hadas Gallery in Brooklyn, could easily define the very essence of religious expressionism. As a Chabad devotee, every aspect of her work exudes a passion for both the chassidic subjects she depicts and the visceral act of making a painting. Nonetheless, upon closer inspection her work yields considerably more complexity. [ link ]

AMERICA By Denis Janz It is common knowledge that Martin Luther (1483-1546) changed the religious landscape of Western Europe. Fewer of us are familiar with Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), the most prolific and arguably the most accomplished artist of the time. And only specialists know that the two were close friends who struggled together on a united front for many of the same goals. Steven Ozment, a distinguished Harvard historian, scrutinizes this relationship between theologian and artist and argues that working in tandem, they shook “the foundations of established religion and established art.” Ozment’s book is no stodgy, dreary tome on art history or the history of theology. Rather it is an example of scholarship at its best: carefully researched, elegantly written, spirited and provocative. [ link ]

RELIGIOUS DISPATCHES By Joanna Piacenza There are a bunch of Buddhist monks killing Muslims in Myanmar and no one seems to care. Prompted by the alleged rape of a Buddhist woman by three Muslim men in June, violent clashes between the two groups keep popping up in western Myanmar. This sort of ethnic repression is not new; the Burmese have long viewed the Rohingya (members of the local Muslim community) as illegal immigrants, despite the fact that many belong to families that have resided in Myanmar for generations. This is the realistic image our Western culture needs to add to its vision of the cross-legged men in the funny robes: the powerful and political Buddhist monk. [ link ]

JEWISH ART SALON "Lilith in the New World" by Siona Benjamin NEW JERSEY---Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts presents the exhibtion, "Ornament and Narrative" in conjunction with The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art, and Society program of Rutgers Institute for Women and Art. This exhibit proposes two streams, ornament and narrative, that animate the work of the participating artists. Strictures against figurative representation have been, to varying degrees and at different moments in history, a part of Muslim, Christian and Jewish cultures and societies. [ link ]

ARK ENCOUNTER

RUETERS  (Pilgrims stand at the entrance of Hera Cave at the top of Mount al-Nour, November 2, 2011. REUTERS/Ammar Awad) SAUDIA ARABIA---Millions of Muslim pilgrims congregate in Mecca for the haj every year. The come from all corners of the globe, carrying with them their own versions and interpretations of Islam, but some things unite them: their simple white robes and rituals such as circling the Kaaba , a cube-shaped structure that Muslims believe was built by the Prophet Abraham, standing at Mount Arafat and the hurling pebbles at a wall in an act of ritual stoning . But in the shadow of these sacred rituals lurk some practices that Saudi Arabia’s austere Wahhabi clerics describe as sinful or “innovative”. One of those innovated rites is visiting Mount al-Nour , which Muslims believe is the place where the Koran was first revealed to Prophet Mohammad as he was praying in a small cave tucked between slabs of rock near the top of the mountain. Its name is Hera Cave...

THE ART DESK By Mark Hudson Madson Mompremier's ‘Les Generales’, 1988, Gassen Collection UNITED KINGDOM---I’ve rarely come across an exhibition as loaded with context as this one. Voodoo – or Vodou, as the show has it – is a massively complex and contested phenomenon, from the pin-sticking and zombies of legend and fantasy to the no-less colourful reality. Haitian history is tragic and dramatic, fraught with misinformation stemming from the country’s creation in an 18th century slave revolt. The religion, the history and the art produced from them feed in and out of each other in fascinating ways which the exhibition’s promotional material presents as a great slab of facts and ideas that have to be negotiated before you can even get your foot in the door. [ link ]

PAKISTANI OBSERVER By Sana Jamal PAKISTAN---In a rapprochement bid between the Muslim world and the West, France has initiated a gigantic task by introducing a section dedicated to Islamic Art at Louvre Museum in Paris. The innovative architectural extension to the world’s largest museum is an endeavour to recognize the remarkable Islamic civilisation, and its contribution to the world, said the Ambassador of France to Pakistan, Mr. Philippe Thiebaud, speaking to journalists at the Alliance Française of Islamabad on Wednesday. The objective of the renowned museum is “to build bridges between the East and the West where we can speak of our differences but also, and above all, our shared history and reciprocal influences over the centuries”, informed the French Ambassador.  [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib Magnetism" by Ahmed Mater UNITED KINGDOM---London's " Come Together " exhibition brings together 25 artists : Arab and Islamic of the Gulf to Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, including Ahmed Mater (above), widely considered one of the Middle East’s most fascinating contemporary artists. The exhibition title is a deliberate reference by the producers: Edge of Arabia to social networking channels, which have transformed the nature and power of individual voices and expression in the Arab World in recent years..

ARTINFO | BLOUIN Lalla Essaydi, Harem 16, 2009 (c. Christie's) DUBAI---Tonight and tomorrow, Christie’s Dubai will hold its Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian,and Turkish art sales, featuring some of the stars of the region including Charles Hussein Zenderoudi, Shirin Neshat, Lalla Essayd i , and Farhad Moshiri , along with modern masters Mahmoud Said, Louay Kayyali and Paul Guiragossian. “About thirty pecent of the Dubai sales are bought by non-Middle Eastern clients globally – in London, the US, and elsewhere,” Christie’s specialist for this sale, Michael Jeha said, “and also from institutions: Tate, MoCA, the Met.” More artists are emerging, as well, particularly coming out of Saudi, according to Jeha, and from Egypt. “I think the whole region in the next five to ten years will show a stronger awareness and appetite for art from collectors,” Jeha told me, “and an increase in the quality of art – the whole package.”[ link ]

HARRISON DAILY VOICE United We Stand-A Celebration of Religious & Racial Unity & Tolerance Through Art NEW YORK---There is a strong connection between the famous Henry Moore sculpture, which has graced the campus of Purchase College for over 30 years, and the life and work of Isaac Witkin . Isaac was first recognized as a promising young sculptor in a seminal exhibition of then modern sculptors of the 60’s, in London, England, entitled “The New Generation”, which, to quote Witkin’s New York Times Obituary, “met with critical acclaim and public bewilderment”! Faculty, staff, students, and the community are invited on October 24th at 4:00 pm when this lyrical sculpture "United We Stand-A Celebration of Religious & Racial Unity & Tolerance Through Art" will be formally introduced. [l ink ]

HUFFINGTON POST Painted Posse with cross on chest LOUISIANA--- Louisiana State University landed in hot water last week when the school appeared to have airbrushed Christian crosses out of a photo of several LSU fans who had painted the symbols on their chests. But when the students saw their picture in the school's email newsletter, they noticed the crosses had been removed. The airbrushing prompted anger and a certain amount of confusion, since the crosses remained in pictures posted on Facebook and on the school's website, the Daily Reveille reported. LSU is unapologetic. [ link ]

DAILY NEWS By Katelyn Hruby May Memorial Window by Louis Comfort Tiffany at Temple Emanu-El NEW YORK---A new exhibition offers a window on the talents of Louis Comfort Tiffany — and a reminder that the city is chock-full of his sometimes hidden gems. “ Louis C. Tiffany and the Art of Devotion ” is on display through Jan. 20 at the Museum of Biblical Art, arriving with a $55 coffee-table book of the same name. Both the exhibition and its book underscore how Tiffany oversaw production for religious institutions, leaving a legacy of artistic achievement and elegant craftsmanship. [ link ]

SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE  By Camille Paglia As a 40-year veteran teacher in art schools, I am alarmed about the future of American art. Young people today, immersed in a digital universe, love the volatile excitement of virtual reality, but they lack the patience to steadily contemplate a single image—a complex static object such as a great painting or sculpture. Although I am an atheist, a religious perspective shapes my view of art. I spent the past five years writing a book ( Glittering Images ), which charts the evolving styles of Western art during the past 3,000 years. [ link ]

YAREAH By Isabel del Rio Islam vs Christianity: Mozarabic art In fact, we are speaking of two extended religions that have conformed two extended cultures. Face to face, Muslims and Christians have been living together for centuries and not always fighting. In the Iberian Peninsula, they coexisted during 800 years (from 711 to 1492). The consequence brought some artistic jewels. Today I would like to honor the Mozarabic art, humble but beautiful, poor materials but great architectonic solutions, the real art of a legendary time. [ link ]

TIMES  FREE PRESS By Clint Cooper "Freedom Flight" by Evelyn Marie Williams GEORGIA---A bluebird flies free as the cage and chain imprisoning it break apart and fall through the air in a dusky light. Artist Evelyn Marie Williams said the idea was given to her during prayer. The painting symbolizes the heritage of the United States but could well be her life. It illustrates "the freedom to be who we are, to worship God, to be who we are created to be," she said. [ link ]

SHOHH.COM By Cyrus Langhorne Add caption West Coast rapper Game may be opening up a can of worms in light of his new Jesus Piece cover art which shows a gang-inspired version of the religious figure. In the cover art, Game's version of Jesus showcases Blood-related symbols including a red bandana, gold chain and tattooed tear drop. "I'm calling [my new album] Jesus Piece 'cause last year in August I got baptized and so I've been going to church, but I still been kinda doing me out here," Game said in an interview. "I still love the strip club and I still smoke and drink. I'm faithful to my family, so I wanted to make an album where you could love God and be of God, but still get it poppin' in your life." (Jenny Boom Boom TV)[ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest  Disney-Britton Tony Melendez's "Saint Kateri Tekakwitha" All the worlds religions promise lives filled with problems, but they also promise miracles. At A&O, we believe in miracles. Miracles are moments when divine power is channeled through men and women we call saints---models of holiness to be imitated. Saints are known in Judaism as Tzadik , in Islam as wali , in Hinduism as guru , in Buddhism as boddhisatva , and in Sikhism as sant or bhagat . This morning, Pope Benedikt XVI named seven new saints (miracle-makers) including the first Native American: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha , an Algonquin-Mohawk and patron of ecology.  That's why "Blessed" (above) by Tony Melendez is NEWS OF WEEK .

FOX NEWS By Associated Press Native Indians hold an image of Kateri Tekakwitha  as they wait for the start of a canonization ceremony . VATICAN CITY---Some 80,000 pilgrims in flowered lei, feathered headdresses and other traditional garb flooded St. Peter's Square on Sunday as Pope Benedict XVI added seven more saints onto the roster of Catholic role models in a bid to reinvigorate the faith in parts of the world where it's lagging. Two of the new saints were Americans: Kateri Tekakwitha , the first Native American saint from the U.S., and Mother Marianne Cope, a 19th century Franciscan nun who cared for leprosy patients in Hawaii. It seemed as if a third saint, Pedro Calungsod, a 17th century Filipino teenage martyr, drew the biggest crowd of all, with Rome's sizeable Filipino expat community turning out in flag-waving droves to welcome the country's second saint. In his homily, Benedict praised each of the seven as heroic and courageous examples for the entire ...

ARTINFO By Tyler Green | Modern Art Notes "When Faith Moves Mountains" (2002) by Francis Alÿs I’m on vacation this week. Instead of new, original content, I’ll be featuring past reviews/criticism that are particularly relevant now. America’s art museums hold much of Europe’s best religious art. But it was with that idea in mind that I considered one of Francis Alÿs’s best pieces when MoMA and its satellite PS1 hosted a two-venue Alÿs survey in 2011. Does Alÿs’s work address faith more than is typically acknowledged? [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib "The Head of Christ" (1941) by Warner Sallman INDIANA---Widely considered the most well collected American portrait of Christ, "The Head of Christ" is part of the Warner Sallman Art Collection at Anderson University, and last month, the collection moved into a new home. On September 23, 2012 the university opened the doors to a new $5 million state-of-the-art 24,000 square foot Krannert Fine Arts building with classrooms, performance spaces, and a new gallery for the Sallman collection. The collection includes includes oil paintings, pastels, watercolors, pen and ink drawings, and bits of typography produced by Warner Sallman. “We have referred to this facility as a sanctuary for the arts because it is a space on our campus like no other, created to enhance the student experience and lift up musical performances at their very best,” said Dr. James L. Edwards , president of Anderson University. Anderson University is a private Christi...

PRESS ASSOCIATION

RECORD By Jo Ann Kirby Thosands of Sikhs march down California Street near Market Street in the annual Sikh Parade through downtown Stockton. CALIFORNIA---The Sikh community came from near and far this weekend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara - a temple on South Grant Street that holds special meaning, because it represents the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States. A weekend of events, including the reading of a state resolution honoring the centennial, culminated Sunday with a colorful parade through downtown Stockton. Attended by a throng of thousands, the stop-and-go parade was punctuated by martial arts demonstrations, live music and a veritable rolling potluck of sorts. [ link ]

LOCAL IQ By Kayla Sawyer NEW MEXICO---The artistry of Zen Buddhist teacher Jitsudo Ancheta began with gift-giving in celebration of New Year’s Day. He would carve on linoleum and multi-plate woodblock prints, embedding them with spiritual images and words, and each new year, give them to members of the local art and Buddhist communities. The Albuquerque art scene and the Buddhist community support each other, said Ancheta. “The art supports the practice,” he explained in a recent talk with Local iQ. While creating his pieces, Ancheta employs mantra chanting, like the “Heart Sutra,” a famous sutra in Mahayana Buddhism. [ link ]

THE GLOBE AND MAIL By Kate Taylor "This is the Nemesis" (1965; mixed media on masonite). This was Kurelek's apocalyptic vision of the destruction of Hamilton, Ont. CANADA---In 1969 the Canadian artist Willliam Kurelek told the American filmmaker Robert M. Young: “First of all, I would like to state quite categorically that I don’t believe I was ever mental … I wasn’t mental.” Today, it is that statement that opens William Kurelek’s The Maze, a remake of Young’s original documentary about the artist undertaken by the filmmaker’s sons, Nick and Zack Young. The remade film tells the story of Kurelek’s remarkable spiritual journey from a British psychiatric hospital to the Toronto art world. Meanwhile, the story behind the documentary, which will be screened at the Rendezvous with Madness film festival next month after a Toronto premiere Friday, is also remarkable, as a filmmaking family unearths an unseen treasure from its own vaults and restores it to view. [ link ]

BLOOMBERG By Farah Nayeri Pussy Riot , the female Russian punk rock band with two members still in jail, landed on ArtReview’s annual ranking of the 100 most influential people in the art world, the Power 100, published today. The band was 57th on a list topped by Carolyn Christov- Bakargiev, curator of Documenta 13. ArtReview Editor Mark Rappolt said in an interview that Pussy Riot were “not on the list for their music. It’s much more for the fact that they raised the issue of freedom of speech and expression, which sometimes get ignored.” Every year, Art Review gathers an international panel of art-world professionals to pick the 100 most influential people in their field. Below is the complete list, with last year’s ranking in brackets:

KANSAS CITY STAR By Roy Gutman In this Dec. 21, 2011 photo, Phyllis Tessitore of Amsterdam, N.Y., says a prayer in front of a statue of the the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha at the National Kateri Shrine and Indian Museum in Fonda, N.Y. ITALY---The Roman Catholic Church began final preparations Wednesday for what will be a watershed event in the church’s relationship with Native American cultures, the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha , a Mohawk Indian who lived in the 17th century, who on Sunday will become the church’s first Native American saint. More than 700 Native Americans, many in full regalia, are expected to take part in the ceremony in St. Peter’s Square honoring the woman who is known as the Lily of the Mohawks. A choir singing an Indian hymn will be among the participants. At a Mass on Monday inside St. Peter’s Basilica, Native Americans will conduct a “smudge” ceremony by burning sage, according to an American church official. [ link ]

SEATTLE TIMES By Susan Fraser and Frank Jordans Photo of pianist at the piano courtesy of National Turk TURKEY---A top Turkish pianist and composer appeared in court on Thursday to defend himself against charges of offending Muslims and insulting Islam in comments he made on Twitter. Fazil Say , who has played with the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and others, is on trial for sending tweets that included one in April that joked about a call to prayer that lasted only 22 seconds. Say tweeted: "Why such haste? Have you got a mistress waiting or a raki on the table?" Raki is a traditional alcoholic drink made with aniseed. Islam forbids alcohol and many Islamists consider the remarks unacceptable. Prosecutors in June charged Say with inciting hatred and public enmity, and with insulting "religious values." He faces a maximum 18 months prison term, although any sentence is likely to be suspended. [ link ]

GISBOURNE HERALD By Kristine Walsh New works by Matthew Couper exploring sin in Vegas NEW ZEALAND---Seeking inspiration for his religion-infused paintings, Matthew Couper went to the heart of Sin City. There, he worked under the most devilish glow of any along the whoring, gambling streak of Las Vegas’s Sunset Boulevard. Couper’s studio-cum-apartment lurks in the shadow of the Stratosphere Tower . . . a soaring example of excess in a city defined by its excesses. And there, he says, he found what he was looking for. While his work explores the anxieties around modern life, his practice borders on the antiquated — good old-fashioned paint applied to create Couper’s own interpretation of sacred-style art in a world that humans insist on destroying, and where greed is not just “good”, it is “god”. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib Thanks to the generosity of Unity Productions, their inspiring and educational film is now available for "free" about the Prophet Muhammad. Entitled, " Muhammad: Legacy of the Prophet " the film is an excellent tool for educating believers, of all faiths (and skeptics too) about the true legacy of the Islamic prophet. Unity Productions is the same team which over the past year has brought the message about Islamic Art to audiences across America using film, at museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as on national television on PBS. We invite, and encourage you to take advantage of this free opportunity.

FRONTLINE Colossal Buddha, 8th-9th Century, Mulbek, Ladkh. Benoy K. Behl is a film-maker, art historian and photographer who is known for his prolific output of work over the past 34 years. He has taken over 35,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage and made over a hundred documentaries on art history. This series carries photographs from his photographic exhibition on Buddhist Heritage of the World, which is currently on display in Nara in Japan and in the French Reunion Island. It was also displayed earlier this year in London, Washington, D.C., Tokyo, Leh, New Delhi and at the International Buddhist Conclave in Varanasi. The series has photographs taken in 19 countries/regions across Asia and in one part of Europe which has a 300-year-old Buddhist heritage. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Liz Leyden Bishop Larry Silva of Honolulu, left, and others at a memorial to Mother Marianne Cope at St. Joseph’s cemetery and mausoleum in Utica, N.Y. NEW YORK--- Mother Marianne will be one of seven Roman Catholic saints — including another New Yorker, Kateri Tekakwitha — canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday. Born Barbara Koob in what is now Germany, Mother Marianne moved with her family to Utica in 1839, when she was a year old. In 1883, she answered a call to help thousands of Hawaiians who were ill with a mysterious and disfiguring disease known as leprosy and who were being taken from their families and exiled to a remote peninsula on Molokai called Kalaupapa. [ link ]

FRANCE24 The Russian authorities have effectively cancelled a modern art exhibit in Saint Petersburg which Russia's Orthodox conservatives have denounced as anti-religious, its curator said Tuesday. The exhibit "Icons", which includes religious icons and sculptures, was set to open in Russia's northwestern city in November, but its organisers came under pressure from the authorities, curator Marat Gelman wrote on his blog. The "Icons" exhibit includes works by Russian contemporary artists which echo religious works of art, for example, a version of "The Last Supper" where Jesus Christ and the apostles sit with their backs to the viewer. [ link ]

HUFFINGTON POST By Rev. Daniel C. Storrs This icon of Matthew was painted by Fr. William McNichols A young man is alive but unconscious. His broken, bloodied and disfigured body is tied up and left for the beasts of the field to satisfy their savage cravings. His body is perfectly still, devoid of all movement, almost mythical to the nature that surrounds it. This man we have just beheld could easily be Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. However, the man we have gazed upon is not Jesus, dying some 2,000 years ago on a cross, but rather our brother Matthew Shepard, tied to a fence in October 1998. Matthew is an icon of God, as we all are, a child created in the image and beauty of the Divine. Matthew is specifically an icon of the Queer God, as found in the hearts and faces of all those who were born outside the perceived normal realms of straight sexual orientation or gender identity. [ link ]

CHRISTIANITY TODAY By Camerin Courtney Argo opens with a brief history lesson about the Iranian Revolution and the United States's involvement, then cuts right to the takeover of the U.S. Embassy. It's a tidal wave of action and tension we ride pretty much until the end of the film. The mostly factual screenplay is based on portions of Mendez's book, The Master in Disguise , as well as the Wired magazine article "The Great Escape." The pacing is spot on, offering humorous moments when the tension ratchets up, but then deftly cutting to a shot of the hostages in blindfolds or in a dank basement. It's a theater of the absurd, but always with an eye on the very serious stakes. We're given personal moments with the "houseguests," tripping over each other for days on end, as well as the international scope of the incident. [ link ] ★★★★

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib ” There Will Be No Miracles Here ”  by Nathan Coley Thanks to Kianga Ellis @ModernChrist for this piece by Nathan Coley . Kianga tweeted , that the piece is "a little different from what I've been posting. More of a conceptual presentation of iconography." Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1967, Coley was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2007. His work appears to explore religious architecture and its social environment, and he definitely qualifies to be listed as a contemporary religious artist.

HARVARD CRIMSON By Erica Eisen MASSACHUSETTS---An art show featuring pieces from around the world on faith and compassion attracted a diverse group of students, community members, and artists alike for a preview this Friday. The popularity of the opening of the show, “Compassion: The Good Samaritan,” was due in part to how relevant the artwork is to a general audience, said Olivia J. Krusel ’15, a member of Harvard College Faith and Action, the organization responsible for organizing the exhibition . In line with the theme of the exhibition, most of the proceeds from the art sales go to a charity called Compassion International, according to curator Roni Pavick. Pavick hoped that the show would create a “visual voice” and spark dialogs about the meaning of compassion and how to act upon it. [ link ]

HUFFINGTON POST By Brandon Withrow According to a recent Pew Research Center report , there is an increase of intolerance toward the religious globally. The intolerance recorded included both "governmental restrictions" and "social hostility," ranging from banned minarets on mosques in Switzerland to violence between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria or even restricted religious attire in U.S. prisons and restricted zoning permits for churches. There are likely as many ideas for how to respond to intolerance of religion as there are religions. Education is one useful tool for combating intolerance, but there are solutions that will never be good for religion or society. One option that ranks near the top of my list of terrible ideas is that of the blasphemy law. Blasphemy laws are like crows decked in the feathers of another bird; they are said to protect religion, but that disguise belies the reality, which is to protect power. The result is not safeguarded reli...

BEYOND THE ROBE By Bob Sager The Tibetan prayer flags are a kind of delivery system for good wishes, protection, and positive intentions. Tibetan prayer flags reflect the monks' belief that the point of being alive is to make good things happen for others. Everything is interconnected. Like the prayer flags, the monks themselves are a delivery system for a worldview that places compassion and interdependence at its center. Prayer flags, like the monks and nuns, have an inspiring simplicity and sanctity of purpose. The flags use the wind to deliver their karmic messages to whoever needs them. Using themselves for the betterment of all sentient beings, the monks let the winds of need decide their path. I'm hoping that after reading " Beyond the Robe ", you will hang a prayer flag as a concrete baby step. [ link ]

HAARETZ  ByNir Hasson ISRAEL---The giant mural painted by artist Yaakov Stark covers the walls of the Ades Synagogue completed exactly 100 years ago. The restoration work started last week as part of a program to preserve national heritage sites. Stark, who immigrated to the land of Israel from Galicia in Eastern Europe in 1906, was a member of the small group of artists who gathered around Boris Schatz , founder of the Bezalel School in the institution's early days. In the painting, one verse from the Hebrew bible ( Isaiah 56:7 ) runs the entire circumference of the synagogue: "I will bring them to My sacred house ... for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." [ link ]

PATHEOS  By Marc NYC gallery installation of Warhol's Last Supper series It is considerably frustrating that Mr. Warhol was an ardent, believing, and practicing Ruthenian Rite Catholic. Such an immense failure of the intellect makes him impossible to idolize in precisely the manner we wish to idolize him: As a new-age, secular artiste, champion of unexamined homosexuality and all things hip, enemy of the repressed, the medieval, and the ancient. Now truly, Mr. Warhol was openly, undeniably gay, a laudable feat in a time less friendly to men with same-sex attraction. But to fashion the Wigged Wonder into our 21st-century, objectified caricature of a homosexual does him violence. According to the wonderful book " The Religious Art of Andy Warhol ", by Jane Daggett Dillenberger, the man remained celibate, a fact revealed by his own declaration of virginity and at his eulogy, where it was recalled that “as a youth he was withdrawn and reclusive, devout and celibate, an...

ROME REPORTS ITALY---When it comes to 'street art' most people think about graffiti. But this local Italian, is changing that perception...His art, is all about Christianity. His projects include posters of Madonnas, Jesus and Saints. All of them placed in random Roman street walls. The 34 year old goes by the name of 'Mr. Klevra.' He works full time as an engineer and on his free time he designs religious posters. His favorite style is Byzantine iconography. Over the years he has posted roughly 300 posters throughout Rome and Florence. But he acknowledges that once posted, they are no longer his. They belong to the entire city. [ link ]

AME INFO UNITED ARAB EMIRATES---The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation - one of the 16 museums under the umbrella of the Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) - has been chosen to display its artefacts on the website of Museum With No Frontiers (MWNF) - an international online museum project which uses cultural heritage to foster intercultural understanding and create opportunities for local economic and cultural tourism development. Most importantly, Museum with no Frontiers is the largest online storehouse of Islamic art and the only platform to include all major Islamic art collections of the Arab world. The first virtual exhibition conceived by MWNF was launched in 2007, and today, MWNF is the largest museum on the web. The virtual museum is constantly updated, with new projects added continuously. Today, the MWNF network includes 500 partners from across Europe and the Middle East, drawn from both the public and private cultural sector. [ link ]

THE JESUS QUESTION "Hatiku Sangat Sedih" (2002) by Ni Ketut Ayu Sri Wardani  INDONESIA---Another painting that compellingly conveys the crushing weight of Jesus’ final temptation is Ni Ketut Ayu Sri Wardani’s "Hatiku Sangat Sedih" (Indonesian for “My heart is sad,” a reference to Mark 14:34). All of Wardani’s artwork is beautiful in its expressiveness, especially of Christ’s sorrow, and I look forward to sharing more of it with you guys in the future. In this painting, the brushstrokes are frantic, chaotic. They pound and pulverize Jesus, making him bend down under their force. Wardani takes the opposite approach of Ssali in terms of color scheme, using cool colors instead of warm. So instead of piping hot furnace, we get cold, dark abyss. But the yellow (the only warm color on the canvas) might be said to represent a light of hope in this dark moment, a Father’s loving arms outstretched to his Son, trying to warm him in this time of trial. [ link ]