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ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB OHIO--- Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God established with the Children of Israel, and all the laws and conventions are intended to satisfy that covenant. So, what happens when a young woman defies those conventions her dream? That's the story of " Yentl " a love story based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's short-story " Yentl the Yeshiva Boy ." It's currently being produced at the Cleveland Play House but it’s the provocative poster that is drawing almost as much attention as the show. "The idea was to come up with a simple illustration that was going to be stark and eye catching," Brian Tatsumi , the Cleveland Play House’s creative director, told  The New York Times . "We wanted 'Yentl' to be a pop of color. If you count white as a color, it’s blue and black and white. The blue is a reference to the Israeli flag. We thought that would resonat...

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB The Supper at Emmaus, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1648, oil on mahogany panel. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Every morning, I begin my day with prayer and then I go searching for the latest art news out of Detroit. It seems that something is happening there everyday that never happens for the Arts anywhere else in America, and I am inspired by it. This week when the Detroit Institute of Arts announced it would raise $100 million for their resurrection---I was amazed. Last week, when the Republican Governor announced a plan to add $350 million  atop a Foundation pool of $330 million , I was astounded; and it has been this way for months. No, it has been that way for over  two-years and the tipping point was November 20, 2011, when Jesus came to the DIA. The blockbuster hit " Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus " broke attendance records; built goodwill in the city; and led up to a popular vote providing $230 million in operating funds. That is why I say Jes...

THE NEW YORK TIMES By ZAHIR JANMOHAMED INDIA---A little over five weeks before his first exhibition in the United States, one of India’s first street photographers sat crossed-legged on a bed in his home in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and pulled out one of his favorite photographs. It was an image taken in 1937 of women washing clothes on the banks of the Sabarmati river that cuts through Ahmedabad. For Pranlal Patel , 104, perhaps Gujarat’s most celebrated photographer, the picture was remarkable because it contained nearly every shape imaginable. “You can see squares, rectangles, and circles. You can also see people, animals, water, sky and earth,” Mr. Patel said, his voice rising with excitement. The exhibition, “Refocusing the Lens: Pranlal K. Patel’s Photographs of Women at Work in Ahmedabad,” opens at the Wellin Museum on Saturday and runs until April 15.

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Holland Cotter “Do Not Prevent the Fertility of the Mind,” 1997-2014, by the Indonesian artist Arahmaiani NEW YORK---The Indonesian artist Arahmaiani Feisal, who uses only her first name, has forthrightly waded into political hot water. To understand the meaning and depth of her provocation requires learning something about the contexts she works in, but that knowledge is well worth seeking out. Ms. Feisal was raised Muslim, though she has taken the hybrid nature of Indonesian Islam, with its roots in Buddhism, Hinduism and animism, to mix images from across the religious spectrum. And her wide travels have made her a world citizen. This show, organized by Leeza Ahmady, an independent curator, gives a sense of that, and marks the welcome return of this dynamic and courageous artist to New York. [ link ]

THE CITIZEN GEORGIA---Christian Youth Theater Atlanta, an after-school theater arts training organization, is starting a new location in Fayette County. An organizational “Vision Night” meeting is set for Friday, Jan. 31, at Peachtree City First Presbyterian Church with separate sessions for parents and students. Students, ages 6-18, should arrive at 6 p.m. Christian Youth Theater (CYT) is an after school theater arts training program, founded in 1981 in San Diego, Calif., and has grown to be the largest youth theater in the nation.There are dozens of branches across the country providing training to approximately 10,000 students every year. Children of all religions are welcome. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS TEXAS---The Dallas Museum of Art announced that it has enrolled nearly 50,000 visitors in its DMA Friends membership program since its launch on January 21, 2013. The nation’s first free museum membership program is available to anyone who wishes to join, and focuses on activating engagement with the Museum and building long-term relationships with visitors. The DMA’s emphasis on creating meaningful arts experiences and an open and welcoming environment has expanded its audience base, with 95.4% of Friends self-identifying as new members at the Museum. In September 2013, the DMA announced that it had received $450,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support the research and expansion of a platform of engagement based on the Museum’s Friends membership program to three partner institutions: Denver Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest Disney-Britton "Intersections" by Anila Quayyun Agha INDIANA--- Anila Quayyun Agha is one of the finalists in the 3rd annual See.Me : Year In Review competition , an international, all-medium-encompassing open call for art. There are two levels of winning in this competition. First, a $10,000 Grand Prize Winner decided by the See.Me judging panel; and secondly a $2,500 cash grant from the public vote [ Vote Here ]. Aga's large scale patterned wood project explores the intersections of culture and religion, and a smaller version of this was included in the 2013 A&O Prize exhibition . "The Intersections project takes the seminal experience of exclusion as a woman from a space of community and creativity such as a Mosque," wrote Aga , "and translates the complex expressions of both wonder and exclusion that have been my experience while growing up in Pakistan. "

ARTDAILY VERMONT---The Fleming Museum of Art at the University of Vermont presents "Anonymous," an exhibition of contemporary Tibetan art featuring paintings, sculpture, installation, and video art by artists living in Tibet and in diaspora. Realized by guest curator Rachel Perera Weingeist, the exhibition is largely drawn from the Shelley and Donald Rubin Private Collection. Beginning January 28, the show will be open through June 22. A free public reception will be held Wednesday, February 5, from 5:30-7 p.m. Anonymous seeks to explore the tension between an ancient culture’s unbroken artistic tradition and the personality-driven world of contemporary art. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB I do believe in Noah's Ark, and I admire artists who explore  the themes of God's punishment and promise. That's also why I am looking forward to the upcoming Hollywood motion picture, " Noah " featuring Russell Crowe . I'm also going to visit, and have supported the fascinating effort in Kentucky to build a replica of Noah's Ark and I don't rule out the possibility that the Ark was round and from Mesopotamia. That all leads me to a new book, " The Ark Before Noah " by Dr. Irvin Finkel, a British Museum expert who seeks to decode the symbols on a 4,000 year old clay tablet detailing the story of Noah's Ark. The stories are all the same: Man was bad; God sent rain to destroy the bad people; and God protected one man to start the journey all over again. What's not to believe?

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB Paul Strand, Cristo with Thorns, Huexotla (detail) from The Mexican Portfolio, 1933, printed 1967.  TEXAS---This summer, the McNay Art Museum presents the traveling exhibition " Paul Strand: The Mexican Portfolio " which includes 20 photogravures from Paul Strand’s 1933 visit to Mexico.  Recent gifts of San Antonio collector Susan Toomey Frost, these 20 prints present not only a window into pre-tourist era Mexico, but are beautiful examples of the incredibly complex medium of photogravure, a printmaking technique that combines photography with etching. The soft, sepia tones of the medium give these images of rural churches, crosses, and fieldworkers a timeless and otherworldly expression. Built by artist and educator Marion Koogler McNay in the 1920s, the Spanish Colonial Revival-style home opened as Texas' first museum of modern art in 1954. McNay Art Museum: " Paul Strand:The Mexican Portfolio " (June 4-August 24, 2014); 600...

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Randy Kennedy MICHIGAN---The Detroit Institute of Arts , whose world-class collection has been targeted as a potential source of cash to help dig Detroit out of federal bankruptcy, announced Wednesday that it would raise $100 million to help save itself, joining a group of private foundations that have already pledged $370 million toward the effort. As part of the deal, the city would relinquish ownership of the museum, and it would be owned by a nonprofit organization, as most large public museums across the country are. This would relieve the city of any future financial responsibility for the institute while also shielding the institute from future municipal threats. [ link ]

THE ART NEWSPAPER By Sophia Kishkovsky Protesters clashed with police in the streets of Kiev this week. UKRAINE---The National Art Museum of Ukraine has found itself on the frontline of the street battles that have broken out in Kiev in an escalating political standoff between the pro-Russian government and protestors. As events escalated this weekend, the museum’s director Maria Zadorozhna and other management issued an appeal to both government officials and opposition leaders, asking them to “remember their responsibility in preserving the cultural heritage of the state [and] refrain from deliberate or accidental actions that may damage the museum and the surrounding territory”. [ link ]

AL-SHORFA.COM By Waleed Abu al-Khair Facade of Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo prior to bombing EGYPT---Art experts and enthusiasts strongly condemned the devastation wreaked last week at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo , which was damaged in a blast aimed at the nearby Cairo security directorate on Friday (January 24th). Two car bombs exploded outside the directorate last week, killing four people and inflicting heavy damage on the building and collections of the Museum of Islamic Art, located opposite the directorate on Port Said Street. The museum occupies a historic building built in 1903 as a library for Egyptian books, which in 1952 was converted into a museum featuring a collection of around 100,000 Islamic artefacts including some of the personal belongings of Prophet Mohammed, AFP reported. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB Buddhist bug dining at Cambodian cafe I feel sad for people without a God, but I don't feel the same about Buddhists. Buddhism is a religion without a God  but unlike atheists, they strive for spiritual connections. While all branches of modern Buddhism agree that "this world is not created and ruled by a God," they are religious people whose creative imaginations lead to inspiring works of art.  Buddhist art is diverse, and includes depictions of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other spiritually centered entities. It also includes physical objects associated with Buddhist practice (dorjes, bells, clothing, etc.), and that's why the Buddhist Bug Project by Cambodian artist  Anida Yoeu Ali  stands out. She was raised a Khmer Muslim but uses her art to explore the spiritual and social landscape of both Buddhist and Islamic faiths. Her BBP is a surrealist exploration of sacred colors like saffron, the color of Buddhist monk robes and Islamic ...

CHICAGO NOW By Ed Nickow PUBLISHING--- Phil Chernofsky has created what might be Adolf Hitler's favorite Holocaust book. Chernofsky, the educational director the OU (Orthodox Union) Israel Center in Jerusalem, is the "author" of a 1,250-page volume entitled " And Every Single One Was Someone ". Arguably, it's not really a book, but a work of art in the form of a book, and Chernofsky is the artist. It consists of the word "Jew", in 5.5 point font, repeated 6,000,000 times - once for each of the Jews exterminated in the Shoah. Yes, each of us has a name. Chernofsky has created the same sort of work that the Nazis might have created had they succeeded in their goal of exterminating the world's Jews (among others). But in Chernofsky's book - as in Hitler's Germany - the victims are, sadly, nameless. [ link ]

ARTS LOUISVILLE By Keith Waits One of "100 Burning Boats" at the Garner Narrative gallery in Louisville (Ends Jan. 31) KENTUCKY---At a glance Philip Campbell’s “100 Burning Boats” might strike one as rather ordinary objects: design lacking detail and craft lacking flourish. But the longer you examine the armada of hand-carved vessels making their way across a simple wooden flow of river, the more the deceptively simple, elemental shapes suggest deeper connotations. As...the burning vessels sail away from us into the unknown, the fire devouring the earthly remains now that they have no place among the living. Those left behind on the river bank continue to seek wisdom and understanding, but the souls of the departed have moved beyond such concerns, or so we imagine. [ link ]

GRAND RAPIDS PRESS By Angie Jackson MICHIGAN---Volunteers with Catholic Charities of West Michigan dished out ladles of warm soup Monday during the organization's annual event raising awareness about food insecurity and provide meals for those in need. Twenty-five local restaurants donated different kinds of soup served at The B.O.B. on Jan. 27. Guests selected bowls painted by area youth and church members. Potters for the Hungry, an artist collaborative that created a Top 100 ArtPrize entry building awareness for God’s Kitchen, showcased 800 bowls at the event. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB INDIANA---Yesterday, the Indiana Coalition for the Arts "encouraged 'Arts Day' participants to petition legislators to oppose HJR-3" wrote to Michael Anthony Adams  of The Indianapolis Star.   It must have been a surreal experience for legislators who have previously witnessed young women in ballerina outfits helping to lobby for increased arts funding, to instead be bombarded by freedom activists, religious extremists, and then by the arts community too. The Indiana Coalition for the Arts is a Bloomington-based arts advocacy group, which last year successfully lobbied for $325,000 in increased public funding, and for now it looks like they may have won again .

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB Today in his fifth annual State of the Union presidential address, President Obama highlighted his commitment to expanding same-sex couples' freedom to marry by remarking, "Across the country, we're partnering with mayors, governors, and state legislatures on issues from homelessness to marriage equality." Evan Wolfson , founder and president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement : “President Obama has had an indelible impact on the lives of gay and lesbian Americans, our families, and the country we love." Last week Freedom to Marry released its updated strategy memo called “ The Pathway Forward ” explaining the context of recent litigation victories, along with a recently commissioned poll which shows that 51% of Americans living in states without marriage for same-sex couples support the freedom to marry and only 41% are opposed.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest Disney-Britton Material: gold colored aluminum. Dimensions: 3h x 3w x 1.5"d at Indianapolis Museum of Art Christian artists have long represented God's love with the color "gold", and so I picked Robert Indiana's "Love" in gold as Greg's gift for our sixth wedding anniversary (our first date was his church in Indianapolis). Robert Indiana's original LOVE is in the permanent collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Opening Valentine's Day weekend, The Essential Robert Indiana exhibition premieres in the artist's home state now engaged in a legislative battle over " same love ." It is a show that features more than 50 of his works, including 20 from the IMA’s own collection. Robert Indiana was born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana, but today lives in the marriage equality state of Maine where love is golden. Indianapolis Museum of Art : " The Essential Robert Indiana " (F...

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB Mihrab (prayer Niche). Late 15th Century-16th Century. OHIO---"Spiritual Pilgrimage in Art" returns to Cincinnati this February. First launched in 2012 , this unique interfaith experience explores how Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Hindu pilgrimage traditions are manifested through artistic expression. Five unique programs with acclaimed scholars which take place in the unique settings of both art museums and congregations. The series is sponsored by Xavier University, Hindu Temple of Cincinnati, The Skirball Museum, Taft Museum of Art, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, and Cincinnati Art Museum. For more detailed information, visit: www.thespiritualinart.org . PROGRAM SERIES February 19, Cincinnati Art Museum, 6:00 p.m. February 26, Skirball Museum, 6:30 p.m. March 5, Hindu Temple, 6:30 p.m. March 12, Taft Museum of Art 6:00 p.m. March 19, Islamic Center 6:30 p.m.

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE By Elizabeth Bryant A golden-domed Russian Orthodox Church will flank the Seine River two years from now. FRANCE----If all goes as planned, a golden-domed Russian Orthodox Church will flank the Seine River two years from now, a glittering symbol of Moscow’s growing spiritual and political presence abroad. Construction is expected to begin shortly on the complex, which will include a primary school and a cultural center. For the Moscow Patriarchate, it represents the latest in a string of high-profile buildings erected in such places as Spain, Thailand and Dubai that burnish not only the church’s image but that of the Russian government, which picks up the construction costs. [ link ]

THE KANSAS CITY STAR By John Hanna KANSAS---With the legal climate uncertain for states banning gay marriage, Kansas lawmakers are considering a proposal designed to protect individuals, groups and businesses refusing for religious reasons to recognize same-sex unions or to provide benefits to gay couples. The legislator pushing the bill says it’s designed to protect religious freedom, and Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is receptive to the idea, though he hasn’t yet studied the proposal enough to offer a formal endorsement. Kansas already had a law against gay marriage when voters added a ban to the state constitution in 2005, approving it by a 70 percent margin.[ link ]

INDIANAPOLIS STAR By Randy Cook and Barb Berggoetz INDIANA---In an atmosphere of rapidly shifting opinions on gay marriage, nearly two dozen Indiana House Republicans bucked their leadership to strip a same-sex marriage ban of the clause opponents find most objectionable. The House voted 52-43 to remove the proposed constitutional amendment's second sentence, which would have banned civil unions and similar arrangements. That leaves only the first sentence, which would still ban gay marriages. If the altered version is adopted by both chambers of the General Assembly , the measure would not go to voters this November as supporters — including Gov. Mike Pence — would like. The full House is expected to vote on the altered resolution Tuesday . [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB Shiva as lord of the dance (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) The core beliefs of Hinduism are that there is only one Supreme Being, Brahman . Hindus pursue knowledge of truth and reality; strive for moral order; and promote tolerance. Brahman is personified in a variety of gods and goddeses including : Vishnu, Devi or Durga, Surya, Ganesha and Shiva the destroyer, transformer or dancer. It is Shiva who was also manisfested in another form named "Rudreshwar." Devotees of Shiva are called "Saivites." According to the Hindu Blog : Rudreshwar "got the name after He annhilated Gajasura – the elephant and wore its skin. Rudreshwar appeared in the form of Shivling at Kashi . This is mentioned in the Kashi Khand in the Skanda Purana . The popular belief is that those offering prayers to Rudreshwar will attain moksha or liberation." Complex? Sure, but just remember the core beliefs and enjoy the dance.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB "The Adoration of the Shepherds" Jacopo da Ponte, called Jacopo Bassano (Bassano del Grappa c. 1510-1592) NEW YORK---This Wednesday, January 29 marks the return of the Renaissance sale at Christie’s at 2pm in New York during the series of sales dedicated to Old Master works of art, and there is a particularly newsworthy Madonna & Child in the mix. This is the second year for Renaissance , featuring works devoted to the artistic production that flourished in Europe from 1300 to 1600, this sale is led by Jacopo Bassano’s  Adoration of the Shepherds (1562-63) with an estimate of $8,000,000-12,000,000. One of the other highlights of this sale is The Rothschild Prayerbook .

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Jodi Rudoren More art than literature, the new book “And Every Single One Was Someone” consists only of the word “Jew,” repeated. ISRAEL---There is no plot to speak of, and the characters are woefully undeveloped. On the upside, it can be a quick read — especially considering its 1,250 pages. The book, more art than literature, consists of the single word “Jew,” in tiny type, printed six million times to signify the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust. It is meant as a kind of coffee-table monument of memory, a conversation starter and thought provoker. Now Gefen Publishing , a Jerusalem company, imagines this book, titled “ And Every Single One Was Someone ,” ... in every church and synagogue, school and library. [ link ]

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER By Debbie Emery The Staples Center was decked out to look like a church for the song  'Same Love,'  performed during the Grammy Awards as 34 couples got married CALIFORNIA--- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' " Same Love " anthem became the theme song for 33 newlyweds during the 56th Grammy Awards on Sunday night. The gay and straight weddings were officiated by Queen Latifah while the hit song about equality was performed by the rap duo with Madonna hitting the stage with them, along with Mary Lambert and jazz artist Trombone Shorty . [ link ]

THE DETROIT NEWS By Daniel Howes MICHIGAN---The Detroit Institute of Arts is angling to contribute to an estimated $700 million fund to protect its collection from creditors and bolster underfunded city pensions. The question, people close to the process say, is not whether the museum will commit to raising cash over and above its roughly $12 million in annual fundraising and continuing endowment drive. It’s how much is needed to close the deal, to get the attention of creditors and to cement a state contribution that would require approval of the Legislature. DIA Chairman Gene Gargaro discussed the issue Friday with Gov. Rick Snyder in Washington, where the governor accepted a public leadership award from Americans for the Arts. Snyder, who is spearheading a state effort to pay $350 million over 20 years, urged the DIA to participate in a fund that would be a linchpin of any Detroit bankruptcy settlement. The DIA has retained a New York strategic communications firm, BerlinRosen, ...

ARTDAILY Women look at the paintings "Ticio" (R) and "Ixion" (L) (1632) of Jose de Ribera at the Prado National museum SPAIN---Spain's government Friday slashed a tax on sales of works of art as a "first step" to help the cultural industry, which has been howling about the impact of a 21-percent sales tax. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government decided at a ministerial meeting to cut the sales tax for works of art by more than half, to 10 percent. The sales tax on art works in France was 10 percent, Germany seven percent and Belgium six percent, she said. [ link ]

ASSOCIATED PRESS A dove which was freed by children flanked by Pope Francis at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 .  VATICAN CITY — Two white doves that were released by children standing alongside Pope Francis as a peace gesture have been attacked by other birds. As tens of thousands of people watched in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, a seagull and a large black crow swept down on the doves right after they were set free from an open window of the Apostolic Palace. One dove lost some feathers as it broke free from the gull. But the crow pecked repeatedly at the other dove. It was not clear what happened to the doves as they flew off. While speaking at the window beforehand, Francis had appealed for peace in Ukraine, where anti-government protesters have died. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS By TAHLIB This week in the Ukraine, Orthodox clergy wrapped themselves in peace and stood between freedom activists and extremist government officials. In Indiana, extremists came wrapped in the garments of Christianity but with deception and bigotry in their hearts.  Matthew 7:15  says: "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing  but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Tomorrow,  the Indiana legislature will vote either for bigotry or freedom , and true hearts will be revealed. That is why the photo of Ukraine clergy (above) by Sergei Grits is my NEWS OF WEEK .

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Ken Johnson “The Creation of the World,” included in “Antonio Canova: The Seven Last Works.” NEW YORK--- Antonio Canova (1757-1822) produced some of the sexiest sculptures in the history of European art. A good example is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s European sculpture court: “ Reclining Naiad ,” a life-size marble representation of a fit young woman lying naked on a sheet over a bearskin, her most impressive feature being her exquisitely supple backside. But if that’s how you think of this artist, you may be shocked by the museum’s exhibition “Antonio Canova: The Seven Last Works.” [ link ] Metropolitan Museum of Art: “ Antonio Canova: The Seven Last Works ” (Ends April 27); 1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street), New York; metmuseum.org

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB HOLLYWOOD ---About a year ago, I downloaded Mary Shelley's classic horror novel "Frankenstein" to my iPad but I've yet to read a single page. However, now after tonight's rock-opera adventure with " iFrankenstein ," I'm inspired to begin the read anew. I totally enjoyed this sci-fi remake where the monster Frankenstein is now named "Adam," and becomes a superhero biblical savior fighting alongside of God fearing gargoyles "dispatching demons down to hell." It's a fast-paced, brooding, sensual, campy and over the top grand Opera, and I enjoyed every wacky wingbeat of it. If you prefer the boring Oscar contenders like " American Hustle " (which I hated) but Roger Ebert -clones loved, then avoid this picture. However, if you just want a biblical sci-fi joy ride---don't miss " iFrankenstein ."

THE NEW YORK TIMES NEW YORK---“ Sacred Song: Chanting the Bible in the Middle Ages and Renaissance ,” an exhibition that opens on Friday at Les Enluminures gallery in New York, contains about 30 books of religious music (at prices from $5,000 to over $1 million per volume). The songs were written down between the 13th and 18th centuries for worshipers in Italy, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and Ethiopia. In the 1800s and early 1900s, army looters and book dealers dismantled music manuscripts into salable pieces. Vellum leaves from music manuscripts are widely scattered in museums. At the Cloisters in New York, a parchment sheet painted in Prague around 1405 for Benedictine services has saints and songbirds surrounding a prayer. (The page sold for $326,000 at Christie’s in London in 2012. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB Islamic prayer beads from the mystical jallamban tree INDIANA---Directly from Touba, Senegal, a set of muslim prayer beads is on display at Indiana Interchurch Center's new exhibition, "The Ways We Worship." "Roughly three-quarters of the global population lives where overall levels of religious restrictions or hostilities were high or very high in 2012" said  Angelina Theodorou , of Pew Research Project. "Women were harassed because of religious dress in nearly a third of countries in 2012 (32%), up from a quarter in 2011 (25%) and less than one-in-ten (7%) in 2007." Using religious artifacts from Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity and Buddism, the exhibit intends to offer a glimpse of the different forms of worship throughout Indiana, and to help ease religious tensions.

IRISH TIMES The play was due to be staged in the Theatre at the Mill in Newtownabbey IRELAND---A play in Northern Ireland has been cancelled after Christians claimed it was blasphemous. The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged) was due to be staged in the Theatre at the Mill in Newtownabbey on the northern outskirts of Belfast later this month. In a move dismaying freedom-of-expression campaigners, a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led council decided to call it off amid strong opposition from religious conservatives. Ulster Unionist mayor of Newtownabbey Borough Council Fraser Agnew said: “As the guardians of all that is right in society, we have got to take a stand somewhere - and that is what happened in this instance.” [ link ]

MILITARY.COM By Chris Carroll WASHINGTON -- A clean shave and a boot-camp buzz cut are no longer mandatory for adherents of religions whose grooming practices differ from those traditionally required by the U.S. military. The Pentagon announced Wednesday that beards, turbans, religious body art and other previously off-limits manifestations of spiritual devotion can now be allowed throughout the military. The policy also OKs other religious practices not related to appearance. Jews, Sikhs and Muslims in the military are among those who in recent years have sought greater latitude in order to comply with their religions. [ link ]

PHILANTHROPY TODAY "Noah's Ark" by Charles McGee. DIA Collection. MICHIGAN---The judge in Detroit’s bankruptcy case has rejected a demand by creditors for a new evaluation of the Detroit Institute of Arts holdings and raised questions about whether works from the museum can legally be sold to satisfy the city’s debts, writes the Detroit Free Press . A city-commissioned assessment by the auction house Christie’s estimated the value of some 2,800 works purchased with municipal funds at $454-million to $867-million. Creditors who have pursued an art sale to pay off city debts contend Christie’s significantly undervalued the works and sought an independent evaluation of the museum’s entire collection of 66,000 pieces. [ link ]

DETROIT FREE PRESS "Virgin of the Rose Garden" (Flemish). Collection of DIA. MICHIGAN---A settlement of Detroit’s bankruptcy that would protect city retirees and the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts appeared closer Wednesday after Gov. Rick Snyder pledged $350 million to a growing rescue fund designed to bring all the major parties together in a grand resolution. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes also put his weight behind a grand bargain Wednesday, saying in a separate hearing that he might not allow DIA artwork ever to be sold to satisfy city debts. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB "Sweethearts" by Jonathon Rivers " Sweethearts " is one of the latest offerings from 20x200, the online art gallery. "My own reaction is to vacillate between an almost childlike wonder" said the artist Jonathon Rivers . "It is in this sense that I view See Candy as a metaphor for my belief that even the dumbest and ugliest things contain kernels of intelligence and beauty. It's all about finding a way to crack the nut." Jonathan Lewis received a BA in the history of art from Cambridge University in 1993, and he worked in various museums and galleries until embarking upon a full-time career as an artist in 2000.

JEWISH DAILY FORWARD By Gavriel D. Rosenfeld Kabbalistic Meaning: In Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao PUBLISHING---Two new books clearly demonstrate how Jewish ideas, themes and experiences have directly impacted the built environment. In his provocative and beautifully illustrated study, “ Kabbalah in Art and Architecture,” Alexander Gorlin argues that kabbalistic concepts have deeply influenced the creative work of both Jewish and non-Jewish artists and architects. Fortunately, Israeli architect Stephanie Shosh Rotem’s study provides help in this regard by assessing how the Holocaust’s legacy has influenced postwar museum architecture. Her new book, “Constructing Memory: Architectural Narratives of Holocaust Museums,” discusses the emergence and design of museums devoted to portraying the events of the Nazi genocide. [ link ]

WND | FAITH By Marisa Martin "Jesus Among the Doctors" by Albrecht Durer Artists have been accused of many things before, but Dr. Bernard Starr’s charge tops them all: “Artists invented the Christian Jesus.” Specifically he charges the church and its artists, theologians and historians with erasing Jewish identity, at times deliberately. This “gross misunderstanding” unleashed a series of disastrous consequences, which he believes underpins historic anti-Semitism. Interest in the subject must be high, with his articles spread across the Internet. He leaves few in peace about this, even petitioning the Association of Art Historians (UK). [ link ]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By Lance Esplund The artist experienced firsthand some of the major horrors of the 20th century. NEW YORK---Think of the visionary artist Marc Chagall —experienced firsthand some of the major horrors of the 20th century. Chagall's realm is dark and aflame ; the sun and time are falling. But all is not lost. The painter provides refuge from the storm. A candle is still burning strong; a man flees with the Torah (the cornerstone of the picture); Christ's halo shines like a beacon; Mother and Child rise from the flames; and a yellow cow serenades us with its blue violin. The falling angel is both the messenger of death and the messenger of mercy. Its leap of faith opens and bridges as it wrenches and topples space—creating a passageway between Chagall's heaven and Chagall's hell. [ link ]

TAIPEI TIMES By Noah Buchan Photo: Noah Buchan, Taipei Times TAIWAN---While apprenticing in the studio of master sculptor Hsieh Tung-liang (謝棟樑), a Buddhist approached Li Chen (李真) and requested him to make a small statue for his shrine. Though trained by Hsieh in the Western tradition of figurative sculpture, Li, having had a life-long fascination with and belief in Buddhism, accepted the commission. Five years later, having taught himself the finer aspects of Buddhist statuary, its iconography and symbolism, he completed his first icon, Water-Moon Avalokitesvara. [ link ]

RUETERS By Jimmy Jian and Maxim Duncan Li Hongbo * Paper Sculptures. By designgallerist on March 8, 2013 CHINA---The line of white, classical busts in Li Hongbo's dusty Beijing studio could be used for drawing practice in any art classroom in the world. What had looked exactly like solid plaster is transformed into an amorphous worm. Neither plaster nor clay, the statues are concertinas of thousands upon thousands of fine pieces of paper. Li, who is showcasing some of his recent work at a New York gallery until early March, pastes glue in narrow strips across pieces of paper, which he stacks to the desired height. Born into a simple farming family, Li said he had always loved paper, invented in ancient China. Beyond his sculptures, he has spent six years producing a collection of books recording more than 1,000 years of Buddhist art on paper. [ link ]

ALARABIYA The cultural projects include the Quran Oasis with a special focus on Qur’an studies. SAUDI ARABIA---Madinah Emir Prince Faisal Bin Salman announced 13 permanent cultural and academic projects aimed at strengthening Madinah’s position as the permanent capital of Islamic culture. The projects are mainly the outcome of the proposals and suggestions that came up for consideration during the ongoing year-long celebrations following Madinah’s selection as the Islamic Culture Capital for 2013. the projects include the Qur’an Oasis, which will make Madinah the Islamic Cultural and Da’wa Center with a special focus on Qur’an studies. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB INDIANA---Today, the Arts joined Religion in opposing Indiana's discriminatory new marriage amendment. The Board of Directors of  Arts Council of Indianapolis  voted to join Christian Theological Seminary , universities ,  church leaders ,  and major employers throughout the state in opposition of House Joint Resolution 3 (HJR-3). “The arts celebrate the rich diversity of our community,” states Arts Council President and CEO Dave Lawrence. “HJR-3 seeks to divide our community and create an atmosphere of intolerance and inequality. Compassion and respect for individual freedoms have long been the bedrock of Indianapolis’ arts community .  HJR-3 runs counter to the spirit of this precept.” Read the entire statement .

THE ISLAND PACKET By Laura Oberle "The Flood," by Sandra Bowden SOUTH CAROLINA---Historically, art played a central role in religion. Medieval churches were filled with artwork -- stained glass windows, mosaics and murals -- depicting stories from the Bible. It was a time when many were illiterate, and the written word was of little use in reaching the masses. Part-time Hilton Head Island resident Sandra Bowden , a renowned Christian artist, strives to resurrect the images of the Bible. She owns a dozen art exhibits that travel the country, and one of them, "The Rains Came Down," will be on display at the First Presbyterian Church on Hilton Head from Jan. 23 to Feb. 28. [ link ]

SPYGHANA GHANA---Asaase Inscriptions, a Literary Coaching Agency in collaboration with Christ@Work, a network of Christian artists, is hosting a one-day Creative Arts Workshop for the Christian Community and lovers of the arts. The workshop dubbed ‘Creative in His Presence’, seeks to explore the Creative Arts as tools for evangelism and to also bridge the gap between cultures, faiths and gender. The workshop is expected to create a platform for networking among participants from the various churches and groups, to learn from each other and to break new fronts which hitherto, were thought of as impossible. [ link ]

SOUIX CITY JOURNAL "Portfolio Box" by Theodore Prescott IOWA---Collaborative art pieces from Christians in the Visual Arts are on display in the Dordt College Campus Center Art Gallery through Feb. 16. The exhibit will be open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 498 Fourth Ave. N.E. The portfolio contains 20 etchings and a stone presentation box created by six artists in Florence, Italy in 1993. The Florence Portfolio is in the permanent collections of the Vatican Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, the Grunwald Center for Graphic Arts at the UCLA Hammer Museum, and several college, university, and private collections. This piece of the portfolio was loaned to Dordt College from Calvin College in Michigan. [ link ]

OPEDNEWS.COM By Bernard Starr Two Images of Jesus by Rod Borghese "Do you know that Jesus was Jewish?" I posed this question to both Christians and Jews when I was doing research for my book Jesus Uncensored: Restoring the Authentic Jew. Many people acknowledged that Jesus was indeed Jewish. But I discovered that what they really meant was that he used to be Jewish -- before he became Christian. "Of course, he was Jewish," said Jane, a young woman educated in Catholic schools. "And did he remain Jewish throughout his life?" I asked her. "Oh, no, he became a Christian." "When did that happen?" I asked. "When he was baptized by John the Baptist," she said. "It says so in the Gospels." [ link ]

THE DAILY TEXAN By Natalie Sullivan Ben Shahn's "From that day on", a study in blue TEXAS---As part of its weekend tour schedule, the Blanton Museum of Art hosted a public tour of its permanent collection Sunday afternoon, titled “Persuasion: Messages and Meanings in Art.” The tour, led by docent Connie Shortes, explored the symbolism behind a variety of artistic works, ranging from 14th century religious paintings to more modern, abstract compositions by artists such as Ben Shahn and Adolph Gottlieb . Shortes said art often serves a purpose other than just aesthetics. “Art has always been used to propagate ideas and to persuade,” Shortes said. “There’s this whole story unfolding in the paintings; there’s message, there’s meaning.” [ link ]

THE STATE Add caption NEW YORK---The first U.S. exhibition exploring the “darker works” of Marc Chagall (1887-1985) shows a Jewish artist obsessed with Jesus. “ Chagall: Love, War, and Exile ,” at The Jewish Museum in New York showcases the work of the Russian-French artist during World War II as he tried to make sense of a world gone mad.Of particular interest are paintings depicting the crucified Jesus — depictions that are often read as metaphors not only for war but the particular expressions of Jewish suffering and persecution in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. The works on display through Feb. 2, signal an alarm and warning, as art historian Kenneth E. Silver wrote in an essay featured in the exhibit’s catalog. [ link ]

JEWISH FORWARD By Samuel D. Gruber VERMONT---An old apartment building in Burlington, Vt. seems like an odd place to find a rare survivor of Lithuanian synagogue art and a relic of American immigrant Yiddishkeit. The Lost Shul Mural, as it has come to be called, was revealed beneath the walls of an apartment building that once housed the Orthodox Chai Adam Synagogue, founded in 1889, after splintering off from Ohavi Zedek. It was probably decorated in 1910 when the congregation engaged a young Lithuanian Jewish artist, Ben Zion Black, to paint the synagogue. The mural is a rare and striking painting, one of only a small number of extant synagogue murals in North America painted by immigrant Jewish artists for congregations that were still tied to their distant homelands, the Yiddish language and traditional Jewish religious practice. [ link ]