Disney-Britton

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By Lee Lawrence 'Bowl With Bird,' from ninth- to 10th-century Iraq. Brooklyn Museum TEXAS---At the Dallas Museum of Art, a light-filled passageway curves gently toward a white wall where, hanging in the center, four small, circular objects radiate lines of indigo, russet, sky blue and gold. They are three 13th- and 14th-century ceramic bowls and the center of a 17th-century shield. From Persia, Spain and India, they introduce " Nur: Light in Art and Science From the Islamic World ." In Arabic, nur denotes not just physical light but the light of knowledge and spiritual truths. The museum's adviser for Islamic art, Sabiha Al Khemir, adopted its multiple meanings as her guiding principle in selecting more than 150 works spanning the Islamic world, from Spain to India, from the ninth to the 20th centuries. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Randy Kennedy Donatello’s “The Evangelist John.” Credit Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore NEW YORK---New York City, home to a stunning number of Renaissance treasures, has never had a work in a permanent collection by one of the era’s foremost sculptural masters, Donatello, and major pieces by him rarely leave Europe. But for a few months next year, the city will become a veritable Donatello feast, the one stop for a small show of works from the Duomo museum in Florence, Italy, including several sculptures instantly recognizable from art history textbooks but never before seen in America. That the works are coming not to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Frick Collection but to a young noncollecting institution, the Museum of Biblical Art , on the Upper West Side, makes the occasion all the more unusual. [ link ] Museum of Biblical Art: " Sculpture in the Age of Donatello: Renaissance Masterpieces From Florence Cathedral ,” (Feb. 20 - June 14, 2015)...

THE HAARETZ By Eyal Sagui Bizawe "Homage to The Forgotten Queens of Islam" from Tareq de Montfort's exhibit. Photo by courtesy FRANCE---He already has Koran verses tattooed on his body and plans to add the Jewish and Muslim names of God. Meet Islamic avant-garde artist  Tareq Sayed Rajab de Montfort . Tareq Sayed Rajab de Montfort , a young, openly gay Kuwaiti-born artist, whose one-man exhibition, “The Arab Unbound,” was shown in London in February and is now showing at “The Window” in Paris. De Montfort’s work deals with Arab identity, with an emphasis on the grace of men and the strength of women, together with the various components of his own identity: Arabness, Islam, masculinity, homosexuality, queerness, femininity and even his socioeconomic status. [ link ]

ARTLYST Martyrs is located behind the High Altar of the Cathedral next to the American Memorial Chapel UNITED KINGDOM--- Bill Viola has unveiled a major new installation At St Paul's Cathedral in London. Martyrs, has taken ten years to realise and is the first of two large-scale permanent video installations created by this internationally acclaimed artist. The was inaugurated in St Paul’s Cathedral on 21 May 2014. The installation is the first moving-image artwork to be installed in a British cathedral or church on a long-term basis. Martyrs, is joined in 2015 by a second piece entitled Mary, which the artist has conceived as a companion work. Although installed in an Anglican cathedral, the works will engage with a multi-national, multi-denominational audience, in keeping with a spiritual environment that attracts millions of people of all faiths. [ link ]

THE VANCOUVER OBSERVER CANADA---"When we lose sight of the sacred, we can't see each other but as dust," said Vancouver-based trial lawyer and writer M. Ali Lakhani, at the Sacred Web conference in the Segal Building on Granville Street. He spoke of a haunting remark made by a survivor of 9-11, who said: 'We were as dust in their (the terrorists') eyes." In addition to the rise of Islamophobia and the release of best-selling books such as The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris, he said there were corrosive influences within religion itself. Sadly, he said, there were "homogenizers" and "fundamentalists" who imposed their views on others and attacked anyone who didn't conform to their beliefs, as well as "diluters" who adapted their chosen religion to suit their personal whims. "The homogenizers and diluters feed off each other, and lost in all this is the ...

DESERT NEWS By Whitney Butters "The Sermon on the Mount" is a well-known painting by Carl Bloch. (Det Nationalhistoriske Museum Frederiksborg) UTAH---BYU’s Museum of Art’s “ Sacred Gifts " is going to continue giving the rare opportunity to view the works of Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann and Frans Schwartz a little while longer. The museum announced in a news release that the exhibit has been extended through May 26, two weeks past its original closing date. [ link ]

THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER By Steven Spearie “Mary, Christ and St. John the Baptist,” created by Springfield’s Paul Jergens, is part of the Liturgical Arts Festival’s juried art exhibit that opens Saturday at the Springfield Art Association. ILLINOIS---Reflecting on the history of the Liturgical Arts Festival of Springfield, Thom Dennis recalls the 1995 suspicious fire that claimed the Islamic Center of Greater Springfield’s masjid in an unincorporated area of the city. “One of the (Jewish) temples was the first to respond to the community’s needs at the time,” Dennis recalls. “That same spirit helped to foster the festival, the idea of working together on common values.” Dennis’ idea is still being celebrated in the 10th biennial event that kicks off Saturday with a hands-on creative workshop at Westminster Presbyterian Church, and with the Liturgical and Sacred Art exhibit at the Springfield Art Association. [ link ]

BUSINESS WORLD Eastwood City will be hosting an exhibit of relics and the live viewing of the canonization of Blessed John Paul II (photo). PHILIPPINES---Eastwood City -- which is located in the Blessed John Paul II Parish -- will hold a live viewing of the canonization of the beloved pontiff on April 27 (Second Sunday of Easter, of the Divine Mercy) at the Eastwood Mall Open Park, with live footage directly from St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. “Totus tuus,” which means “totally yours,” was one of John Paul II’s popular apostolic adages. The exhibit will showcase the pontiff’s relics, which came from Rome and the pope’s home country of Poland, including his zuchetto or skullcap, strands of his hair, blood stains, a large part of his cassock, a rosary, a piece of the chair he used, part of the bed sheet on which he died, the Papal Medal, Papal invitations, misalettes from his masses and the 1981 Pope Mobile, among others. [ link ]

THE HINDU By Nivedita Ganguly A student of Fine Arts from Iran Samira Akbari working on her sculpture for an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and print works at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam. Photo: K.R. Deepak INDIA--- Samira Akbari , who completed her fine arts course from AU, is fascinated by the many colours of the nation oozing out in every aspect of life. When Samira Akbari talks about Indian art forms, there is a certain passion in her voice. “It’s simply fascinating. The ethereal beauty of ancient Indian sculptures and temple erotica never cease to amaze me,” says Samira, an Iranian student, who completed her Bachelors in Fine Arts from Andhra University this year. Comparing Iran’s restrained creative expression to Indian art, she says: “The art and culture tradition in eastern and southern India are much more open and free. It is this freedom of ideas that pulled me towards this region.” At the exhibition, she has exhibited a nude sculpture titled ‘Virgin on the ...

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB Hiroshi Sugimoto, The Last Supper: Acts of God (detail), 1999/2012 CALIFORNIA---Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s "The Last Supper: Acts of God" will be on display at the Fraenkel gallery from May 1 - July 3, 2014. The exhibition, " Hiroshi Sugimoto: Acts of God "(1999/2012) is a five-panel photograph, more than 24 feet in length. The artist first created this work in 1999, from a life-size wax reproduction of Leonardo’s "The Last Supper," which he photographed at a museum in Izu, Japan. In 2012, while the work was stored in the artist’s basement, it was damaged by the storm surge and flooding that occurred when Hurricane Sandy hit New York City. Sugimoto chose to retain the dramatic marks, colorations and ripples that have changed the character of the photograph. This gallery display coincides with a museum exhibition at the Getty Center . [ link ]

VANITY FAIR By Ingrid Sischy ELECTRIC DUO Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat with their collaborative paintings at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in 1985. NEW YORK---More than 25 years after Jean-Michel Basquiat died of a drug overdose, at 27, his most devoted collectors, Lenore and Herbert Schorr, are sharing their treasures in a show at New York’s Acquavella Galleries. Their memories of the artist, a surrogate son, illuminate his struggle to be seen. After he’d lost faith in the art-world establishment, Basquiat even asked Herb, a scientist and self-described “nerd,” to take over as his dealer. No fool, Herb, he did not give up his day job. What he did do, though, with Lenore, was build an unparalleled collection of Basquiat’s work, some of it bought directly from the artist’s studio, all of it clearly chosen with eyes that knew what they were looking at. [ link ]

CHRISTIAN POST BY KATHERINE WEBER A negative version photo of the Shroud of Turin, Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, revealing a face commonly associated with Jesus Christ, taken in August 1978. UNITED KINGDOM---A new study conducted by Liverpool scientists suggests the Shroud of Turin proves Jesus was crucified with his hands over his head in a "Y" shape, rather than to the sides in a "T" shape, as traditionally depicted in Christian art. The scientist leading this recent study says this new crucifixion would be "very painful" and likely cause asphyxiation for the victim. Scientists at the Liverpool John Moores University in the U.K. announced their findings at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences earlier this year. They argue that the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be the burial cloth of Jesus, shows an image of a man with blood stains streaking down his arms. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS By TAHLIB "Baby Moses" (1935) by Arthur Szyk Best known for his World War II anti-Nazi political art and his beloved Passover Haggadah, 20th century artist Arthur Szyk (pronounced “shik”) single-handedly revived the medieval tradition of illumination. The Szyk Haggadah above features "Baby Moses" a visual-telling of the story where Pharaoh's daughter finds the baby floating in a basket in the river. The full collection of originals are currently on display at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS By TAHLIB Jewish photographer Annie Leibovitz creates iconic and revealing celebrity portraits, and Neil Patrick Harris as "Hedwig" is her latest for Vanity Fair . The Broadway revival, " Hedwig and the Angry Inch ," is the tale of an innocent boy (Hansel) who is emasculated by an absent father, a distant mother, and a series of men who at first profess devotion and then deny-it. Hansel becomes Hedwig as he gets wrapped in the serpent-like coils of this life while also developing a cult-following for his super-star talents. Even without a dramatic tossing of a mascara marked "Shroud of Hedwig," the Christian allusions are clear, and that is why "Hedwig" (above) is my NEWS OF WEEK .

NPR | CULTURE By Barbara King Mark Wilson/Getty Images Religion is a cross-cultural universal, even though not every human being professes faith in God or some other supernatural being. Those of us who are atheist or agnostic make up 6 percent of the American population. A further 14 percent with any particular religion. But religiosity is found in every human culture and biologists, anthropologists, and psychologists keenly debate how it arose. Just like language, technology and bipedalism, religion too evolved over time. But how did that happen? The answer (researchers) Crespi and Summers favor is grounded in theory, as posited in 1964 by W.D. Hamilton. Kin selection turns on the concept of inclusive fitness, the idea that an organism's biological fitness derives not only from the direct production of offspring, but also from aiding the reproduction of its other relatives. [ link ]

THE HINDU By Lavina Melwani ABuddha Granting Boons, part of the ' Lost Kingdom' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photos: Thierry Ollivier NEW YORK---For the first time, the cream of treasures have been gathered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Sometimes entire worlds disappear, yet art survives and tells us the stories that would have remained untold. ‘Sivapada’ (Siva's footprints), a wonderful sandstone sculpture by unknown artists in Northern Cambodia of 7th-8th century, shows us the imprint of Hinduism on the Southeast Asian cultures of the first millennium that have vanished. [ link ]

COLLEGIAN ALTLIFE  By Allison Dyer Bluemel TEXAS---No matter what events are happening around the country, religious tattoos, particularly those representing the Christian faith, continue to be popular. The imagery also gives young men and women a chance to a get a more tattoo that may be more fully supported by their families as they start to delve into body art, according to News-Journal in Longview, Texas. “It’s easier to justify a faith-based tattoo to parents than a tattoo of something else,” Jes Farris, owner of tattoo parlor Studio 13, said in an interview with News-Journal. One of the most common Christian tattoos that Farris sees is the Jesus fish with “faith” written inside of it. [ link ]

FINANCIAL TIMES By Randy Bagoda Charlton Heston as Moses in Cecil B de Mille’s ‘The Ten Commandments’ (1956) HOLLYWOOD ---There hasn’t been this much Hollywood interest in biblical material since the last midcentury, when movies such as Quo Vadis (1951), The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur, Solomon and Sheba, The Big Fisherman (all released in 1959), and King of Kings (1961) came out to popular and critical success, establishing what we now expect from Bible movies: that they be outsized spectacles of event and feeling, frequently melodramatic, and occasionally lurid, but usually respectful of their source material. Market opportunism is clearly one of the factors informing Hollywood’s latest come-to-Jesus moment. There are 80 million conservative evangelical Christians in the US alone. [ link ]

BROADWAY WORLD  NEW YORK---Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced today that an exhibition of some 60 jeweled objects from the private collection formed by Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani will be presented at the Museum this fall. Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection, on view October 28 through January 25, will provide a glimpse into the evolving styles of the jeweled arts in India from the Mughal period until the early 20th century, with emphasis on later exchanges with the West. The exhibition will be shown within the Metropolitan Museum's Islamic art galleries, adjacent to the Museum's own collection of Mughal-period art. [ link ]

ARAB NEWS By Rima Al-Mukhtar The sculptress created figurines of groups of women conducting the Islamic prayer ritual, made from clay or marble aggregate and polyester resin SAUDI ARABIA---Saudi sculptress Noha Al-Sharif is known for her Islamic inspired sculptures that reflect both, religion and lifestyle. The concept of modern art attracted her to this medium where she majored in Porcelain and Textile. She is interested in Islamic Art and she loves to read about Asian Art: Indian Chinese and Egyptian Art. Al-Sharif has an interest in the representation of groups and the sculptural history of how different figures relate to each other. In 2011 she studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London where she obtained a diploma in Asian, South Asian and Islamic Art and developed her interest in the relationship between sculpture and faith. [ link ]

THE GLOBE & MAIL By DAKSHANA BASCARAMURTY The sword is believed to have been owned by Maharajah Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire in India. CANADA---“In the last 10 to 20 years, there’s been a huge surge of what are classified as Sikh objects entering the market,” said Deepali Dewan, senior curator of South Asian Arts & Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum. “Because of the demand mostly coming from the Sikh community, the prices have skyrocketed … it has priced museums out of the market.” Although Canada’s Sikh population is large – 1.4 per cent of the population follows Sikhism (compared to 1.9 per cent in India) – none of the major galleries or museums has a sizable permanent collection devoted to Sikh history in India. Even internationally, representation of Sikh history in major museums is limited, Ms. Dewan says. [ link ]

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB I just read a review of a newly  released book  in India illustrating how the Arts put a spotlight on the lives of people ignored by those with the prejudices of wealth and power. "Through art and visual imagery of political and aesthetic expressions, it leads us through myriad social and cultural practices in a world dominated by the prejudices of untouchability and the social tensions experienced by Dalits , and their popular articulations, in order to overcome the injustices of the caste system." It made me think about our American debate about the Arts: social vs. economic impact. Admittedly, I see this debate through the 2001 lens of the City of Cincinnati, a city set-aflame for reasons of social indifference.

THE OREGONIAN By Terry Richard OREGON---The Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park is the main repository for the city's love affair with art from the opposite side of the Pacific. A branch of the the downtown-based Seattle Art Museum, the collection is housed in the park's original 1933 Seattle Art Museum building. The museum features an extensive collection of Buddhist art, including an 11-headed and thousand-armed statue of one of the faiths deities. [ link ]

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB One of the twelve works on display on April 30 is this painting by Ray Marquette INDIANA---The public is invited to join the journey of creative artists during "New Perspectives on Genesis: 'The Binding of Isaac' in Art, Music and Word" on Wednesday, April 30 in Indianapolis. Works by Dawn Batson, Jean Benabou, Dan Cooper, John Domont, Casey Eskridge, Jason Griffith, Pam Blevins Hinkle, David Landis, Ray Marquette, Callie Smith, Julie Stewart and Denise Williams will be displayed and performed throughout the evening, which is free and open to the public. These 12 professional artists were the first class in a seminar that took place this spring semester at Butler University. With the help of faculty in visual arts, literature, music and religion, the artist-students studied Genesis 22 , the story of the binding of Isaac. Their creative response to the journey is reflected in works of poetry and story, painting, sculpture and kin...

THE FASHIONISTO PUBLISHING--- Snake Eyes –Appearing in the May issue of Vanity Fair , actor Neil Patrick Harris is photographed by Annie Leibovitz with styling by Deborah Afshan in West Hollywood. Following the series finale of How I Met Your Mother , Harris is preparing to take Broadway as the lead in Hedwig and the Angry Inch . Borrowing from his outrageous character Hedwig, Harris is captured shirtless with a dumeril boa. / Set design by Peter Klein . [ link ]

THE HUFFINGTON POST By Jasmine Hafiz The cosmic Buddha Amoghasiddhi, approx. 1275-1350. Tibet, Sakya Monastery. Thangka; colors on cloth. Museum purchase, City Arts Trust Fund CALIFORNIA---"Enter the Mandala: Mental Maps and Cosmic Centers in Himalayan Buddhism," explores the intricate world of Himalayan Buddhist art in a unique format. Assistant Curator of Himalayan Art at the Asian Art Museum, Jeff Durham, provided HuffPost Religion with an introduction to the exhibit. This spring, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has created a uniquely immersive experience for its visitors by configuring one of its galleries as a three-dimensional mandala. [ link ]

TABLET MAGAZINE By Tal Kra-Oz Photograph from the Nahum Gutman Museum of Art's 'Secular Judaism' Exhibit. (Roee Rosen) ISRAEL---Gazing out from a large photograph by Israeli artist Roee Rosen are 14 bearded men surrounded by books. That these exaggeratedly hirsute men might be anything other than rabbis is, at first glance, improbable. But a closer look reveals that the men aren’t wearing skullcaps, most of their beards look glued on, and some of their faces seem oddly familiar: Doron Rabina, Yair Garbuz, and Boaz Arad are icons of the Israeli art scene, and Adi Ophir and Moshe Zuckermann are Tel Aviv University professors. They are spiritual leaders, but of a decidedly secular sort. It’s no surprise, then, that this is the photo that greets visitors to Secular Judaism, an exhibit that recently opened at the Nahum Gutman Museum of Art in Tel Aviv’s quaint Neve Tzedek neighborhood. [ link ]

THE HINDU By Shailaha Tripathi M.F. Husain seated before one of his paintings. Photo: N. Ram INDIA---For the first time, the final nine paintings by M.F. Husain will go on public display (from May 28 to 27 July) at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, this summer. The Indian Civilization series comprises eight monumental triptych paintings which represent Husain’s vision of the richness of Indian culture and history. The Indian Civilization series, also known as Vision of India through Mohenjo-Daro to Mahatma Gandhi, was commissioned by the Mittal family in 2008. Usha Mittal has lent the paintings to the V&A, where the artist completed a residency in 1990. [link]

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR By Will Higgins Decades after his abuse by an Indiana priest, Norbert Krapf wrote the poems that became “Catholic Boy Blues.” INDIANA--- Norbert Krapf , Indiana's poet laureate from 2008 to 2010, kept a secret for a half-century: As a boy in Jasper, in Southern Indiana, he had been molested by his parish priest, Monsignor Othmar Schroeder. Krapf was 63 when he told of the abuse to the Bishop of Evansville, who presides over Jasper's Catholic community. Krapf that same year began writing poems about his abuse. He was by then an experienced poet, had published 10 books of poetry. But they had never flowed out of him as they did now — 325 poems in a year. The book, which contains 130 of the poems, was released April 1. It's called "Catholic Boy Blues: A Poet's Journal of Healing." Krapf spoke with Will Higgins on the phone, in person and via email. [ Read more ...]

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS  By TAHLIB "The Holy Family on the Steps" 1648) by Nicolas Poussin OHIO---"Robert Bergman, who directed the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1993 to 1999, often had a dark fantasy in which the institution was on fire and he had time to save only one work of art," reported Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer . "Which would it be?" Inspired by the museums new expansion, Litt picked his Top 20 and it includes "The Holy Family on the Steps" 1648) by Nicolas Poussin. The museum raised the ire of France in 1981 when it bought this superb example of the artist's Baroque classical style. The museum believed it didn't need an official export permit for the work, and stood its ground.

JAPAN TIMES By Daisuke Kikuchi JAPAN---Minami Yamashiro, the region in the Kizu River basin area located in the southern part of Kyoto prefecture has many temples preserving the traditions of the Nara (710-794) and Heian (794-1185) periods. Collected from more than 10 temples of the region, this exhibition will showcase about 140 cultural assets and archaeological remains including two national treasures, as well as paintings, statues, ceramics, and the famous eleven-headed Kannon statue as a highlight. The history, customs and the Buddhist culture of the region can be examined through these items; April 22-June 15. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS By TAHLIB I love listening to Quincy Owens , and I loved his work long before we'd ever met when I stumbled upon his "Holy Land" (above) at an Indianapolis gallery in 2012. He's a full-time artist, and a Christian who just returned from a Hindu immersion in India, and is now preparing for another "mission through art" to Romania (with his wife and kids). "In our western culture we talk in terms of “either/or” in a way of separating and categorizing," he said  about his work. "In eastern culture there is a seamless acceptance of 'both/and.'" His work is just that – "both/and," and that's why we're celebrating this  Easter with a gift of support for his journey to Romania as our NEWS OF WEEK . You can support him too by sending a check to: Redeemer Presbyterian Church , 1505 N. Delaware Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, ATTN: "Romania Mission."

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Jeannett Catsoulis Connor Corum, left, and Greg Kinnear in “Heaven Is for Real.” Credit Allen Fraser/TriStar Pictures HOLLYWOOD ---The wooing of religious moviegoers — a delicate operation, as the “ Noah ” backlash attests — has been ramping up lately, with major players like Ridley Scott and Ben Kingsley mining the Bible for box office gold. But if there’s such a thing as a safe bet in this genre, it’s “ Heaven Is for Real ,” a Christian sermon that even the most doctrinaire believer can applaud. Preachy and pretty, “Heaven” is a classy-looking product with a vanilla flavor and a pastel palette. [ link ]

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB "My Dad Mocking Christ" (2009) by Tom Torluemke, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24" INDIANA---Today is Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The painting "My Dad Mocking Christ" by Tom Torluemke powerfully illustrates the beating and mocking that continues to this day. Today, many  will fast until after this evening's Good Friday services. It is a day of worship, prayer, fasting and "almsgiving" for members of most Christians, including Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Churches of the Brethren, Mennonites, as well as many Episcopal , Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches.

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB "The Last Supper" by Doug Blanchard The final Thursday of Christian holy season of Lent is known as "Maundy Thursday" and commemorates the last supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples and friends. It is also known by the names "Holy Thursday," "Covenant Thursday," "Great and Holy Thursday," "Thursday of Mysteries," and "Sheer Thursday." The Mass or service of worship is usually celebrated Thursday evening, which is when Friday begins according to Jewish tradition (Last Supper was held on the feast of Passover). The Washing of the Feet is a traditional component of the celebration in many Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Churches of the Brethren, Mennonites, as well as many Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist , and Presbyterian churches. I'll be at a Methodist church tonight for the service.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH By Christopher A. Yates For more than two thousand years, the ketubbah, or Hebrew marriage contract, has been an integral part of Jewish culture. OHIO---Thirty Jewish marriage contracts, ranging from 12th-century Egypt to present-day New York, are featured in “The Art of Matrimony” at the Columbus Museum of Art . Perhaps best understood as documents expressing the promises that grooms make to brides, the contracts (ketubah) protect women in cases of divorce or the death of a spouse. Names, dates and wedding locations are included along with obligations involving conjugal relations, food, shelter and clothing. [ link ] Columbus Museum of Art: “ The Art of Matrimony: Thirty Splendid Marriage Contracts from The Jewish Theological Seminary Library ,” (Ends June 15); 480 E Broad St, Columbus, OH; (614) 221-6801; ColumbusMuseum.org

ARTDAILY "Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and Angels" (16th century) by Cornelis van Cleve, . VIRGINIA---The Irene Leache Memorial Foundation has donated its entire collection of European Old Master paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts to the Chrysler Museum of Art. At its March meeting, the museum’s board of trustees voted unanimously to accession the Irene Leache Memorial art collection. On long-term loan to the Museum since within a year of its 1933 opening, the Irene Leache Memorial collection comprises 27 works of art dating from the 14th through 19th centuries. Accompanying the gifts of art is another substantial bequest—an endowed curatorship. [ link ]

IUPUI ARTS AND HUMANITIES INSTITUTE Artist Fred Wilson envisioned re-purposing the statue to give him a new identity and new meaning. INDIANA---Art, race and space fill the most recent issue of the Indiana Magazine of History . In an issue guest-edited by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis public historian Modupe Labode, leading scholars of public art and urban life show how art can reveal fault lines in modern society. The March 2014 issue features four articles reflecting on the artwork that prompted IUPUI’s recent symposium, “Art, Race and Space”: artist Fred Wilson’s proposed “E Pluribus Unum” sculpture, which re-imagined a new identity for the freed slave portrayed on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis. Wilson’s work, commissioned for the city’s Cultural Trail, was ultimately canceled after long and intense public controversy. [ link ]

FORBES By Sarah McKinney PHILANTHROPY--- Patreon’s business model is people supported (vs. ad supported), where fans give money directly to their favorite creators, allowing them to continue doing what love (and what fans value). Think Kickstarter for individual pieces of creative digital content, but then scrap that and place Patreon within the sharing economy – a category of businesses that go around current systems, creating a way for people to share and support each other through peer-to-peer transactions, with the businesses taking a percent of each financial exchange. The average monthly amount paid by each patron is $9.80, and most creators post one piece of content per month. Given these statistics, with the support of 510 fans each month you’d be bringing home $60,000/year – not bad, particularly for those who already have established fan bases. [ link ]

THE HUFFINGTON POST By Kemal Argon TURKEY---In the Muslim world, fine arts are related to Islamic spirituality. While fine arts can be found all over the Muslim world, Turkey certainly has major contributions to Islamic art, both historically and still today. With the recent expansion of interest in the more open practice of Islam in Turkey, understanding how the arts are important and relevant to Turkish society and the individual Muslim can give more perspective on the Turkish approach to Islam. In their societal context and in their reception, it is worth noting that there is much more to these Turkish fine arts than initially meets the eye.* [ link ]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By Lee Lawrence Krishna Govardhana, from seventh-century southern Cambodia National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh NEW YORK---The Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia" is a monumental show in about every sense of the word. At least one third of its 150-plus works are large sculptures and reliefs. And the show's very concept reflects new findings and directions in scholarship. The result is a show with as much to attract specialists—from inscriptions on first-time loans from Myanmar or the earliest-known statue of Vishnu from southern Cambodia—as there is to delight art lovers generally. The artistry displayed in the show's fifth- and sixth-century works speaks to a prior mastery of art production. While there is still much to be learned about early Southeast Asian artists and the cultures they helped form, their conversation is a momentous first step. One can only hope more will...

By Lauren Davidson A Passover seder at the White House in 2009 (Pete Souza/Reuters) Passover is a festival of questions, many of which can be summed up by the single query: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” Here’s one answer: It’s the Jewish festival that non-Jews love to observe. The seder, the ceremonial feast held on the first two nights of Passover.... The festival commemorates the exodus from Egypt, a key step in the formation of the Jewish people. In other words, Passover does not seem like the most obvious festival for outsider participation. And yet every spring, non-kosher restaurants, churches and student organizations around the U.S.—not to mention Jewish homes—invite non-Jews to relive the Israelites’ exodus from bondage. Even the White House has held a seder since 2008. [ link ]

HINDUSTAN TIMES Sikh pilgrim at the Golden Temple. Courtesy of IMC On Air. INDIA---Even though women are barred from performing kirtan at the Golden Temple, a team of women who now shoulder the responsibility of restoration of the fast deteriorating wall decorations within the darbar sahib. Hailing from different parts of India and belonging to different faiths, these women will soon bring these beautiful paintings back to their original glory. Known as fresco paintings, this style of painting is also called the “Sikh School of Art”. These paintings which adorn the main darbar hall and the walls of the staircases are done with natural colors and are renowned all over the world for the detailing and delicacy of the art. These frescoes were originally painted in 1830 during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh took on the gilding of the darbar sahib. They were done by artist Giani Sant Singh along with many Muslim artists. [ link ]

ARTDAILY New towering sculptures by Richard Serra in the desert of Doha DOHA (AFP)---Four steel plates rise out of Qatar's desert sands like behemoths, symbolising, according to US artist Richard Serra who created the sculpture, the connection between the wealthy Gulf state's two regions. The sculpture, East-West/West-East , was unveiled on Tuesday in a desert area around 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the capital Doha, by the sister of Qatar's emir, who has been named by Britain's ArtReview as the most influential figure in the art world. The sculpture, which consists of four steel plates which rise to heights varying between 14.7 metres (48 feet) and 16.7 metres (55 feet), was commissioned by Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad bint al-Thani. [ link ]

ISLAND PACKET By Rabbi Brad Bloom "The Captive Slave," by John Philip Simpson (1827) SUBMITTED PHOTO SOUTH CAROLINA---I was strolling through The Art Institute of Chicago when I came across a painting from John Philip Simpson , an English artist, titled "The Captive Slave." Simpson painted it in 1827, and it portrays a black man wearing an orange shirt with shackles around his wrists. This painting was considered controversial at the time because of the national debate in England concerning the moral and political issues of slavery. This painting might have caught my attention because Passover is this week. The power of art is that it tells a story.  Slavery was, and is today, an abhorrent institution. Even though Passover is exclusively a Jewish holy day, it does possess a universal theme of freedom for humanity, which inspired writers and painters in history up through today. [ link ]

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS (Left to right): Self/Portrait, 1966, ink on graph paper. Private collection;  Going Out Of Business, 2012, oil on velvet. Private collection. All artwork © Mel Bochner NEW YORK---From May 2 through September 21, 2014, The Jewish Museum will present "Mel Bochner: Strong Language," a survey of Bochner’s career-long fascination with the cerebral and visual associations of words. The exhibition will include over 70 text-based works. Among the highlights are his mid-1960s Portrait Drawings, never before exhibited in New York, and paintings from the last decade using synonyms derived from the latest edition of Roget’s Thesaurus. Bochner was inspired by the Thesaurus’ new permissiveness to broaden his linguistic references juxtaposing proper with vernacular, formal against vulgar, high against low. [ link ]

OPB NEWS Via NPR PUBLISHING---When Bart Ehrman was a young Evangelical Christian, he wanted to know how God became a man, but now, as an agnostic and historian of early Christianity, he wants to know how a man became God. When and why did Jesus’ followers start saying “Jesus as God” and what did they mean by that? His new book is called How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher form Galilee . “In this book I actually do not take a stand on either the question of whether Jesus was God, or whether he was actually raised from the dead,” Ehrman tells Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross. “I leave open both questions because those are theological questions based on religious beliefs and I’m writing the book as a historian.” Ehrman is the author of several books about early Christianity including Misquoting Jesus and Jesus Interrupted. [ link ]

ARTDAILY A fourth century fragment of papyrus that divinity professor Karen L. King says is the only existing ancient text that quotes Jesus explicitly referring to having a wife. Photo: Harvard University, Karen L. King. WASHINGTON, DC (AFP)--- A ancient piece of papyrus that contains a mention of Jesus' wife is not a forgery, according to a scientific analysis of the controversial text, US researchers said Thursday. The fragment is believed to have come from Egypt and contains writing in the Coptic language that says, "Jesus said to them, 'My wife...'" Another part reads: "She will be able to be my disciple." Its discovery in 2012 caused a stir. The Vatican's newspaper declared it a fake, along with other scholars who doubted its authenticity based on its poor grammar, blurred text and uncertain origin. [ link ]

BUSINESS WORLD ONLINE WORLD---A home ministry official Saturday confirmed that Paramount’s latest big budget film, which has sparked an outcry among Muslim groups worldwide, will not be screened in predominantly Muslim Malaysia. The film has already angered some Christian institutions in the US over Crowe’s reportedly unconventional portrayal of Noah, who is regarded as an important figure in both Christianity and Islam. Malaysia’s home ministry’s Film Censorship Board unit Chairman Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid said a decision to ban the Noah film was made about two weeks ago. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS "Passover" by Raphael Abecassis Passover (Pesach)  is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. (First posted Monday, March 25, 2013)

THE HINDU By Delhi-based artist Bharti Singh at the exhibition of her paintings in Visakhapatnam. Photo: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM INDIA--- When a viewer looks at a work and gets the same idea as that of the artist, it is the ultimate achievement for the artist, noted painter Bharti Singh of New Delhi has said. The works should communicate clearly the thought of the artist. She explained how each of her paintings in the series ‘Devotion’, which were on display at the CSN Patnaik Art Gallery till Tuesday, had some narratives of Lord Krishna and goddess Shakti. They actually did not say anything different from what we understand of these gods and goddesses. In her works, she connected animals with devotion. [ link ]

AUTHINTMAIL Canadian considers himself caretaker of famed Sikh’s sword CANADA---Canadian billionaire Bob Singh Dhillon has purchased a sword that belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the first warrior king of the Sikh Empire. The 85 centimetre (33.5 inch) blade and sheath is embossed with an image of Ranjit Singh and bears his name. Singh united 11 Sikh kingdoms and created an empire covering much of modern day Punjab, Kashmir and Pakistan after a series of military campaigns against his regional rivals. He ruled a vast area west of British India from 1799 until his death in 1839. “I didn’t buy this sword to own it myself. I want to share it with the Sikh community and with all Canadians,” he said. “Per capita there are more Sikhs in Canada than in India, so it makes perfect sense that we should bring it here and be custodians of our own history.” [ link ]

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE By Peggy Fletcher Stack For Father's Day, we looked at God the Father, and how imagining deity as a male figure might affect those who have a tense or destructive relationship with their earthly fathers. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri) UTAH---Every Saturday morning for more than two decades, The Salt Lake Tribune has played host to a conversation about faith. We asked big questions: Who is God? What is resurrection? Why does Mary keep showing up in unexpected places? Today marks our final print Faith section, but it is hardly the end of our religion reporting. You’ll see stories of spirituality and ethics, belief and nonbelief, on the front page, the Utah cover, in the arts section, even in food. And, of course, faith coverage will continue its digital prominence at sltrib.com . [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Holland Cotter In ‘Lost Kingdoms,’ sandstone throne stele from central Myanmar, from around the fourth century NEW YORK---When the Metropolitan Museum of Art gives its all to an exhibition in terms of space, money and scholarship, and the art involved is as rich as a massed chorale and as haunting as a single-voice chant, no institution on earth can produce more impressive results. Such is the case with “Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, 5th to 8th Century,” which opens on Monday. It’s a show about faith, or faiths, that may initially need to be taken on faith by Met visitors for whom religious art from Southeast Asia is an unknown quantity. [ link ]

LOS ANGELES TIMES By Kathleen Hennessey WASHINGTON, DC---President Obama on Monday called on Americans to stand up against religious bigotry as he offered his support to the families of those killed in shootings at two Jewish community centers in the Kansas City area. “That this occurred now, as Jews were preparing to celebrate Passover , as Christians were observing Palm Sunday , makes this tragedy all the more painful,” Obama said. Police have arrested Frazier Glenn Miller, 73, in connection with the shooting. Civil rights advocates say Miller has ties to the Ku Klux Klan and a long history of espousing hate against Jews, among others. Police say they do not believe that the shooter knew his victims. [ link ]

THIS WEEK "Passover" by Raphael Abecassis In most of the Christian world, Easter Sunday falls at some point between 22 March and 25 April – and this year it comes right at the end of that window. The festival of Easter, which commemorates the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ, is celebrated differently around the world.  Why is the date of Easter not fixed? The short answer is that early Christians wanted to observe Easter annually in correlation with the Jewish festival of Passover – and specifically, they wanted Easter to fall just after the Jewish commemoration of the flight from Egypt. This is because the Last Supper is thought to have taken place on Passover. The Hebrew calendar is based on both solar and lunar cycles, and therefore Passover a moveable feast. That in turn makes Easter a moveable feast. [ link ] Passover 2014 : Monday, April 14-Tuesday, April 22 Easter 2014 : Sunday, April 20