Disney-Britton

THE NATION Sanchi Stupa is an ancient Buddhist site in Madhya Pradesh INDIA---Originally built by the Mauryan Dynasty's Emperor Asoka more than 300 years after the death of Lord Buddha, the stupa served a religious purpose until the 12th century. Lord Buddha never honoured Sanchi Stupa with a visit but the World Heritage site is still regarded as one of the outstanding Buddhism stupas in India. Besides monks and nuns from Sri Lanka who occasionally stay nearby and are isolated from the local community, there are no Buddhist religious activities in the area and there is no significant Buddhist population in Madya Pradesh state. [ link ]

WINIPEG FREE PRESS By Sarah Swan "Voice of Fire" (1967) by Barnett Newman. SUPPLIED PHOTO CANADA---It looks like two cans of paint and two rollers and about 10 minutes would do the trick." These were the famous words of Progressive Conservative MP Felix Holtmann in 1990. Holtmann was on talk radio, responding to Canada's acquisition of artist Barnett Newman's  "Voice of Fire," a painting of three vertical stripes. The $1.8-million scandal is a firm fixture in Canada's collective memory. It was an early lesson on abstract art and the problems it consistently poses for those not in the know. [ link ]

THE JERUSALEM POST By Ro Yeger Walmart makes ISIS cake. (photo credit:screenshot) LOUISIANA---Chuck Nethammer on Wednesday payed a visit to his local Walmart in Louisiana on Wednesday in hopes of ordering a Confederate flag cake imprinted with the words "Heritage not Hate." His request was subsequently denied. Irritated by this experience, Nethammer decided to test the retail giant and returned the next day to the Northshore Boulevard store's bakery counter to place an order for a cake emblazoned with the Islamic State flag. To his surprise, the store readily agreed, for the "rollback price" of $19.98 plus tax. [ link ]

THE HINDU  By Samrat Chakrabarti INDIA--- Jamini Roy , the eminent Bengali artist, counted among the early modernists of twentieth century Indian art, is being featured in a new exhibition in Mumbai at the National Gallery of Modern Art. Titled ‘Jamini Roy (1887 - 1972): Journey to the Roots’, the exhibition is curated by art historian and critic Ella Datta, and comprises 200 artworks that chart the development of the artist’s unique aesthetic and visual language. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest Disney-Britton "The Power of Theatrical Madness" (1986) by Robert Mapplethorpe. Lot Number 33. Gelatin silver print 10 x 8 in (25.4 x 20.32 cm). Estimate $2,000 - $4,000 One of the more hotly debated love stories from biblical history is the relationship between King David and Jonathon . In honor of this historic marriage moment in America, we've selected the Paddle #8 auction of Robert Mapplethorpe’s “The Power of Theatrical Madness” as a way for supporters of marriage equality to celebrate. Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) was raised in a strict Roman Catholic family, and his work is widely known for its religious undertones, and references to classical Christian imagery. The auction ends Jun 30 at 1:00pm EST. [ bid ]

BLOUIN | ARTINFO By Anneliese Cooper, Noelle Bodick The Palmyra Roman Ruins in Syria, which have been seized by ISIS. (Getty) While ISIS made headlines for annihilating ancient Assyrian statues in Mosul and Nineveh earlier this year, it has also been quietly selling pilfered antiques to raise funds for the self-declared caliphate. Online sites like eBay, Facebook, and Whatsapp are serving as the platforms for this estimated $300 million market. “Demand from western collectors is very high,” said Dr. Mark Altaweel of University College London. “There’s also a specific requirement for pre-Islamic art.” [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest Disney-Britton The oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization in America, the NAACP applauds the marriage decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. As one who sat in the rooms with NAACP leaders in 2008 and 2009 for these discussion, I can tell you they have long advocated for marriage equality but their evolution was long. It wasn't until 2012, that the NAACP Board of Directors finally voted to support marriage equality as a continuation of its steadfast commitment to equal protection under the law. The NAACP constitution states their objective to ensure the “political, education, social and economic equality” of all people consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Last Friday, they issued the following statement : “The NAACP applauds the Supreme Court’s historic decision on marriage equality," said Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President and CEO, "as it affirms that all Americans are created equal ...

THE HUFFINGTON POST By Kate Abbey-Lambertz Jia Sung, a recent graduate of Rhode Island Institute of Design, said painting watercolors of each victim was her way of mourning. SOUTH CAROLINA---In the week since the shootings, many other Charleston residents have expressed their emotions in powerful and creative ways, from thousands of people joining hands in a unity chain to making handmade signs honoring the victims. It was a clear choice, Enough Pie executive director Cathryn Zommer told The Huffington Post. “People use creativity to make sense of all of this. They use the arts to express these deep emotions of sorrow and pain and loss,” Zommer said. “The arts can do that. They can help us heal.” From designers and dancers in Charleston’s tight-knit creative community to musicians who live hundreds of miles away, artists have addressed the killings. Their work, below, shows how art helps us survive and strengthen amid tragedy. [ link ]

DARLING AND STOCKTONTIMES Modern martyr images at Auckland Castle courtesy of Bill Viola and Blain Southern. P icture: Kira Perov. UNITED KINGDOM---American artist Bill Viola’s installation on the theme of martyrdom in the chapel at Auckland Castle heralds a new chapter for the former palace of the Bishops of Durham where the UK’s first museum in faith history is scheduled to open in 2018. The four flat screen panels – Earth Martyr, Air Martyr, Fire Martyr and Water Martyr – are derived from his large-scale video work, Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) first shown at St Paul’s Cathedral in London last year. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS Rothko Chapel photo taken during visit by the Grant Makers in the Arts in October 2014. TEXAS---Houston's Rothko Chapel has named David Leslie, a native Texan as the new Executive Director. Leslie is returning to Texas from Oregon, where he ran Ecumenical Ministries for the past 17 years. The Rothko Chapel is an independent institution, dedicated in 1971 as an intimate sanctuary available to people of every belief. It is a tranquil meditative environment inspired by the mural canvases of American painter, and Russian-Jew Mark Rothko (1903-1970).  The Chapel welcomes over 80,000 visitors each year, people of every faith and from all parts of the world.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By Jennifer Smith NEW YORK---New York City’s leading museums and performing-arts groups may be nonprofit organizations, but their top jobs offer pay and perks that many in the private sector would envy. Leaders at five of the city’s most prominent cultural institutions—the Museum of Modern Art, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Metropolitan Opera, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History—had compensation packages that exceeded $1.2 million in salary and benefits in 2013, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of recent tax filings for a dozen groups. [ link ]

ARTDAILY Jan Pietersz Saenredam (Dutch, 1565-1607) after Abraham Bloemaert (Dutch, 1564-1651), Temptation of Man, from The History of Adam and Eve, 1604. Engraving. Collection of The Hearn Family Trust. Photo: Paul Mutino. CONNECTICUT---The galleries of the Bruce Museum will be bursting with pride this summer and into fall: "The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride" opened on June 27, part of a groundbreaking series of area exhibitions exploring the Seven Deadly Sins . Presented by seven members of the Fairfield/Westchester Museum Alliance, the Seven Deadly Sins exhibitions represent the FWMA's first ever collaborative effort. "The Seven Deadly Sins have played a significant role in theology, literature and art since the Middle Ages," says Susan Ball, Deputy Director of the Bruce Museum and a curator of the exhibition. [ link ]

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR By Mark Alesia and Tim Evans Bill Levin, founder of The First Church of Cannabis, shows his new sanctuary and talks about the first service, which will be on July 1, 2015 at noon. INDIANA---As Indiana's pied piper of pot and founder of The First Church of Cannabis , Bill Levin naturally inspires elbow-nudging jokes about his church's holy sacrament. But the man who wants to introduce Indiana to legal marijuana use, and is about to put the state's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act to an unexpected test, is far more than a caricature. The church will hold its first service at noon Wednesday, the same day RFRA goes into effect. Levin, who greets people with two-armed hugs instead of handshakes, isn't sure how many of the followers he calls "Cannaterians" will join him at the small Southeastside church at 3400 S. Rural St , but he's preparing for a large turnout, including 22 local, national and international media outlets th...

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Gregory Disney-Britton In January 2008, Ernest and I drove 523 icy miles to be married in Niagara Falls, Canada because we didn't have that freedom in our home states of Ohio or Indiana. When we returned, his cousin questioned, "Why would you do that if it doesn't matter here?" Our response came in June of that year when we moved Ernest to NYC to begin working on the national campaign for the Freedom to Marry . Now, seven years later, that fight is over, and that's why " Let Freedom Ring, The Wedding Bells " (above) by Tom Torluemke is my  NEWS OF WEEK .

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton As the Confederate battle flag comes down, the Rainbow flag is rising. How do you feel after this week? Following the racist massacre in a South Carolina church, lawmakers throughout the south, as well as major retailers, have made quick plans to remove a racist symbol that represents a war to uphold slavery. Following yesterday's same-sex marriage ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, churches, lawmakers, and corporations are celebrating another milestone on the road to full equality in America. While these changes do anger and disturb some, progress has always had that impact, but  in our constant journey to form "a more perfect union" both instances are moments to celebrate.  So, bring down the old, and raise up the new!

PEW RESEARCH CENTER A growing number of governments around the world are considering whether to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages. Nearly two dozen countries currently have national laws allowing gays and lesbians to marry, mostly in Europe and the Americas. In Mexico, some jurisdictions allow same-sex couples to wed, while others do not. [ link ]

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH By Heather Hahn United Methodists had varied reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that establishes same-sex civil marriage as a constitutional right. But many United Methodists agree on one thing: The decision likely will escalate a longtime denominational debate on the church's position on homosexuality. Church law bans clergy from performing same-sex marriages and forbids churches from hosting such ceremonies. The 5-4 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges dealt with two questions: Does the U.S. Constitution allow states to prohibit same-gender marriage and can states refuse to recognize the marriages of gay couples who wed in another state? To both questions, the majority said states must recognize same-sex marriage. [ link ]

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that same-gender couples have a constitutional right to marry nationwide, striking down bans in 14 states. Church leaders believe today’s ruling is a step in the right direction as society’s views have continued to change in recent years. In its 5-4 opinion, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote “the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of a person and under the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment, couples of the same sex may not be deprived of that right and that liberty.” [ link ]

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH By The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori I rejoice that the Supreme Court has opened the way for the love of two people to be recognized by all the states of this Union, and that the Court has recognized that it is this enduring, humble love that extends beyond the grave that is to be treasured by society wherever it exists. Our society will be enriched by the public recognition of such enduring faithful love in families headed by two men or two women as well as by a woman and a man. The children of this land will be stronger when they grow up in families that cannot be unmade by prejudice or discrimination. May love endure and flourish wherever it is to be found. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest & Gregory Disney-Britton "Let Freedom Ring, The Wedding Bells" (2011) by Tom Torluemke Greg and I were married in a chapel in Canada in 2008, because, as a same-sex couple, we could not marry in our home states of Ohio and Indiana . Today's historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling means that other religious same-sex couples will never again have to flee to Canada for their freedom. Reflecting the support of a majority of religious Americans , this is a momentous win for hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples and our families. In honor of this day, we "give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 107:1)

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Holly Bass "Untitled (Cadmium)," 1984; oil, oil stick and acrylic on canvas. Credit The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/Société des Auteurs dans les Arts graphiques et plastiques, Paris/Artist Rights Society In the American historical imagination, the North (even beyond our borders into Canada) symbolizes freedom, individual expression and progress, while the South conjures a mix of hospitality, religious fervor and persistent racial prejudice. It’s a cultural civil war that in some ways enables us to sidestep the more complicated realities of our national identity. Two recent exhibition catalogs ably situate the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat within these potent cultural poles. [ link ]

FREEDOM CENTER OHIO---Today, history has been made. The ruling of the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges was made possible by works and the bravery of activists like Bayard Rustin, Harvey Milk and Edith Windsor. We thank Jim Obergefell and the plaintiffs who testified and changed the course history. Justice Kennedy’s remarks affirm the fact that we all have the same legal right to marriage. At the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, we believe in inclusive freedom – where we all have equal access to the same rights and agree with the words of President Barack Obama, that today, “we have made our Union a little more perfect.” [ link ]

JEWISH NEWS By Jennifer Goldberg Foster’s drawing of the "Al Netilas Yadayim (hand washing prayer)" was commissioned by a family in Scottsdale. Image courtesy of Brooke Foster ARIZONA---In the work of Brooke Sendele Foster , stories from the Torah and themes of Judaism and Jewish culture burst with color and life. Her finely detailed and beautiful drawings celebrate the beauty and traditions of the Jewish faith. Foster’s path to a career as a Jewish artist was an unlikely one. Born to a Christian father and a Jewish mother, she was raised Christian in Irvine, California. Religious art isn’t exactly embraced in the serious art community, Foster says. By using bright colors, incorporating fine art elements and making the Jewish themes of her work relevant to today, she found greater acceptance of her art, Foster says. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS "An Allegory of Marriage," in Honour of Alfonso d'Avalos, marchese del Vasto" (c. 17th century) by Titian. Oil on canvas, 122 x 92 cm. Collection: National Trust The painting by Tiziano Vecelliohas (Titian) has long been known as depicting Alfonso d'Avalos, marquis del Vasto, military commander in Italy of the Emperor Charles V, with his wife Marie d'Aragon. It is now simply entitled an allegory of marriage, where 'Mars (in armour), Venus with Cupid and his arrows, and two other females, maybe representing Hymen and Fortuna' are depicted. A preparatory drawing, 100 x 101 cm, with some differences, is also owned by the Musée du Louvre, inventory n°754 bis. Musée du Louvre, Paris.

LA WEEKLY By Catherine Wagley The Mary’s Day Parade at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles,1964 Reproduction permission of the Corita Art Center, Immaculate Heart Community, Los Angeles CALIFORNIA---In a sunny photo from 1964, a big group of nuns and girls with flowers in their hair hold pink signs that say "God Likes Me" or "I Like God." That photo, of the Mary's Day celebration held at Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood, is included in a glass case in " Someday Is Now: The Art of Corita Kent ," which just opened at the Pasadena Museum of California Art . "Mary's Day used to be very formal," Lenore Navarro Dowling, a former Sister of the Immaculate Heart order, says on a recent Tuesday as she stands near the glass case that holds the photo. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Julia Moskin During Ramadan, the far-flung Muslim communities of the world are unified by one food: the date, one of the earliest cultivated crops and an ancient icon of the Middle East, where the thick-trunked date palm is a symbol of hospitality, rest and peace. Cooking for Ramadan seems like an oxymoron, but the two large meals of the night hours, the predawn suhoor and the sundown iftar, are opportunities for home cooks to come up with ever more alluring, filling and nourishing dishes. [ link ]

BREITBART By Michael Lucchese Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is home to a sizeable population of Rohingya Muslims. About 800,000 live in the country, but the government refuses to recognize them as citizens. MYANMAR---Buddhist monks in Myanmar have called for a government-enforced ban on headscarves in schools across the country. “When [Muslims] live in Myanmar, they need to obey the laws and regulations of the country. We are not targeting or attacking their religion,” U Pamaukkha, a monk calling for the hijab ban, said. The Organization for the Protection of Race and Religion, known locally as Ma Ba Tha, is the group advocating the ban. They claim that religious head coverings Muslim women often wear are “not in line with school discipline.” [ link ]

LOS ANGELES TIMES By Carolina A. Miranda Islamic State militants have destroyed two historic tombs in Palmyra, according to Syrian authorities. This undated photo released Monday by a militant website, which has been verified and is consistent with reporting by the Associated Press, shows one of two mausoleums being blown up. SYRIA---A top Syrian antiquities official announced today that Islamic State militants have destroyed a pair of important historic tombs at the ancient city of Palmyra, according to a report by the Associated Press. The destroyed sites include the grave of the Shiite saint Muhammad Bin Ali and the Sufi scholar Nizar Abu Bahaa Eddine. Images released by a militant website, and consistent with reporting from the Associated Press, show militants carrying explosives, then explosions and piles of rubble. Islamic State militants are Sunni and view Shiites as heretics and the followers of Sufi orders as deviants. Moreover, they view tombs and religious shrines as o...

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Ruth La Ferla The “Ramadan Edit” from Net-a-Porter, which last month heralded Ramadan with a selection of garments and accessories. Mr. [Tommy] Hilfiger is among the latest in a handful of designers and merchants seeking to capitalize on the advent of Ramadan , the holiest month of the Islamic lunar calendar. (It ends this year on July 17.) A time of fasting and contemplation alternating in the evenings with festive gatherings of family and friends, it has emerged in recent years as a month of extravagant spending that is rivaled, some say, only by Christmas . One thing is certain: Such appeals to a deep-pocketed segment of the Muslim community have rarely been more pointed or direct. [ link ]

ARTDAILY Police seized the items -- a wooden chest and 11 wooden engravings -- last month on Spain's Canary Islands. SPAIN---Spanish police on Monday returned 12 artworks, including several 15th-century wood engravings, to Sweden's embassy in Madrid after they were allegedly stolen by a Spaniard from Swedish churches and museums. Police seized the items -- a wooden chest and 11 wooden engravings -- last month on Spain's Canary Islands at the home of a 63-year-old man who they suspect stole the items in Sweden, police said in a statement. They were among a total of 46 Swedish artworks that were found in his house which the authorities suspect were stolen. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Frank Bruni Remember the AIDS crisis? That was 30 years ago. Now we stand nervously and hopefully on the brink of a milestone. Before the end of June, a month associated with wedding bells and wedding cake, the Supreme Court will issue a major decision about the right of two men or two women to exchange vows in a manner honored by the government. Too quickly? Nothing about this juncture feels quick if you soldiered through AIDS and the country’s awakening then to just how many gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans there are, just how profound our bonds can be, just how fiercely we’re willing to fight for them, just how ardently we ache to be included. [ link ]

THE NATIONAL By Anna Seaman Heritage festival 3 by Greek photographer and artist Yiannis Roussakis. Courtesy Etihad Modern Art Gallery ARAB EMIRATES---Digital prints, photography and recycled art are just some of the artworks you can pick up from the annual Ramadan Art Souq, starting today at Etihad Modern Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi. "Tin Man," a clay creation using recycled material by Brian Dougan , a professor at the American University of Sharjah, is up for grabs for as little as Dh300. Other pieces include a range of oil-on-canvas paintings by Abu Dhabi-based French artist Karine Roche (from Dh1,500, depending on the size).Resident artist Yiannis Roussakis, from Greece, is showing some of his surreal-style digital photographs in the exhibition, which has been curated to reflect the Ramadan season. [ link ]

THE HINDU The exhibit as part of the 50th anniversary is titled A Brief History of Mankind ISREAL---Two pieces, representing the genesis of agriculture and its latest products, are part of an exhibit titled "A Brief History of Humankind," a center-piece of the 50th-anniversary celebrations at Israel Museum. The exhibit tries to convey a more universal message: the story of civilizations origins and development in the region. The exhibit is drawn largely from the museums vast holdings, and was inspired by the international best-seller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari. [ link ]

BLOUIN | INFO By Rachel Will "The Great Departure" Gandhara, 2nd century, Loriyan Tangai, Schist, 48 x 54 x 8.6 cm (Courtesy Indian Museum, Kolkata) SINGAPORE---Any guess as to where Asia’s oldest museum is? We’ll give you a hint, some of its treasures are currently on loan to Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum. “Treasure from Asia’s Oldest Museum: Buddhist Art from the Indian Museum, Kolkata” is currently on view at the Asian Civilisations Museum, commemorating 50 years of diplomatic relations between the city-state and the subcontinent. The exhibition follows the development of Buddhist art from the 2nd century BC through the museum’s collection of sculptures and paintings. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS In the ongoing debate over the superiority of one set of religious texts over the others, an artist-designer has found a resolution. 5,360 pages. 3,700 years, 7 books, all on one shelf. For the first time, the world’s most influential religious texts are brought together and presented on the same level, their coexistence acknowledged and celebrated. [ Source ]

THE NEW YORKER By Ross Arbes In 2011, the South Korean Ambassador to Israel said on Israeli public television that “each Korean family has at least one copy of the Talmud.” Illustration by Min Heo The Jewish Talmud is a dense compilation of oral laws annotated with rabbinical discussions, consisting of about two and a half million words. The legend is that God recited the Talmud, the oral law, to Moses on Mount Sinai, while simultaneously giving him the Torah, the written law. In June, 2014, I accompanied Jung Wan Kim, an Incheon-based P.R. manager and Talmud teacher, on a visit to Chul-whan Sung, then the head of the book-publishing division of Maekyung Media Group, one of the largest South Korean media companies. Sung estimated that “over eighty per cent of the country” had read most of Tokayer’s Talmud in some form or another.[ link ]

PEW RESEARCH CENTER By Carlye Murphy Although many lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults feel that most major faiths are unwelcoming to their community, a majority of LGB adults are religiously affiliated, according to a new Pew Research Center study. But they are much less likely to be Christian than the general public and are more drawn to smaller, non-Christian denominations. About 5% of the 2014 Religious Landscape Study’s 35,000-plus respondents identified themselves as members of the LGB population. Of that group, 59% said they are religiously affiliated. But only 48% of them reported belonging to a Christian faith group, compared with 71% of the general public. [ link ]

LEXOLOGY By Garrett David Kennedy Tattoos and body piercings have become increasingly prevalent in the U.S. — over 20% of adults are now tattooed. This number only will be increasing because 38% of millennials (born from 1981-1992) have tattoos, approximately half of whom have two or more, while 23% of millennials have body piercings. More of a concern for employers, however, is that visible body art is increasing as well. Litigation based on disputes over body art has arisen principally in the context of religious discrimination. Employers need to think about this issue before it hits home. [ link ]

WALLPAPER.COM By Jessica Klingelfuss Installation view of Bill Viola's new digital altarpiece at Auckland Castle in County Durham, a bespoke reworking of his 2014 video 'Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water)'. Courtesy of Auckland Castle Trust. Photography: Mark Pinder UNITED KINGDOM---Contemporary art and religion almost always intuitively find themselves at odds. Under the mystical guidance of Bill Viola , however, the two worlds seem to collide with impossibly gripping effect. In his latest show, the American video artist returns to the north east of England, where visitors to Auckland Castle in County Durham can find faith (or denounce it) through Viola's haunting digital altarpiece. [ link ]

THE NEWS & OBSERVER By Mark Schultz Teacher Omar Currie reads a copy of a complaint a parent filed after he read the book ‘King & King” to his third grade students at Efland-Cheeks Elementary School. The school has upheld the use of the book, but a parent has appealed the superintendent. | MARK SCHULTZ mschultz@newsobserver.com NORTH CAROLINA---The teacher and assistant principal at the center of a controversy around a gay fairy tale read to third graders have resigned. Omar Currie and Meg Goodhand of Efland-Cheeks Elementary School submitted resignation letters, Orange County Schools spokesman Seth Stephens said Monday. Currie had said he would resign because he felt administrators did not support him after he read “King & King,” in which two princes fall in love and get married. He has said he read the book after a boy in his class was called gay in a derogatory way and told he was acting like a girl. A school review committee upheld the use of the book twice. [ li...

STRAITS TIMES By Richard Neo Standing Buddha -- PHOTO: ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM SINGAPORE---A statuette of Buddha is frozen in mid-step, as though about to descend invisible stairs post-Nirvana. Behind glass panels, stucco Buddha heads appear to be sleeping or are deep in meditation. A giant, mysterious footprint in a corner belongs to no mortal foot. Such peaceful tableaux can be found in the Asian Civilisations Museum's (ACM) latest exhibition, Treasures From Asia's Oldest Museum. It is on till Aug 16. Spanning almost 2,000 years, it showcases 81 pieces of Buddhist art on loan from the Indian Museum, Kolkata, to chart the evolution of Buddhist imagery from the second century BC to the 12th century. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Michael Eric Dyson Sites and spaces of black life have come under attack from racist forces before, but the black church is a unique target. It is not just where black people gather. In too many other places, black self-worth is bludgeoned by bigotry or hijacked by self-hatred: that our culture is too dumb, our lives too worthless, to warrant the effort to combat our enemies. The black sanctuary breathes in black humanity while the pulpit exhales unapologetic black love. For decades, these sites of love have been magnets for hate. [ link ]

DAILY SABAH Situated in Istanbul's Fatih district, the Hırka-ı Şerif Mosque is a special venue where you can see the Prophet Muhammad's (Peace Be Upon Him) mantle (Hırka-ı Şerif) during Ramadan. TURKEY---Gazing around Istanbul from a rooftop during Ramadan would probably be an intriguing experience as the city shines with illuminated mosques in the evening. For expats and international tourists who want to get a glimpse of the Islamic world, some palaces, museums and mosques are perfect venues to take a look at the history and whereabouts of religious relics and marvelous Islamic artifacts collections. Certain items are displayed exclusively for Ramadan. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS "Hanuman Bearing the Mountaintop with Medicinal Herbs" (ca. 1800). Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art NEW YORK--- The Artist Project , the online video series begun in March by the Metroplitan Museum of Art launched its second season today--Monday, June 22. Over the course of a year, the series will feature 100 artists who have been invited to choose individual works of art or galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art that spark their imaginations. The new series will include Roz Chast's reflections on Renaissance paintings and Nalini Malani on " Hanuman Bearing the Mountaintop with Medicinal Herbs ." To visit the site, visit www.metmuseum.org/artistproject .

NBC NEWS By Rueters Pope Francis arrives in Turin on 21 June: ‘If you trust only men you have lost,’ he says. Photograph: Massimo Pinca/AP Anyone who makes weapons or invests in weapons industries is a hypocrite if they call themselves Christian, Pope Francis said Sunday. Francis issued his toughest condemnation to date of the weapons industry at a rally of thousands of young people at the end of the first day of his trip to the Italian city of Turin. "If you trust only men you have lost," he told the young people in a long, rambling talk about war, trust and politics after putting aside his prepared address. [ link ]

ARTDAILY Revellers celebrate the pagan festival of Summer Solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, southern England on Sunday, June 21, 2015. UNITED KINGDOM---Around 23,000 people, some with flowers in their hair and playing drums and accordions, showed up at the site in Wiltshire, southwest England to see the sun rise at 4:52am (0352 GMT). The main stones at Stonehenge , a World Heritage Site, are thought to have been erected in around 2500 BC. Thousands of people including modern-day druids flock to the site every year to celebrate the solstice, which is also the official start of summer. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Jason Zinoman Josh Young, left, and Erin Mackey in “Amazing Grace” in Chicago. Credit Joan Marcus NEW YORK---“Hamilton” isn’t the only new historical epic musical opening on Broadway this summer. With far less fanfare but large ambitions, not to mention budget ($16 million), “Amazing Grace” tries to tell an overtly religious story about America’s original sin through a portrait of John Newton, an 18th- and 19th-century slave trader turned abolitionist who wrote the well-known hymn named in the title.  Previews start Thursday, Nederlander Theater, 208 West 41st Street; 877-250-2929, nederlandertheatre.com .  [ link ]

PEW RESEARCH CENTER As the Supreme Court prepares to decide a key case involving states’ requirements to recognize same-sex marriage, public support for allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally continues its rapid rise: A 57% majority of Americans now favor allowing same-sex marriage and 39% oppose. 72% say legal recognition is ‘inevitable.’ White evangelical Protestants stand out for their deep opposition to same-sex marriage: Just 27% favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry, while 70% oppose it (43% strongly oppose); by contrast, majorities of both Catholics (56%) and white mainline Protestants (62%) support same-sex marriage, along with an overwhelming majority (85%) of the religiously unaffiliated. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib, Seeker of Truth What does this Father's Day mean to us? It means that one day, our 28-year-old son will make us grandparents to his black son or daughter. That one day we will show that child how to say their daily prayers, to love those who are different, and to experience art as messages from God. It also means we will teach them the joy of sharing those gifts in church every Sunday. That is why, on this Father's Day that Curtis Compton's photograph of a young girl holding roses (above) in front of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. is our NEWS OF WEEK .

ABC NEWS By Meghan Keneally Police tape surrounds the parking lot behind the AME Emanuel Church Friday as FBI forensic experts work the crime scene where nine people were murdered during bible study Pastors at churches across the country are preparing for their Sunday services amid piqued security concerns after nine people were killed at a African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston , South Carolina, this week. While one pastor at an AME church near Washington, D.C. told his congregation to close the doors on anyone who they did not know or could not provide identification, many leaders further south have chosen to embrace their longstanding acceptance of strangers. [ link ]

ARTNET By Henri Neuendorf Caravaggio The Burial of Saint Lucy (1608) Photo: The Independent ITALY---The tenth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet," hasn't stopped two churches in the Sicilian port of Syracuse from engaging in a fierce ownership battle over a Caravaggio masterpiece, the Independent reports. ( See Sotheby's Wins Case Over $15.8 Million Caravaggio ). The baroque artist's masterpiece The Burial of Saint Lucy (1608) was originally exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro in the Borgata district. When the church underwent extensive restoration the work was transferred to the Santa Lucia alla Badia church on the island of Ortigia. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Hilarie M. Sheets What were hard and fast boundaries between commercial galleries and museums a decade ago no longer exist. Top galleries eager to woo blue-chip artists, collectors and a more diverse public are increasingly turning to big-name museum professionals to mount exhibitions of depth that would look at home at the Met or the Museum of Modern Art. But in some cases that scholarship may be in the service of business. Dealers and art experts say a museum curator’s involvement has myriad benefits for a gallery, lending legitimacy to their shows. Collectors and institutions are more likely to loan valuable works if Mr. [John] Elderfield or Mr. [Robert] Storr is asking and explaining the seriousness of the project. And the resulting shows can help galleries deepen associations with artists in their roster, and attract artists or estates the gallery is interested in representing. [ link ]

WNYC | STUDIO 360 By Sean Rameswaram This is what Twitter looks like when it's on Broadway (Jeremy Daniel Photography) NEW YORK--- David Javerbaum — a seasoned comedy writer for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report who has won Peabodys, Emmys, and a Grammy — started the account @TheTweetofGod in 2010. Like God Himself, he quickly gained millions of followers. Javerbaum originally opened the account to promote a book, a new testament for the modern age — he just hadn’t written it yet. Javerbaum planned to extrapolate the jokes from Twitter into a fully-realized text. He finally finished in 2012, but The Last Testament: A Memoir by God didn’t do nearly as well as the Twitter account. But @TheTweetofGod has a surprising third act. Javerbaum recently turned his one-liners into a Broadway play. [ link ]

ARTSBEAT | NYTIMES Gifts of $200 million and more helped boost Americans’ overall donations to the arts 9.2 percent in 2014, the highest increase in nine categories tracked by Giving USA , an annual report on charitable contributions. The jump, reported by The Los Angeles Times this week , was part of a study compiled by Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy . Giving to all charitable sectors rose 5.5 percent. Estimated gifts to the arts totaled $17.2 billion, according to the report, which said that “the majority of these mega-gifts were given by relatively young tech entrepreneurs.” [ link ]

THE GUARDIAN By Jonathan Jones James Turrell’s LightSpace installation at Houghton Hall: First Light - Etchings in Aquatint, 1989-90. Photograph: Pete Huggins UNITED KINGDOM---People are walking out of the setting sun, between the trees and the ha-ha , like purple shadows. I am standing on the stone threshold of a Palladian country house, watching them intently. What am I on? It is perfectly legal. It’s not even a legal high that’s going to be banned by Theresa May . All I have taken, honest officer, is a dose of James Turrell’s mind-bending art. This exhibition has been 15 years in the making. Houghton’s owner, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, is a devout collector of Turrell’s art who has commissioned a series of permanent installations on his estate. [ link ]

THE HUFFINGTON POST By Raza Rumi Nasser H. Kassow's painting is a reflection of the genocide perpetuated on the Yazidis by ISIS IRAQ---Yazidis believe that Yazdan, the Supreme Being, created the world and entrusted it to seven angels. And the Yazidis worship the fallen angel - Tawwus, or the Peacock Angel - as one of the seven angels. Recently, I came across a young Ezdi, Nasser H. Kassow from Shingal (Sinjar) who is a student of English at a University in Zakho. Kassow had tweeted some of his impressionistic paintings on the state of Yazidis. As we engaged on social media, I interviewed him via Skype to know a little more about his work. [ link ]

ARTNEWS By Eileen Kinsella QATAR---Have you ever wondered what Qatar is doing with the billions of dollars of modern and contemporary art it purchased over the past decade? We might know the answer: Qatar is planning a new modern and contemporary art museum on the waterfront in Doha, called the Art Mill, that comprises nearly one million square feet and is being touted as "one of the largest and most forward looking art galleries" by the architectural press (see What Are The Top 10 Al-Thani Acquisitions? )[ link ]

ANADOLU AGENCY By Nilay Onum Kar Muslims generally use tesbih with 99 beads, which symbolize the 99 names of Allah, while Buddhists’ mala has 108 beads. “Efe tesbihi,” often sported by Turkish tough guys, have 17. TURKEY---Forty-four-year-old Necip Fazil Karadag , who has been making hand-made prayer and worry beads for around 30 years in Istanbul, describes tesbih  as an "endless love". Many religions — including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Sikhism — have a tradition of prayer beads – from ‘ mala ’ for Buddhists to rosaries for Catholics. Religiously, they are used to mark repetitions of prayers or other ritual recitations. [ link ]

NY DAILY NEWS By David Hinkley It's hard to classify “ Grace and Frankie ” except to say it’s splendid television. The cast alone makes it clear, if anyone still needed convincing, that Netflix is playing in the big leagues. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star as, respectively, Grace and Frankie, women in their 70s whose husbands leave them to marry each other. Grace’s husband, Robert, is played by Martin Sheen , Frankie’s Saul by Sam Waterston . All four are superb. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Roderick Conway Morris “The Crucifixion and Apotheosis of the 10,000 Martyrs of Mount Ararat” (1515) illustrates the legend of the massacre of Roman legionnaires who had converted to Christianity. It incorporates references to the then-perennial threat of attack on Venice by the Holy Roman Emperor and the Ottomans. Credit Accademia Gallery, Venice ITALY--- Vittore Carpaccio was one of Venice’s leading narrative painters of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, whose richly detailed canvases relating the lives of saints once adorned the city’s “scuole,” or lay confraternities’ meeting places. Some modern art historians have argued that Carpaccio himself also suffered a crisis of confidence at this time. The appearance on the scene of younger artists, notably Giorgione, Titian, Sebastiano del Piombo and Lorenzo Lotto , made Carpaccio’s colorful, anecdotal style seem outdated, and the general standard of his work deteriorated. [ link ]

ARTNET | NEWS By Cait Munro The Rainbow Flag, designed by Gilbert Baker. Photo: Philly Mag. NEW YORK---The Museum of Modern Art's latest acquisition is certainly an icon, but it's probably not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of things likely to be acquired by an art museum. The Rainbow Flag is a universal symbol of LGBTQ pride, and was created in 1978 by artist Gilbert Baker. The flag comes to the museum's department of architecture and design during global celebrations for Gay Pride Month. "It is not just a logo—it functions in so many different ways," Baker told MoMA curatorial assistant Michelle Millar Fisher in an interview. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Isabel Kershner ISRAEL---The two pieces, representing the genesis of agriculture and its latest end products, are part of an exhibit titled “ A Brief History of Humankind ,” a centerpiece of the 50th-anniversary celebrations this spring at the Israel Museum . In a country that seems be growing more insular in some ways, plagued by conflict, threatened by diplomatic isolation and focused on its internal divisions, the exhibit tries to convey a more universal message: the story of civilization’s origins and development in the region, and the rare ability Israel and its national museum have to tell this story to the world. [ link ]

SEATTLE WEEKLY By Seth Goodkind Photo © Samvado Gunnar Kossatz for Get Religion The decline and disintegration of Mars Hill Church last year may have surprised some, but to others it was predictable, and not without precedent. The Pacific Northwest has been home to numerous utopian communes and fanatical religious groups, from the radical to the deeply conservative. Since the arrival of European Christianity and its normative pall, outsider and fringe belief has been a staple of the local culture. From Eastern philosophies to the syncretic, the Pacific Northwest has been a site of religious demagoguery for ages, and the present is no exception. [ link ]

ARTDAILY June 17, 1631. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal (also "the Taj") is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Indian and Persian architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS James Turrell, Afrum Pink II (solid), 1970, Courtesy: Häusler Contemporary München| Zürich. NETHERLANDS---In " Color Squared ," the De Pont Museum presents historical Amish quilts from a major private collection in Germany together with works by American artist James Turrell (1943), known for his religious works. Expanses of monochrome color are at the heart of the simple compositions made up of basic geometric shapes that distinguish both the Amish quilts and Turrell's installations and graphic art. Turrell's formal vocabulary dates from the 1960s and 1970s, a time when a consciousness of the Amish quilts sprang up in the art world, anticipating the abstract art of the period.