RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Greg & Ernest Disney-Britton
"Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene" (1581) by Lavinia Fontana.
Oil on canvas, 80 x 65,5 cm; Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
This week, we were consumed by "The Handmaid's Tale," a chilling new television series written and directed by women about religious extremism in a future America. Yesterday afternoon, we experienced the reading of a play written by women in prison. The historical drama titled, "The Duchess of Strongtown" is the story of both women of the church and women of the brothels. It's through those eyes that we come to this week's Art of the Week: "Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene" (1581) by Lavinia Fontana. In this work, the female painter puts Mary Magdalene at the center of the Easter story. Mary kneels at Christ's side, but it is she who glows with a light of a new age. We need more stories like the Duchess, the Handmaids, and Mary Magdalene.

Today's Prayer: Dear God, help us to be stronger defenders of women. 

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Elisabeth Moss as Offred in Hulu's chilling “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Minnesota teen, 16-year-old Amaiya Zafar has been granted a religious exemption to fight in one bout while wearing hijab.
Rubin Museum of Art's collection on view in "Masterworks of Himalayan Art"
Toronto art exhibit is window into experiences of Jewish and Muslim women
Brook Shields’s collection includes a Buddha by Keith Haring along with a heart, as well as Any Warhol in the laundry room.