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EAGLE COUNTRY By Mike Perleberg Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. Promotional photo from Answers in Genesis. WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky---It has been one year since an amusement park of biblical proportions opened in northern Kentucky. Located along Interstate 75 in Grant County, the park is owned and operated by the Creationist ministry Answers in Genesis. The park’s centerpiece is a 510-feet long, 50-feet tall replica of Noah’s Ark. It has attracted one million visitors in its first year. Some days, more than 6,000 sightseers filter through the massive wooden structure. It’s become a huge tourist hit.” Answers in Genesis claims the ark park’s first-year economic impact is around $200 million. [ More ]

HYPERALLERGIC By Natasha Seaman Ferdinand Hodler, “The Disappointed Souls (Les âmes déçues)” (1892), oil on canvas, 120 x 299 cm, Kuntsmuseum Bern, Staat Bern (courtesy Kuntsmuseum Bern, Staat Bern) NEW YORK---Looking at the paintings in " Mystical Symbolism: The Salon of the Rose+Croix, 1892-97 " at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, it is clear that 19th-century France had an infinitely more interesting fin-de-siècle flip-out than we did in the 20th. We had Y2K and The Celestine Prophecy, while they had Josephin Péladan and the Salon Rose+Croix. Visiting the show thus is like stepping into a magical and mildly histrionic cul-de-sac of history. Its pleasure is in appreciating a range of little-seen paintings, all held together by the thread of Péladan’s taste. The importance of Péladan as the mastermind behind the Salon is emphasized visually by several portraits of him in assorted mystical and majestic poses. [ More ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Gregory  &  Ernest Disney-Britton Leonardo da Vinci's (1450–1519) "The Last Supper". Photo: Wikimedia Commons. In Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, "The Last Supper," the artist captures the moment when the 12 disciples respond to Christ's accusation that one of them will betray him ( John 13:18-30 ). During the Renaissance, his art changed the way Christians viewed the final days of Christ’s life. Today’s internationally acclaimed artist Shirin Neshat also takes on loaded themes but her’s delve into issues with Islam, including those in her native country of Iran. In Neshat's photograph, " From the Last World Series " a row of nine men stand adjacent to a seated central figure who stares definitely at the viewer. Instead of bread and wine, resting on the long table, there are large copies of what appears to be the Holy Quran. Both the lighting and composition recall da Vinci's famo...

KALW By Lisa Bartfai The Russian Orthodox style of iconography is both an artistic and spiritual practice for artist Sean Kramer. MOLLY HALEY SAN FRANCISCO---In the Russian Orthodox Church, art is much more than just decoration. Small, elaborate paintings known as icons portray Christianity’s most famous persons, and are used as tools for prayer. Today, a number of artists who are neither Russian nor Russian Orthodox are nonetheless pushing the boundaries of this religious art form. Sean Kramer is one. The Russian Orthodox icons typically depict characters from the Bible, but Kramer mixes symbols and figures from religions all over the world. The image of the Buddha is a model for Kramer. “The Buddha image is just a man sitting in contemplation and it has had such a great power to give people an idea of what they can become.” What people can become, according to Buddhism, are more awake to this world. The practice of painting is helping Kramer achieve a state of wonder and openne...

ARTNET NEWS By Henri Neuendorf KARLSRUHE, DE---The artist Markus Lüpertz has won a commission to create a multipart mural depicting the story of Genesis in the subway stations of the German town of Karlsruhe. After months of heated debate, the city council gave the project the green light on Tuesday. But not everyone is pleased with the decision. Anton Goll, a former ceramics manufacturing executive, campaigned to have the artist transform advertising spaces in the city’s seven underground stations into a series of large-tiled ceramic mosaics presenting the creation story. The stations—which are currently under construction—are scheduled to be finished in four years. [ More ]

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD By John McDonald Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran "Head" (2017), Earthenware, glaze, gold lustre and enamel, 75 x 75 x 60 cm BERLIN---Although we live in a world in which the ugliest forms of nationalism seem to be making a comeback, there is one partial antidote: cultural exchange. This year the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), is promoting cultural ties with Germany, under a program titled Australia Now. There are two of Del Kathryn Barton's paintings in the show: And Stain through Hair and Flesh ... and Stain through Fur and Flesh ... and Hard Wet (both 2017). The other artists are Brook Andrew, Pat Brassington, Dale Frank, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran , Patricia Piccinini, Ben Quilty and Paul Yore. It may not be a tasteful selection, but it's eye-catching. [ More ]

ARTDAILY Cristóbal de Villalpando (ca. 1649–1714), The Deluge, 1689. Oil on copper Col. Propiedad de la Nación Mexicana. Secretaría de Cultura. Dirección General de Sitios y Monumentos del Patrimonio Cultural. Acervo de la Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepción. Puebla, Mexico. NEW YORK--- Cristóbal de Villalpando (ca. 1649–1714) emerged in the 1680s not only as the leading painter in viceregal Mexico, but also as one of the most innovative and accomplished artists in the entire Spanish world. Opening July 25 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the exhibition "Cristóbal de Villalpando: Mexican Painter of the Baroque" features his earliest masterpiece, a monumental painting depicting the biblical accounts of Moses and the brazen serpent and the Transfiguration of Jesus that was painted in 1683 for a chapel in Puebla Cathedral. Newly conserved, this 28-foot-tall canvas has never been exhibited outside its place of origin. Ten additional works, most of whic...

THE NEW YORK TIMES Show Us Your Walls By Michael Walker The actor and comedian Cheech Marin with “Una Tarde en Meoqui,” by the artist Wayne Alaniz Healy. Credit Monica Almeida/The New York Times LOS ANGELES---Cheech Marin gestures affectionately at a canvas hanging in the kitchen of his hilltop home here in Pacific Palisades. The multi-hyphenate actor, musician, author and founding member of the cannabis-infused Cheech & Chong is loath to cite favorites in his extensive collection of Chicano art but confesses a soft spot for Wayne Alaniz Healy’s “ Una Tarde en Meoqui ” (“One Afternoon in Meoqui”). “That’s Norman Rockwell, where I come from — if Rockwell were a Chicano,” Mr. Marin said. In May, Riverside, the Los Angeles suburb, agreed to convert a former public library into the Cheech Marin Museum of Chicano Art , Culture & Industry, currently in the early stages of fund-raising, which would display works from his collection alongside new paintings and sculpture. [ More...

THE JAPAN TIMES Jodo Mandala Depicting Amida’s Western Paradise 当麻曼荼羅図　紙本著色　縦104.2　横89.6　江戸中期（18世紀）　長保寺蔵 (Through September 3, 2017) TOKYO---Buddhism has been practiced for centuries, with schools of thought evolving and changing. From Mikkyo (esoteric) and Jodo (Pure Land) to Zen, Buddhist prayers and tropes have been venerated and passed down over generations through paintings and sculptures. In an exploration of devotion and solemnity, this exhibition showcases Buddhist artworks from different periods, including a monumental mandala depicting the world of esoteric Buddhism, reflections of paradise and scenes of terrifying judgments in hell, as well as Zen paintings of patriarchs of Buddhism and other Edo Period (1603-1868) works. [ More ]

ARTDAILY The Light of the Spirit, Patrice Warrener, Lumiere London 2016. Produced by Artichoke. Supported by the Mayor of London. Photo by Matthew Andrews. LONDON---The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has revealed the dates for Lumiere London 2018 – the capital’s largest night-time festival. More than 40 UK and international artists will transform the city and offer new perspectives on the capital’s iconic architecture, streets and landmarks. Lumiere London 2018 will take place over four nights between 18 and 21 January 2018. Building on the phenomenal success of Lumiere London 2016, festival destinations will include King’s Cross, London’s West End (including Carnaby, Regent Street, Oxford Circus, Leicester Square, Mayfair, Piccadilly, St James’s, Fitzrovia and Westminster). Works will be exhibited both north and south of the River Thames, with Covent Garden, Victoria, South Bank and Waterloo added as new destinations for 2018. [ More ]

THE SALT LAKE TIMES By By LAUREN MARKOE and KIMBERLY WINSTON Religion News Service A Palestinian youth sells bagels outside Jerusalem's Old City, overlooking the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, Tuesday, July 25, 2017. Israel has begun dismantling metal detectors it installed a week earlier at the gates of a contested Jerusalem shrine, amid widespread Muslim protests. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) JERUSALEM---Jerusalem's Temple Mount is the holiest site in the world for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims — a place where millions of people have prayed for millennia. Yet, often, it is a launching pad for deadly attacks and counterattacks. The most recent violence unfolded July 14, when three Arab residents of Israel fatally shot two Israeli police officers guarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Temple Mount consists of three main sacred sites — the Al-Aqsa Mosque ; the Dome of the Rock , sacred to Muslims for its ties to the life of the Prophet Muhammad; and the site of the Second Jewish T...

THE TELEGRAPH By Jake Wallis Simons A model of the proposed Third Temple on display at the Temple Institute JERUSALEM---Rabbi Chaim Richman shows me into a darkened room, strokes his beard and pulls out his smartphone. There, resplendent in brilliant gold – and rather smaller than I expected – lies the Ark of the Covenant . Welcome to the Temple Institute exhibition, in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. This is not a museum, insists Rabbi Richman, 54, the international director of the organisation. Apart from the Ark of the Covenant, every artefact on display has been painstakingly created in accordance with Biblical instructions and is intended for actual service in a “third Jewish temple", which will be built as soon as possible. Razed by the Romans, one wall of the courtyard that surrounded the temple – the Western Wall – remains and has become a focus of Jewish prayer. [ More ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Jason Farago Detail of “Moses and the Brazen Serpent and the Transfiguration of Jesus,” by Cristóbal de Villalpando, NEW YORK---Bound up the steps to the front door of the  Metropolitan Museum of Art , open your bag for inspection, pay your $25 or 25 cents for a ticket, and walk straight forward. You’ll be in the dim Medieval Sculpture Hall, with its giant iron choir screen — but something unusual, something brilliant, is peeking out beyond it. What you’re seeing through the door is the top half of a stupefying 28-foot-tall altarpiece by  Cristóbal de Villalpando , the most important painter of 17th-century Mexico — or New Spain, as the viceroyalty was called when it stretched from Central America to Florida and Louisiana. You’ll still have to go to Mexico City to discover Villalpando’s full achievement, but the outstanding altarpiece from Puebla should be a pilgrimage site of its own this summer. [ More ]

GREENVILLE GAZZETTE Everyone wants to blame their problems on anyone but themselves. A great example recently got national attention thanks to Ken Ham, a leader in the creationist community. Ken Ham recently underwent a project in Grant County, Kentucky, that was meant to attract tons of positive attention and tourism revenue for the area. The attraction in question was, of course, a recreation of Noah’s Ark, and it has been called both the Ark Park, and the Ark Encounter, which is the official name of the site. In a blog post that Ham recently posted on his website, Answers in Genesis, the creationist blames the secular media and atheists for both the real and perceived failure of the attraction. [ More ]

THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS By Jim Harger 2014 ArtPrize Finalist Anila Quayyum Agha is one of eight judges who will award the $200,000 juried grand prize and the five $12,500 category awards. GRAND RAPIDS---ArtPrize announced a panel of judges who will choose the finalists for the $200,000 juried grand prize and the five $12,500 category awards. The Grand Prize will be chosen by a three-judge panel that includes Gaetane Verna, Director of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto; Christopher Scoates, Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum in Detroit; and Gia Hamilton, Director at Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans. The $12,500 Category Awards for entries in two-dimensional, three-dimensional, time-based, installation and outstanding curatorial presentation will be selected by ( Anila Quayyum Aga , and) the following artists: [ More ]

SCNOW By Nancy Nathan Special To The Washington Post This arched hall contains 15th-century choir lofts, carved by Luca Della Robbia and Donatello, that were originally in the Duomo. Photo by Nancy Nathan. FLORENCE, Italy - The label on the atrium wall of Museo dell'Opera del Duomo , which first opened in 1891 gets right to the new museum's effort to put the works of art into their original, religious context: "Christians call the area between a Baptistery and its related church a Paradiso, evoking the joy of those who, after receiving baptism, cross that space to participate in the Eucharist for the first time." That description was written by a man with a mission, the museum's director and visionary, Monsignor Timothy Verdon, a native of Weehawken, New Jersey.  Verdon follows in ancient footsteps. Perhaps Verdon is Florence's outsider who gets its art right. [ link ]

ALETEIA By Deacon Greg Kandra BEIRUT---Mohammad Lahham is a sculptor in Lebanon who fled the war in Syria five years ago with his wife, two children and his parents. Now based in a southern suburb of Beirut, he creates sculptures of Christian saints at a roadside studio 40km south of the city. He says people tell him his job is forbidden – referencing Islamic tradition that discourages depictions of deities in physical form. But he enjoys the work, saying that breaking taboos can help bring people together. [ More ]

ARTDAILY ‘The Raising of Lazarus’, c. 1530–1540, South-German master. Softwood, 107 x 160.2 cm . MUNICH---Since 1998, the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Bavarian State Painting Collections) has restituted a total of twelve works from eight collections. With this 13th restitution, the Bavarian State Painting Collections and the joint heirs of James von Bleichröder have reached a good solution for all parties, after lengthy and intensive groundwork. As early as 2004, the Bavarian State Painting Collections made the painting’s provenance public in the richly annotated publication ‘Die Kunstsammlung Hermann Görings’, written by the provenance researcher Ilse von zur Mühlen. Two years later, the painting was posted on the ‘Lost Art’ database, directly following the database’s creation, because its origin in the Göring collection suggested that it had might have been a work of looted art. [ More ]

THE COURIER-JOURNAL By Deborah Yetter Noah's Ark Encounter Kentucky LOUISVILLE---Kentucky has suspended tax breaks to the Ark Encounter, saying it breached a deal that provides the religious-themed attraction with $18 million in state tax incentives. The Northern Kentucky theme park, dubbed the "Ark Park" because it features a 510-foot-long model of Noah's Ark, was notified by state officials on Tuesday that the owners have violated an agreement with Kentucky by transferring the property from a for-profit company to a nonprofit company. The property was transferred for $10. If the property is deeded back to the for-profit entity within 30 days, the tax incentive will be restored, said Laura Brooks, spokeswoman for the tourism cabinet. [ More ]

BROOKLINE WICKED By Emma R. Murphy Natalya E. Bernstein'S "For|More" (2017), Oil paint on canvas, 36" x 48" BROOKLINE, MA---A new art exhibition gives young, up-and-coming Jewish artists a platform from which to share their latest work. Opening on July 27, Moishe House Brookline and Temple Ohabei Shalom are sponsoring the exhibit, “ Guarding Memories | Creating Histories, ” at the synagogue. In the exhibit seven young Jewish artists reflect on memory and the idea of history and time. The concepts of memory, history and time are particularly applicable to the Jewish community, according to Brookline resident and exhibit co-curator Emily Mogavero .  [ More ]

BLOUIN | ARTINFO SHIRIN NESHAT, From the Last World Series, 2003 Gelatin silver print NEW YORK---Susan Eley Fine Art is hosting an exhibition titled “ Beyond the Ban: Contemporary Iranian Art ” at the gallery’s New York location. The exhibition presents a selection of works by United States-based leading Iranian artists, including prominent artists such as Shirin Neshat , Raha Raissnia and Hossein Fatemi . The show celebrates the contribution of the immigrants in American Art, underscoring the dynamic tradition of diversity in it, against the current political backdrop where President Trump’s travel ban has put many immigrants away from this nation. The exhibition is on view through August 30, 2017 at  Susan Eley Fine Art , 46 West 90th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA . [ More ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Gregory  &  Ernest Disney-Britton Detail of "The Fall and Expulsion from Garden of Eden" at Sistine Chapel (1509-10) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (b. 1475, Caprese, d. 1564, Roma) Michelangelo's naked Adam and Eve at the Sistine Chapel is the most famous depiction of the two lovers, but isn't it time for a more modern twist? We are excited to share news about The Adam & Eve Project , a touring exhibition created by thirteen contemporary UK artists, including the romantic/spiritualist Michael Cook . There are images of dark distress and also the light of second chances. It's about balance, such as Cook's "Made, Unmade, Remade" that celebrates two individuals being remade as one. We might not all be able to get to the show in the U.K., but we can all access Michael Cook's other works at his website, hallowed-art.co.uk .

ARTDAILY Detail of 'The Capture Of Christ', Matthias Stomer, 1649, oil on canvas. LONDON---The new-look summer installment of London Art Week concluded on the 7th July, during which time unprecedented footfall was recorded to the partner galleries across the city. The event attracted visitors from across the globe, with buyers traveling from as far afield as Saudi Arabia and North America, as the art world descended on the capital for the week-long celebration of Old Master art. The diverse range of art at such differing entry points helped to make July’s London Art Week one of the most accessible and successful iteration of the event to date, attracting well-versed art collectors and first time buyers as well as curators and directors from the world’s great art museums. [ More ]

THE NEW EUROPE By Dan Alexe BRUSSELS---In spite of a ban and other obstacles artist Jens Galschiøt has finally managed to get his controversial exhibition through in the European Parliament. The 8 sculptures he placed there on 10 July show the darkest and brightest quotes from the Quran, the Bible, and the Torah. Galschiøt is no stranger to controversy. Now, hundreds of the darkest and brightest quotes from the Quran, the Bible, and the Torah can be seen on 8 of Galschiot’s sculptures ‘The Pillars of Scriptures’, which is exhibited centrally inside the EU Parliament’s. The sculptures are 2 meters tall and weigh circa 2 tons.  [ More ]

USA TODAY By Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal John Gidding , best known as host of HGTV's Curb Appeal, responded with a flurry of tweets: "That is ABSOLUTE GAYEST BOAT and I 💯💯💯 LOVE IT. #LoveWins" [ More LOUISVILLE---Ken Ham, the man behind the fundamentalist Christian theme park Ark Encounter, made a lot of gay people happy this week when he debuted a new nighttime lighting scheme. The rainbow, long considered a symbol of hope, was adopted by the homosexual community in 1978 when artist and drag queen Gilbert Baker created the Rainbow Flag for use in a San Francisco parade. Ham isn't cool with this and seems to be representing God on a copyright beef. He announced the Ark's new look with a series of four tweets that were greeted with much enthusiasm by both Ham's fans and the gay community. [ More ]

SALON By Michael Glassman Ken Ham Twitter WILLIAMSTON, Ky---A Christian amusement park in Kentucky is announcing that it will be bathed in a rainbow of light each night. Ark Encounter, which says it’s dedicated to “ understand[ing] the reality of the events that are recorded in the book of Genesis, will be lit with rainbow colors each night in an attempt to “take back the rainbow” from gay people, according to the attraction’s founder, Ken Ham. Ark Encounter hosts the “most authentic full-size replica of Noah’s Ark in the world,” according to its website. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that Ham wants to showcase the flag that symbolizes LGBTQ pride — conservatives view the rainbow flag as more offensive than the Confederate one. [ More ]

PASATIEMPO By Michael Abatemarco Kadhim Hayder's "Fatigued Ten Horses Converse with Nothing" (oil on canvas) 1965 The Battle of Karbala was fought in the year AD 680 in what is now present-day Iraq. The incident came about after Husayn ibn Ali, a grandson of the prophet Muhammad, refused to swear allegiance to the caliph Yazid I. Husayn, along with his family and supporters, were ambushed near the Euphrates by Yazid’s military. More than a millennium on, artist Kadhim Hayder (1932-1985) referenced the Battle of Karbala in his 1965 painting Fatigued Ten Horses Converse With Nothing, also called The Martyr’s Epic, a work that questions martyrdom’s value and despairs at the lack of answers to those questions.  “ Imperfect Chronology: Arab Art from the Modern to the Contemporary: Works from the Barjeel Art Foundation ,” is available from Prestel Publishing.  [ More ]

ARTLYST By Edward Lucie-Smith Nermine Hamman-Oum Kalthoun – Detail LONDON---There happens to be quite a spectrum of feminist and what one might (maybe tactlessly) call ethnic exhibitions on view in London right now. They demonstrate rather amply the way the boundaries of the contemporary art world are changing. It’s significant that two of these happen to be on view in famous central London churches – one of work by Islamic women artists at St Martin in the Fields, the other, featuring Jamaican artists at St Stephen Wallbrook. The patron of the show at St Martin’s is Queen Raina of Jordan and the works were first on display in Amman, before coming to London. [ More ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES Show Us Your Walls By Brett Sokol Jamie Wyeth at his country home with a recent portrait of Andy Warhol holding his dog Archie. Credit 2017 Jamie Wyeth/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Tony Cenicola/The New York Times CHADDS FORD, Pa. — “He’d come down here for the weekend, but I don’t think he was too crazy about the country,” the painter Jamie Wyeth recalled, wryly, of Andy Warhol’ s visits to the bucolic southeastern Pennsylvania farm where Mr. Wyeth still lives. Each had come to represent a warring camp within the art world: Mr. Wyeth was a proxy for, and inheritor of, his father’s status as the paragon of realist traditions, with their emphasis on technical skill and a reverence for the rural terra firma; Mr. Warhol was the standard-bearer of an urban demimonde, with an aversion to anything smacking of “flyover country.” [ More ]

ALEXANDRIA NEWS The story of Jesus is rooted in history. The story of Jesus transforms our story. ALEXANDRIA, VA---For the past four decades, Anita Breitenberg has illustrated verses of Scripture and sought to broaden the appeal of contemporary Christian art to a wider and diversified audience by presenting it in a radically provocative manner. Breitenberg’s works have been exhibited in The Museum of Biblical Art in Manhattan, Yale University and the Washington National Cathedral, and are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, Texas and Catholic University. Large-scale images of Anita Breitenberg’s new illustrated Gospel series will be on display in the Gallery at Convergence July 21 – Oct. 8, 2017 with a reception and book signing on Sept. 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. [ More ]

VIETNAM BRIDGE A photo taken by photographer Shri Benoy K.Behl. HANOI--- The exhibition , titled Buddhist Sites/Heritage, will showcase photos of heritage places and sites from the world of Buddhism. The photos will transport viewers through a journey of the vast land of India and the Asian continent, following the Buddha’s footsteps, from his birthplace to the place where he gave his First Sermon and achieved Enlightenment. Photographer Behl is a filmmaker and art historian. He has taken over 35,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage sites, and made a hundred documentaries on art history. His exhibitions have been warmly received in 28 countries. He is known for his extremely sensitive photography of Buddhist art, providing a deep insight into the gentle and compassionate message of this philosophy. [ More ]

ALETEIA By Mario Paredes Museum of the Bible | Youtube WASHINGTON, DC---Seven years in the making and billing itself as “the most technologically advanced museum in the world,” the Museum of the Bible is slated to open its doors to the public in November 2017. Six stories tall—atop two basement floors—crowned by a rooftop garden featuring biblical plants and vegetation, the museum has 430,000 square feet of exhibition space. Its location is formidable—just three blocks of the Capitol in the heart of Washington, D.C. Five exhibit floors will house no fewer than 40,000 biblical and religious artifacts, including 500 “world-class artifacts” such as “writings dating to the time of Abraham [and] fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls” that Museum officials characterize as priceless. [ More ]

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE By Dennis Sadowski Artist Lou McClung paints a statue of Mary in his studio at the Museum of Divine Statues in Lakewood, Ohio, July 18. He has restored dozens of statues, many from closed churches in the Diocese of Cleveland that are now displayed in the museum he operates. (CNS photo/courtesy Lou McClung, Museum of Divine Statues) LAKEWOOD, Ohio (CNS) — St. Elizabeth of Hungary stands tall, the bread in her right hand, a gift to the poor, looks like it may have just come from the oven. The saint as depicted by a 19th-century sculptor has plenty of other companions. There is St. Christopher carrying the child Jesus, St. Stanislaus, the martyred bishop of Poland, and St. Sebastian with arrows piercing his body, seemingly just recently. The statues are among dozens that have been carefully restored by Lou McClung, a professional artist, who has made it his vocation — and avocation — to preserve artifacts from closed churches in Northeast Ohio and elsewhere. He...

THE INDIAN EXPRESS These magical wooden puppets allow one to have a glimpse at the cultural aspects of Karnataka. Sculptures include puppets of lord Shiva, lord Vishnu among many others and colour the ambience of the gallery to a religious one. NEW DELHI---A melting pot of cultures, the quaint Kannal village in Koppal district of Karnataka is known for its treasures of folk music and dance, and art and craft traditions that date back to ancient India. One such art form popularly known as "Gombe" or the wooden sculptures is being showcased at an ongoing exhibition at Art Konsult gallery in Hauz Khas here. Titled, "Gombe", the show organised by MATI (Management of Art Treasures of India) has on display sculptures that are replicas of the traditional Hindu temples and idols in southern India. The exhibition is set to continue till July 22. [ More ]

THE NEW YORKER By Toni Bentley A 1940 self-portrait of Salomon (1917-1943), whose autobiographical work “Life? or Theatre?” is an early example of the graphic novel. Courtesy the Jewish Historical Museum © Charlotte Salomon Foundation Painter, auteur, enigma, murderer. The work of the German Jewish artist, killed in the Holocaust, has long been overshadowed by her life and times. Separating Salomon’s work from the ill-defined, unutterably sad category of “Holocaust Art” has proved an impossible task, and this teutonic Scherherezade has meandered through the decades, curiously under the radar to all but the cognoscenti. The mischaracterization of her work is easy to trace: “ Life? or Theatre? ” is the largest single work of art created by a Jew during the Holocaust and, more often than not, her work is exhibited in Jewish and Holocaust museums. [ More ]

COURT MANN DAILY HERALD "Descent from the Cross" by Brian Kershisnik PROVO---On Thursday afternoon, Ashlee Whitaker, curator of religious art at Brigham Young University’s Museum of Art , looks up at “Breath of Life (From the Dust)” The large painting, by Utah artist J. Kirk Richards , hangs just inside the entryway to the museum’s newest main floor exhibit, “The Interpretation Thereof.” The world of contemporary LDS art, Whitaker said, differs from much of the contemporary art world as a whole — namely because these LDS artists overtly explore their own religiosity in their work. The museum’s new exhibit focuses on contemporary Mormon art, and each piece interprets a passage of scripture. These interpretations span diverse artistic mediums, with varying levels of abstraction. [ More ]

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT By Dan Williams Tibetan master artist Tashi Dhargyal with a traditional Buddhist mural, a thangka. During the past four years Dhargyal has been working on the mural in his studio at the Barlow in Sebastapol SANTA ROSA, CA---Decades ago, coloring books used to be about fairy tale characters or cartoon icons, just for kids. But now, the concept of coloring books for adults is well established, with themes that include nature, wild animals, landscapes and even “swear words.” Given the soothing sensation of filling in patterns with color, it was inevitable that stress reduction and relaxation would become popular common threads for the books. So what could be more logical than a “Coloring for Meditation” book? Created by Tibetan artist Tashi Dhargyal , working at his studio and gallery in Sebastopol, the book is an offshoot of a project that’s been in the works for the past four years: a 15-by-20-foot scroll painting on canvas, or “thanbhochi,” depicting Buddha and...

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Jori Finkel Detail of Tammam Azzam’s prayer rug design SAN FRANCISCO--- For-Site , the San Francisco foundation that brought Ai Weiwei’s art to Alcatraz in 2014, has just finalized plans for another politically engaged, site-specific show, “ Sanctuary .” This fall, For-Site is blanketing a decommissioned chapel in Fort Mason with prayer rugs designed by 36 contemporary artists, including  Mr. Ai ,  Diana Al-Hadid ,  Mona Hatoum  and  Cornelia Parker . The participating artists, from 22 countries, are predominantly Middle Eastern, said Cheryl Haines, the founder of For-Site. All of the rugs measure 4 feet by 6 feet, a traditional size, and are being hand woven in Pakistan. The rugs will be on view for five months, laid out underfoot at the chapel, starting on Oct. 7. [ More ]

HYPERALLERGIC By Emily Elizabeth Goodman Abdulnasser Gharem, “The Path (Siraat)” (2012) (© Gharem Studio, photo courtesy the artist and Edge of Arabia) LOS ANGELES---In his first solo exhibition in the United States, "Pause" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Saudi Arabian artist Abdulnasser Gharem uses the pristine conditions of the gallery to captivate the attention of his viewers and draw them into the multiple facets at play in each piece. A self-taught artist and lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian Army, Gharem’s works are designed to challenge initial perceptions and reveal inherent contradictions about Islamic and Arabian art and culture, but those impressions are dependent on the perspective of the viewer.   "Abdulnasser Gharem: Pause" closed on July 16, 2017. [ More ]

ALETEIA By Philip Kosloski Censored for contemporary audiences: Michelangelo's "The Fall and Expulsion from Garden of Eden" The Sistine Chapel enthralls thousands of tourists a year with its amazing beauty. What many are surprised to find, though, is the number of naked bodies on its walls. The Sistine Chapel is of course not alone in its presentation of nudity. Why did so many artists use nudes in Christian artwork? First there is nuditas naturalis , representing the natural state of humanity before the Fall, often depicted in scenes connected to Eden or Paradise. Then there is nuditas temporalis , depicting poverty, sometimes voluntary in nature, and the reliance of humanity on God for all that we receive. Third there is nuditas virtualis , symbolizing purity and innocence. Last of all there is nuditas criminalis , representing the horror of lustful passions and vanity, as in pornography. [ More ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS Michael Cook's "Made, Unmade, Remade." Acrylic on handmade paper, 80x39cm NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, UK---A group of 13 leading UK artists based in and around Derbyshire and Staffordshire in England, produced work for The Adam & Eve Project's recently completed exhibition run during the Ashbourne Festival . The exhibit now moves on to the Cathedral and Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Southwell, Nottinghamshire where it will show from July 29 - August 20, 2017. The project was organized by one of the participating artists, Mr. John Rattigan who painted a nearly four-foot round image of "Adam and Eve" hiding in the darkness. The Adam & Eve project is a touring show and the majority of work is for sale. For more information see The Adam & Eve Project catalogue .

WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS By Mark Longden 5 00: THE IMPACT OF THE REFORMATION TODAY screens Tuesday, July 18 at 5:00pm at the Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis) as part of this year’s St. Louis Filmmaker’s Showcase. SAINT LOUIS---Since 2002, Cinema St Louis has held the St Louis Filmmakers Showcase, a way for movies made by locals or with very strong local ties to be shown to the wider public. A huge number of fascinating features have been given exposure in this way and joining the wide variety (narrative features, experimental shorts and local documentaries) comes "500: The Impact of the Reformation Today" , made by the local Concordia Seminary, one of the world’s premier locations for Lutheran studies and teaching. It goes through, methodically, the main threads of Reformation thought and how they echo down to the present. It talks about how the Reformation inspired both religious art and allowed the first flowering of secular art. [ More ]

ARTDAILY Bester IV, Mayotte, 2015, silver gelatin print. © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Stevenson, Cape Town/Johannesburg en Yancey Richardson, New York. AMSTERDAM---This summer, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is mounting the debut museum solo in the Netherlands of the South African photographer and visual activist Zanele Muholi (1972, Umlazi, Durban). From an ‘insider position’, Muholi photographs the black lesbian and transgender community in South Africa. Starting with her very first work, "Only Half the Picture" (2006), her arresting, powerful and sometimes witty images have focused eyes on a community that, while it has been constitutionally protected since 1996, remains at risk of horrendous abuse, discrimination and ‘curative’ rape. Muholi: “We’ve lost so many people to hate crimes… you never know if you’ll see someone again the next day.” [ More ]

XINHUA NEWS AMSTERDAM --- Chinese villagers are taking a Dutch art collector to court here over ownership of a Buddha statue containing a mummified body. The Buddha statue with an intact mummified body inside was stolen from a temple in 1995 after being worshiped for centuries in the small eastern Chinese village of Yangchun in Fujian Province. The Dutch collector Oscar van Overeem said he collected the 11th-century relic in Hong Kong in 1996, one year after the disappearance of the statue. Missing for two decades, the Buddha statue resurfaced when villagers recognized it at the "Mummy World Exhibition" in Budapest, Hungary. The Dutch collector originally agreed to return it if his conditions were met. [ More ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest Disney-Britton WILLIAMSTOWN, KY---Each summer, our friends & family get together for a road trip where we can talk about religious art and religious ideas. "Noah's Ark" is one of the most popular subjects in religious art, and the next road trip will take us to Noah’s Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky on Sunday, August 6, 2017 . The ark contains 3.1 million board feet of timber and is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 81 feet tall. That is roughly the size Genesis 6:15 says God told Noah to build it: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits tall. It's the Ark's one year anniversary, so send us your RSVP to roadtrip@alphaomegaarts.org . and we'll send you more details.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Gregory  &  Ernest Disney-Britton Christopher Lawrence "The Redeemer" Jamaican painter Christopher Lawrence’s portrait of a dark African Christ was part of the " Jamaican Spiritual " exhibition that ended this past week. Titled "Redeemer," the work resembles a Renaissance portrait except that it is not a white Christ. The subject of race was also the focus of a two-day workshop presented this past week by the Racial Equity Institute , and attended by Ernest. At the workshop, they made the case for race as a social construct, and that racism is not about individuals. Instead, it is embedded in all social institutions. "Redeemer" uses race to promote "hope" for a shared religious experience. If your personal collection of Christ portraits seeks to cross the racial divide, then connect with artist Christopher Lawrence. [ link ]

A PLUS By @tiffmoustakas Eight months ago, Abbas Mohamed knew nothing about the art world. Mohamed had received his master's in pharmacology and toxicology, and gotten married in Pakistan, so it wasn't until his long distance marriage with his wife, a painter, that he began to question if there was an exclusive space for Muslim artists. With no answer to this, Mohamed started the Gathering All Muslim Artists collective, also known as GAMA . The nonprofit's goal is to uplift and empower Muslim artists with spaces of their own: a closed Facebook group to network, and exhibits where they can sell and showcase their work. [ More ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES Jared McCann. Francesco Mastalia When did yoga get so big? In the United States, more than 36 million adults practice yoga, more than ever, according to a recent study in Yoga Journal. So when Francesco Mastalia decided to document yoga masters for his latest book, he not only found a timely subject, he also found no shortage of worthy subjects. Still, “Y oga: The Secret of Life ,” (due Sept. 12 from powerHouse Books ), a lush photo documentary of 108 leading yoga practitioners, morphed, in a fitting way, during the year and a half that Mr. Mastalia spent photographing. It became something much deeper, much more, than even he intended. [ More ]

JEWISH WEEKLY By Robert Nagler Miller “Not to Test the Prophet,” from Archie Rand’s “The 613” series SAN FRANSICO---Completed in 2008, [ Archie Rand's ] 613 20-by-16-inch canvas paintings have never been exhibited in a museum or gallery — until now. Beginning on Thursday, July 20, the works will be on display at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum , where visitors will have a chance to express pleasure, confusion, annoyance, consternation, revulsion, excitement and myriad other emotions that the painter’s bold, colorful, lurid, humorous, anti-literal and completely irreverent images evoke. Talking recently about his career and the 613 project, Rand spoke of the need to develop a “visual language” within Judaism, where traditions, practices and culture have subsisted primarily on “a textual system” of written codes and interpretations. [ More ]