A Portrait of Pope Benedict ... Made Out of Condoms

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Tahlib

Frontside of the condom portait of the pope

WISCONSIN--Retired Pope Benedict was a strident opponent of the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS in Africa, and in 2009 he said "the problem cannot be overcome by the distribution of prophylactics: on the contrary, they increase it." In response, Niki Johnson, an artist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin created a unique portrait, "Eggs Benedict" (Video) of the pope using 17,000 non-lubricated condoms. During his retirement years (beginning Feb. 2013), he is known as His Holiness Benedict XVI, Pope emeritus.

Catholic Church Turns to Anglicans to Fill U.S. Priest Shortage

CBS NEWS
By Elaine Quijano

WISCONSIN -- The number of Roman Catholic priests in the United States has steadily dropped from nearly 59,000 in 1975 to just under 39,000 last year. But the number of Catholics in the United States has increased by 17 million. So the Catholic Church is doing something once unthinkable: expanding the pool of priest candidates to include former Anglican priests, like Mark Lewis, who converted to Catholicism. He's married with two children. [link]

New Pope Creates New Demand for Religious Art, Artifacts

FOX6 | MILWAUKEE

"Saint Francis Assisi & Doves" by Cyra R. Cancel. Courtesy of  Ebsqart.com

WISCONSIN — The naming of a new pope is creating new demand for religious art and artifacts. The phones began ringing off the hook at Stemper’s in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon — after Pope Francis met the public. With nearly 80 Catholic parishes in Milwaukee County alone, pictures of the new pontiff are in high demand. That means sales of St. Francis depictions are likely to jump as well. “I’m sure that the Vatican worked very hard to make this happen before Easter because it’s a really huge time of year for all, not only the Catholics but all the Christian denominations,” said Stemper. [link]

Arts Council in Wisconsin to Fundraise Using Power2Give (Crowdfunding)

VOLUME ONE
By Mike Paulus

WISCONSIN---The Eau Claire Regional Arts Center will soon be hosting an online crowd-sourced funding platform (catch all that?) for local art projects, connecting donors to projects they are passionate about. According to ECRAC's Executive Director Ben Richgruber, "the site allows cultural organizations to post and promote projects in need of funding and invites donors to contribute directly to the projects that are most intriguing." They'll be hosting a meeting about the platform on Monday, Sept. 17. [link]

Award-Winning Bible Comedy Banned in Wisconsin

WISCONSIN GAZETTE
By Louis Weisberg

WISCONSIN---As religious right extremist groups have grown in number, so have their attempts to censor art they view as objectionable. “The Bible –The Complete Word of God (abridged)” features three actors taking on dozens of characters from biblical lore. Since its award-winning 1995 premiere at Washington’s Kennedy Center, the play has been performed for audiences all over the world. But it will not be seen in Delafield. Responding to a wave of protests from fundamentalist Christians incited by right-wing talk radio, the Department of Natural Resources abruptly canceled a version of the comedy that was scheduled to run at Lapham Peak State Park’s SummerStage. [link]

Sikhism: 5 Things To Know About The Sikh Religion

THE HUFFINGTON POST

In light of the tragic shooting at the Wisconsin Sikh Temple, HuffPost Religion offers this brief introduction to Sikhism in hopes of increasing understanding and appreciations for this great world religion. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world with a population of upwards of 30 million worldwide. There are an estimated 250,000 Sikhs in the United States having first arrived in the late 19th century. Below are five basic facts about Sikhism:

Gunman Kills 6 at a Sikh Temple Near Milwaukee

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Steven Yaccino, Michael Shwirtz and Marc Santora

A vigil in downtown Milwaukee for the dead and the wounded. 

WISCONSIN---The priests had gathered in the lobby of the sprawling Sikh temple here in suburban Milwaukee, and lunch was being prepared as congregants were arriving for Sunday services. Instead of worshipers, though, an armed man stepped through the door and started firing. In an attack that the police said they were treating as “a domestic terrorist-type incident,” the gunman stalked through the temple around 10:30 a.m. Congregants ran for shelter and barricaded themselves in bathrooms and prayer halls, where they made desperate phone calls and sent anguished texts pleading for help as confusion and fear took hold. Witnesses described a scene of chaos and carnage. [link]

Wisconsin Museum's 'Mazel Tov' exhibit celebrates Jewish wedding traditions

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
By Annysa Johnson

Museum educator Ellie Gettinger describes the features
of a special chuppah, or wedding canopy, on display as part of a new exhibit
on Jewish wedding traditions at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee.

WISCONSIN -- In the final years of her life, as she battled a rare and deadly cancer, Milwaukee artist Ardis Zarem designed and constructed what would become a family heirloom - an elaborate wedding canopy under which each of her three children would be married. That chuppah, a contemporary adaptation of an ancient ritual item, is the centerpiece of a new exhibit - "Mazel Tov: A Celebration of Jewish Weddings" - at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee. [link]

(PHOTO) "The Crowning" by Leivur Reinert Djurhuus

"The Crowning" (2012) by Leivur Reinert Djurhuus

Art Student Spotlight: Leivur Reinert Djurhuus

SAINT NORBERT TIMES

WISCONSIN - What are your goals for this year? [Leivur Reinert Djuhuus]: "Getting a solid portfolio ready to present to potential employers. Hopefully, the work I have done these past couple of years will open up some opportunities in the future. Also to have my name mentioned more often than Jesus in the ‘Christian Symbolism in Art’ class which totally happened just a few weeks ago. Thanks Seamus!" [link]

Leivur Reinert Djurhuus's Christian-themed photographs on display in Wisconsin

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest O. Britton

"Matthew" (2012) by Leivur Reinert Djurhuus

Beginning tonight in Wisconsin the reverential photographs by Leivur Reinert Djurhuus, a fine arts senior at St. Norbert College are part of the college's Senior Art Exhibit that runs April 30 to May 11. Djurhuus, from Denmark — translated famed paintings by Caravaggio, and others, to photographs with fellow art students as his models. Hopefully, we will all soon be able to collect from his series on 500pix, and if not maybe you can get to Wisconsin yourself!

Rest In Peace: Bernard Gruenke, Stained-glass artist, age 99

JOURNAL SENTINEL | MILWAUKEE

WISCONSIN - Bernard Gruenke's passion for the arts developed early and had as many facets as the religious mosaic-like stained-glass works for which he became famous. He began his art explorations at the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, spent time at the Corcoran Art School in Washington, D.C., and drew portraits in South Carolina before he sought out Conrad Schmitt's architectural arts studio in New Berlin. Gruenke, a renowned stained-glass artist whose work decorates churches around the country, died March 31. He was 99. [link]

Was Jesus naked on the cross? Yes, according to Michelangelo, the Bible, and Roman customs

THE GLEANER | JAMAICA, WI
By Rev. Clinton Chisholm

Naked Jesus credited by many to Michelangelo | Courtesy of Wikipedia

WISCONSIN - Our Lord Jesus Christ was, in all likelihood, naked on the cross. Christian art and the Church will not face it readily, so you won't see crucifixion pictures of Jesus with exposed penis, though in all likelihood, following Roman custom, he would have been crucified naked. [link]

Art for Lent (Day #24) “Krossfesting” by Leivur Reinert Djurhuus

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Tahlib

“Krossfesting” by Leivur Reinert Djurhuus

Photo project inspired by religious paintings of Caravaggio

GREENBAY POST GAZETTE
By Warren Gerds

Norbert College art students pose for the photo “En tombment”
based on the 17th-century masterpiece “The Entombment of Christ."

MINNESOTA - Reverential paintings of an Italian master from more than four centuries ago were interpreted in a new way recently by some St. Norbert College art students. The result was a series of photographs that recreate biblical and classical scenes. Leivur Reinert Djurhuus, a senior from the Faroe Islands — part of Denmark — translated famed paintings to photographs with fellow art students as his models. "These motifs are inspired by the painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, known as Caravaggio," Djurhuus said. [link]

Celebrating Artist & Baha'ist Mark Tobey's Faith and Art

Thanksgiving Leaf, aquatint by Mark Tobey, 1971

WISCONSIN - Mark Tobey was an American abstract expressionist who practiced the Baha'i Faith tradition, and whose works are included in the faith's national center in Illinois. According to Baha'i tradition, all art is a gift of the Holy Spirit, because it is the outcome of the light of truth coming into the mind of the painter. It is a form of worship and prayer. Tobey is perhaps the most prominent of painters and visual artists who have embraced the Baha'i teachings, but his style influenced others including Jackson Pollack. According to scholar, Rob Weinberg, there is no Baha'i Art style but a way of thinking which embraces universality. Baha'i art may be non-pictorial, as in the case of Mark Tobey but it may also be pictorial as long as it does not portray the faith's most holy leaders including Abraham, Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, Buddha, etc. Mark George Tobey (December 11, 1890 – April 24, 1976) was born in Centerville, Wisconsin , and is noted among the "mystical painters of the Northwest."

Marian Shrine Increases Staffing to Welcome Faithful Crowds

ABC WBAY2
By Matt Smith
WISCONSIN - A shrine in rural Brown County was in the national spotlight Wednesday. A "Primetime Nightline" special on miracles featured the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion. Just off County Road K in Champion, near New Franken, the population in this countryside explodes every morning. Thousands of faithful have descended on this place deemed holy. And to keep up with this growing curiosity, the Marian shrine is making some changes. Thursday ends the first week for Father Peter Stryker as the shrine's new rector. He's joined by another full-time priest so Mass and confession can be offered daily. The shrine is open from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. each day. [link]

ABC News to Profile America's ONLY Marian Shrine on June 29

WBAY ABC News
By Jeff Alexander

WISCONSIN - The Marian shrine north of Green Bay is now attracting thousands of visitors every week. As the only confirmed apparition site in the United States, word is traveling fast. Later this month, the shrine will be in the national spotlight as part of a five-part ABC News investigation entitled "Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief." "Nightline" co-anchor Bill Weir explores miracle mysteries from around world. This episode airs June 29 at 9 P.M. [link]

Wisconsin's Virgin Mary Shrine Drawing More Visits

FOX 11
By Ben Krumholtz

WISCONSIN - Our Lady of Good Help near Champion has always had a strong showing at its May Celebration. “It used to be just a local event with 200 to 300 people,” said Karen Tipps, a caretaker for the church. This year, the shrine's event drew about 700 visitors. “It's a lot of out of town people,” said Tipps. Tipps says things have picked up since last December when Bishop David Ricken made Our Lady of Good Help the first bishop recognized apparition site in the United States. The holy site is funded solely from donations. [link]

Virgin Mary shrine drawing more visits: fox11online.com

Wisconsin's Virgin Mary Shrine, is also a home

CHICAGO READER
By Sam Worley

Shrine photographed by Sam Lucer

WISCONSIN - The Tippses' home sits on the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help outside Champion, Wisconsin.