Divine soap by Matt Nichols exhibited in restrooms @DePaulArtMuseum

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Matt Nichols: SomethingDivine September 15 – December 18 / 2016

ILLINOIS--Exhibited in the museum’s public restrooms, Matt Nichols's “Something Divine” addresses the subversion of the DePaul Art Museum’s gallery space through the presentation of hand-carved white soap and embroidered hand towels made by the artist. The duality of the work’s high/low nature raises questions concerning traditional art value, faith, and ritual as they relate to utilitarian and metaphoric uses. Built in 2011, the museum presents four to six temporary exhibitions per year and houses a permanent collection of more than 3,000 objects with strengths in international modern and contemporary art. Check out Matt Nichol’s work in the 2nd floor bathrooms until December 18, 2016. ⠀

‘Four Saints in Three Acts’ combines art, iconography at DePaul University Art Museum

eNEWS PARK FOREST

Jeni Spota’s painting “Bird Woman” will be on display at the DePaul Art Museum in “Four Saints in Three Acts,” an exhibition that examines religious imagery in contemporary art (Image courtesy of the artist and Brennan & Griffin Gallery)

ILLINOIS--- Art and the representation of saints have been intertwined for centuries. An upcoming winter exhibition at the DePaul Art Museum, “Four Saints in Three Acts,” will feature works by contemporary artists who use religious imagery to consider their own relationship to religion, belief and faith. A complementary show, “The Many Faces of Vincent de Paul: Nineteenth-Century French Romanticism and the Sacred,” will examine how artists depicted DePaul University’s patron saint in material culture and decorative arts. Both exhibitions open Jan. 26 and run through April 2. [link]

Open something greater this holiday season at the Art Institute of Chicago

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Detail of Neapolitan crèche featuring well known figures of the Virgin, father, and child

ILLINOIS---Continuing the Art Institute of Chicago’s annual tradition, the spectacular mid-18th-century Neapolitan crèche will return to Gallery 209. The crèche, one of very few outside of Naples, is an intricate Nativity scene that reflects the vitality and artisanship that the city is still known for. The Art Institute’s crèche features over 200 figures—including no less than 50 animals and 41 items of food and drink— all staged in a spectacular Baroque cabinet with a painted backdrop. This year, a new catalogue exploring the vitality and artisanship of the crèche and its history is available in the museum’s gift shops. [More]

Chicago Art exhibit allows visitors to interact with Hindu images

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
By Joan Dittmann

Thater's piece was filmed at the Galtaji Temple (a Hindu pilgrimage site) in Jaipur, India in India. Courtesy of LACMA

ILLINOIS---A new exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art allows visitors to step inside art. "Diana Thater: The Sympathetic Imagination", uses projectors on the floor and walls plus monitor screens around the rooms to fill gallery spaces with engaging still and video images. One example is the piece "Life is a Time-Based Medium" which projects visitors' shadows onto a static image of a Hindu temple in India. A doorway opening in the gallery aligns with the projection of a temple doorway and through these visitors get glimpses of the monkeys in the next gallery, videos of sacred monkeys that run wild in the temple. [link]

The Wheaton Professor Wore a Hijab in Solidarity — Then Lost Her Job

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE
By Ruth Graham

When Larycia Hawkins, the first black woman to receive tenure at Wheaton College, made a symbolic gesture of support for Muslims, the evangelical college became divided over what intellectual freedom on its campus really meant.

Three days after Larycia Hawkins agreed to step down from her job at Wheaton College, an evangelical school in Wheaton, Ill., she joined her former colleagues and students for what was billed as a private service of reconciliation. Wheaton had spent the previous two months embroiled in what was arguably the most public and contentious trial of its 156-year history. In December, Hawkins wrote a theologically complex Facebook post announcing her intention to wear a hijab during Advent, in solidarity with Muslims; the college placed her on leave within days and soon moved to fire her. [link]

New Christian Drawings by Chicago Artist Daniel Mitsui

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Series of new works by Daniel Mitsui

ILLINOIS---In August, Chicago-based artist Daniel Mitsui and his wife welcomed their fourth child, a daughter, Lux Helena. During weeks before and after the birth, Mitsui has made many new, smaller original drawings that are now available for sale including eighteen of these appear in his September 2016 e-newsletter. On Saturday, October 1, 7:00 p.m., Mitsui will be speaking about sacred art in the hall of St. Peter Church in Memphis, TN as a guest of the Wojtyla Institute.

Chicago Sun Times: Arts Education Helps Students Succeed

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

By Anne Leiter, Letter to Editor

Designated by Congress in 2010, the week beginning with the second Sunday in September is National Arts in Education Week: a national celebration of the transformative power of the arts in education. We are celebrating here, and would encourage all supporters of arts, culture, and education-as well as our elected officials and education leaders-to join with us. In March, Americans for the Arts released results from its public opinion poll, and 9 out of 10 Americans believe that the arts are essential to a student’s well-rounded education. However, so often we see gaps in access to arts education in communities across our state and the country. We must stand together to fight for equity in access and delivery of arts education to the young people in our community, our state, and the nation. [link]

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest & Gregory Disney-Britton

"A Little More Suffering From The Hand Of God" (2016) by Tom Torluemke. Watercolor

The hand of God is a symbol of God’s guidance, instruction, and discipline. The more we recognize the hand of God, the better we will be able to follow His lead. Indiana-based artist Tom Torluemke has created a new watercolor that is a perfect reminder: "A Little More Suffering From The Hand Of God" (above). Did you know that there are 122 Bible verses about the "Hand Of God"? Well, quite a few of them are about authority and punishment, and in this case, it's not pretty.

Tom Torluemke's "A Little More Suffering From The Hand Of God"

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

A Little More Suffering From The Hand Of God, 2016) by Tom Torluemke

ILLINOIS---Tom Torleumke's new book, "SYMPTOMS" will be released at an opening exhibition (both titled, "Symptoms") with a selection of the original drawings on Friday, August 26, 2016 at Firecat Projects, 2124 N. Damen Avenue Chicago, IL, from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. [link]

Coloring Books and New Works by Chicago Artist Daniel Mitsui

DANIEL MITSUI ARTIST
By Daniel Mitsui

ILLINOIS---I recently passed the sixth anniversary of my full-time self-employment as an artist and have been giving thought to the future. I have already begun some intense research and experimentation with new methods for drawing and composition that are described below. My first coloring book, The Mysteries of the Rosary, has just been published by Ave Maria Press. It is available for purchase from the publisher, or on Amazon. A second, The Saints, will be published in November. [link]

Doug Birkenheuer: Capturing Light. Illuminating Life in Chicago

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton

Burn Through, 2014

ILLINOIS--Chicago-based photographer Doug Birkenheuer has devoted his talent and vision to photography for over twenty years. He received his Associates Degree from the Antonelli Institute of Photography in Cincinnati, OH in 1988. We met right before he relocated to Chicago in 1994, where he impressed me with his mystical and sensual photo collages in Cincinnati. In recent years, Doug Birkenheuer has taught photography courses at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and he's continued to develop a loyal following among individual collectors like me.

Tom Torluemke Book Release & New Show in Chicago on August 26

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"Tuesday's Garbage Day" by Tom Torluemke

ILLINOIS---Firecat Projects will host the book release of Tom Torluemke’s SYMPTOMS: satirical drawings by Tom Torluemke. The limited-edition, 200-page, softbound book includes 90 images from Tom’s blog, Torluemke’s Daily Punch: a series of daily impressions and ideas about our society and politics made into simple but powerful statements using acrylic paint marker on paper. Tom’s spontaneously drawn reactions and visual vocabulary touch on a variety of subject matter in this hard-hitting series. The book will be released at an opening exhibition (also titled, Symptoms) with a selection of the original drawings on Friday, August 26, 2016 at Firecat Projects, 2124 N. Damen Avenue Chicago, IL, from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

America's Quest for Artistic Identity, Featuring Seminal Works by Hopper, Douglas, and Wood

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

"American Gothic" (1930) by Grant Wood. Friends of American Art Collection

ILLINOIS---This summer, the Art Institute of Chicago invites visitors to discover how artists responded to the Wall Street Crash of 1929 until the United States’ entry into World War II by forging  a new national art and identity. Featuring fifty masterpieces of American painting—including seminal works by Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, Paul Cadmus, Aaron Douglas, Charles Sheeler, Stuart Davis, and others—the exhibition tells the story of the turbulent economic, political, and aesthetic world of the 1930s and how artists in the United States sought to come to terms with the critical question: What is American art?

The Art Institute of Chicago Acquires Newly Discovered High Renaissance Painting

ARTDAILY

Sebastiano del Piombo. Christ Carrying the Cross, 1515/1517. The Art Institute of Chicago.

ILLINOIS---The Art Institute of Chicago announced the exciting acquisition of Sebastiano del Piombo's "Christ Carrying the Cross" (1515/1517) to strengthen its focused collection of Italian High Renaissance painting. The first major discovery of a work by Sebastiano in recent years, it was brought to light by Colnaghi, the renowned London-based art gallery, who facilitated its transition to the museum's world-class collection. Sebastiano developed the innovative composition for Christ Carrying the Cross to heighten the emotional charge of the image. [link]

Jewish Group Wishes Peace And Beauty With Gift of Mural

DAILY HERALD
By Susan Sarkauskas

Mosaic tile mural in honor of Fox Valley Jewish Neighbor’s 10th Anniversary. Located at 121 S. Third St. Geneva, IL

ILLINOIS---Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors celebrated its 10th anniversary in Geneva Monday night by giving the town a gift. It dedicated a 20-some-foot-long tile mural on its building at 121 S. Third St., honoring the common values of the Tri-Cities community and the beauty of the area. The six-panel mural was designed by artist Danielle Dobies of Aurora. She based it on drawings done by children who attend the center's Jewish School, as well as talks with adult members of the group. [link]

Art Institute of Chicago Presents "Supernatural Shakespeare" this Spring

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Moses Haughton II, after Henry Fuseli. The Nursery of Shakespeare, 1810. Gift of Chalkley J. Hambleton.

ILLINOIS---The title characters of William Shakespeare’s plays certainly might get the most name recognition, but the Bard’s meddling witches and mischievous faerie folk often steal the scenes and have rightly become some of his most memorable characters. This focused Shakespeare 400 installation features three atmospheric engravings of fantastical Shakespearian scenes by various artists emulating works by the renowned Gothic artist Henri Fuseli (1741–1825).

‘Races of Mankind’ Sculptures, Long Exiled, Return to Display at Chicago’s Field Museum

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER

David Kasnic for The New York Times

For decades, the bronzes created by the artist Malvina Hoffman for the Field Museum’s “Races of Mankind” exhibit have had a ghostly afterlife at the institution. Hailed at their unveiling in 1933 as “the finest racial portraiture the world has yet seen” and viewed by millions of visitors, the sculptures were banished to storage in 1969, embarrassing relics of discredited ideas about human difference. Now the Field Museum has put 50 of the 104 sculptures back on display as part of “Looking at Ourselves: Rethinking the Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman.” [link]

Rare holiday crèche on display at Art Institute of Chicago

CHICAGO TONIGHT | WTTW
By Marc Vitali

It is called a "crèche." It's a traditional Nativity scene with the infant Jesus, the Holy Family, and the three Wise Men. But this one has a cast of hundreds.

ILLINOIS---For six weeks each year, a dramatic work of religious art is unveiled in Chicago. The Christmas season is the only time to see a rare Nativity scene that blends both spiritual and earthly pursuits. “Chicago Tonight” visited the Art Institute and found an elaborate piece of art originally seen in churches in 18th century Naples. This crèche was made in Naples, beginning in the mid-1700s, by artists and craftsman commissioned by the Catholic church and local nobility. They really went for Baroque. [link]

Christian college professor Is disciplined after remarks supporting Muslims

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Christine Hauser

Larycia Hawkins, an associate professor of political science at Wheaton College, wore a hijab at a church service in Chicago. Credit Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune, via Associated Press

ILLINOIS---Wheaton College, an evangelical Christian institution, has disciplined a professor who put on a head scarf in solidarity with Muslims and said they worship the “same God” as Christians. The private liberal arts college said in a statement on Tuesday that Larycia Hawkins, an associate professor of political science, had been placed on administrative leave over “significant questions regarding the theological implications” of recent remarks she made about the relationship between Christianity and Islam. [link]

The tradition of Krishna paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago

THE HINDU
By Sunil Kothari

Pichvai for Sharad Purnima, Late 19th century. Kishangarh, Rajasthan, India. TAPI Collection. Photo courtesy of TAPI Collection.

ILLINOIS---A unique exhibition in Chicago showcases the private devotions of the Pushtimarg sect of Hinduism. Showing now (and on till January 3, 2016) at the Art Institute of Chicago in Regenstein Hall is an exhibition that is possibly the first of its kind. It has more than 100 objects including pichvais (intricately painted cloth hangings) that celebrate Shrinathji, a form of the Hindu god Krishna in a large-scale exploration of the art and aesthetics of the Pushtimarg sect of Hinduism. [link]