Christmas artworks by Bellini (1501); Rigglemam (2015); Cosme (c. 2010)

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

"The Matriarch" (2010) by Niccolo Cosme, Philipines

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

"Zoo of Lusts" (2015) by Jeremie Riggleman. Acrylic, photos & resin, Edition of 5 & AP

Jeremie Riggleman is our favorite creator of Christian kitsch. He simultaneously honors the sacred while spotlighting the odd and eccentric. His “Zoo of Lusts” is a 36 x 36-inch work in acrylic, photo and resin with an open-ended narrative featuring fifteen toy animals, including an "angel" bear, that watch-over the sleeping baby Jesus in his manger. As far as we know, none of these elements have ever been assembled together in a nativity painting before. Riggleman shipped one of its five editions this week to be included in "The Beautiful,” a traveling group exhibition of 35 contemporary works organized by Christians in the Visual Arts. CIVA is a national association of artists and arts administrators, and by the way, Ernest is a member too. Born, in Owosso, MI, today Riggleman teaches art at Taylor University in Upland, IN. Check out Jeremie Riggleman’s “Zoo of Lusts” next month at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.

Christian's in Visual Arts features "Zoo of Lusts" by Jeremie Riggleman in traveling exhibition

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

2018 Alpha Omega Prize Finalist: 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XQ5S8WL

"Zoo of Lusts" (2015) by Jeremie Riggleman. Acrylic, photos & resin, Edition of 5 & AP

Jeremie Riggleman's whimsical work explores the tension between longing (discontent) and belonging (contentment), and what could be better for this season? In his "Zoo of Lusts," Riggleman placed baby Jesus in his cradle at the center of the scene watched over by an angel in the form of a toy bear, and surrounded by other toy animals including a duck and a dinosaur. Riggleman uses lawn art creatures as stand-ins for exploring his past and thinking about the future. In his artist statement, the artist cites his influences as "mythology, folk art, pop culture and faith." "It is just one of the images in "The Beautiful,” a CIVA exhibition opening on January 25, 2018, at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. Riggleman is a member of CIVA/Christians in Visual Arts, and the show features works by other CIVA members.

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

Carlo Crivelli 's "Pietà" (1476) | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Carlo Crivelli's "Pietà” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC is an emotionally charged depiction of a mother's rage, one of the five stages of grief. Pieta's are an artistic tradition dating back to the Middle Ages that depict the mourning Virgin Mary holding her crucified son. While this moment is not specifically cited in the Bible, it is inspired by the events in John 19:25-27, and it is a tradition that continues today in a series of projects by photographer Kelvin Burzon. In contrast to Crivelli's moment of rage, Burzon's "Pietà," captures the stage of "despair" as he depicts the Virgin staring despondently back at the viewer. If you follow scenes from the Passion of Christ, we recommend checking out Kelvin Burzon's inspiring photographs.

NYC Rabbi's pop art lessons on Judaism finds home in Indianapolis

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Gregory Disney-Britton seated at home in Indianapolis holding "Orange Socks" by Hasidic pop artist Rabbi Yitzchok Moully. “In truth, Judaism really asks us to find ourselves within the experience. It’s not about being a carbon copy, said Moully. "It’s asking us to find personal meaning within Judaism.”

For Greg Disney-Britton, images of Christ brings church to his home

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Gregory Disney-Britton seated at home in Indianapolis holding newly acquired Kelvin Buzon's "Saint John the Baptist," edition 1 of 25; Nicollo Cosme’s ”Madonna & Child,” top left; William Wallace's "John 3:16," bottom left; William Fritsch’s “The Next Supper,” foreground right; and Henrich Hoffman's "Figure of Christ," center left.

Gregory Disney-Britton is surrounded by images of Christ each night as he sits down at home to manage his church's daily blog postings. “It's the most important tool our church has to share our member's journey and how they connect to scripture," he said of his work at Life Journey Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. While Greg's been collecting for years, it's a recent decision to transform his office den into an exclusive display of portraits of Jesus Christ, paintings, drawings, prints, and posters. Christ's baptism by Saint John the Baptist by photographer Kelvin Burzon is a recent acquisition, but works by Henrich Hoffman and Salvador Dali are also included.

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

2017 Artist of the Year for Contemporary Religious Art: Kelvin Burzon for Noli Me Tangere

This past Spring, when photographer Kelvin Burzon displayed his Noli Me Tangere (Latin) at an Indiana University art gallery, he could not have expected the positive response he would receive. This month, Alpha Omega Arts subscribers voted Cincinnati photographer Kelvin Burzon as the 2017 Artist of the Year for Contemporary Religious Art for his exploration of Christ through the lens of race and sexual orientation. Over the next few weeks, we'll share more about your subscriber choice, as well as the two jury-selected honorees: "Abdulnasser Gharem: Pause" as  Museum Exhibition of the Year, and Pope Francis as Clergy Advocate of the Year.

Kelvin Burzon wins 2017 Alpha & Omega Prize for Contemporary Religious Arts

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

2017 Artist of the Year for Contemporary Religious Art: Kelvin Burzon for Noli Me Tangere

This past Spring, when photographer Kelvin Burzon displayed his provocative Noli Me Tangere (Latin) at an Indiana University art gallery, he could not have expected the positive response he would receive. This month, Alpha Omega Arts subscribers voted Cincinnati-based Kelvin Burzon as the 2017 Artist of the Year for Contemporary Religious Art for his exploration of Christ through the lens of race and sexual orientation. Over the next few weeks, we'll share more about your subscriber choice, as well as the two jury-selected honorees: "Abdulnasser Gharem: Pause" as the Museum Exhibition of the Year, and Pope Francis as the Clergy Advocate of the Year.

Theatre Review: Math, religion, music, and time on display in "Infinity" in Indianapolis

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory Disney-Britton

Live music by a violinist plays a central role in "Infinity" by Storefront Theatre of Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS -- The 2014 play "Infinity" by playwright Hannah Moscovitch has its final run this weekend in Indianapolis at the IndyFringe Theatre. We highly recommend this play produced by Storefront Theatre of Indianapolis. t's an emotionally raw story that pits two perspectives on time against the other, time is real vs. time is a human construct. It doesn't answer the question but it presents strong arguments for both and includes comparisons to religious ideas as part of that debate. It was written by woman, who according to Wikipedia, was raised as an atheist but with both a Jewish and Christian background. It's a thinking person's play about two lovers, a physicist and a classical composer, and their child prodigy who becomes a mathematician. In the end though, it's a 90-minute journey of love, religion, and questions about life. [Tickets]

Egyptian-born artist to exhibit at Kuaba Gallery in Indianapolis

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Salma Taman, Family Tree, Acrylic on Canvas 2016, 48 x 60 in, commissioned work, sold (ST038)

INDIANAPOLIS---Painter Salma Taman is originally from Egypt but now lives in the United States. She has been painting for many years and her work can be found in private collections from the USA to Egypt, Dubai, and other countries. She has exhibited in several galleries and group shows. Her preferred medium is acrylic on canvas. On Friday, October 13, the Kuaba Gallery in Indianapolis will open the exhibition,“Looking Beyond.” The exhibition will feature works by Salma Taman and Frank Emmert and sculptures by Gregory Mutasa. Kuaba Gallery, 1 N. Meridian St. 2nd Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46204 | www.kuaba.com. [RSVP]

Movie Review: No right way to keep the faith in ‘The Good Catholic’

THE NEW YORK TIMES

By Monica Castillo

Movie Poster

Not many movies involve the everyday tasks of running a church, with priests rehearsing their Sunday sermons, eating together at staff dinners or dealing with the inner struggles of faith. It is in these mundane moments that the director and writer Paul Shoulberg finds a story. “The Good Catholic” is almost as strait-laced as its protagonist. As Jane develops a crush on Daniel, the movie starts to follow a conventional path. Fortunately, Mr. Spicer’s earnest performance bolsters many of the weaker spots in Mr. Shoulberg’s script. The conflicting dynamics among the three men of the cloth provide most of the movie’s punch lines. Mr. Glover and Mr. McGinley each have their own scene-stealing one-liners to bounce off Mr. Spicer’s deadpan delivery. Here, friendship is its own form of saving grace. [More]

From Indiana prison to NYU Ph.D.: The redemption and rejection of Michelle Jones

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Eli Hager

Michelle Jones, a Ph.D. candidate at N.Y.U., was released from prison in August after serving 20 years. Credit Damon Winter/The New York Times

NEW YORK---Michelle Jones was released last month after serving more than two decades in an Indiana prison for the murder of her 4-year-old son. The very next day, she arrived at New York University, a promising Ph.D. candidate in American studies. In a breathtaking feat of rehabilitation, Ms. Jones, now 45, became a published scholar of American history while behind bars, and presented her work by videoconference to historians’ conclaves and the Indiana General Assembly. With no internet access and a prison library that hewed toward romance novels, she led a team of inmates that pored through reams of photocopied documents from the Indiana State Archives to produce the Indiana Historical Society’s best research project last year. As prisoner No. 970554, Ms. Jones also wrote several dance compositions and historical plays, one of which is slated to open at an Indianapolis theater in December. [More]

Valadezza's work at Circle South highlights myth and immigration realities

NUVO MAGAZINE
By Dan Grossman

Valadezza's "The Protector"

INDIANAPOLIS---The painting is entitled “Protector.” On the canvas: a coyote holding two infant children in his arms, a crucifix dangling from his neck. In the background, a fence straddles the Mexican-American border, stretching across the desert into the mountains under a blue sky. The painting, by Valadezza, is part of a group exhibition entitled Lienzos Americanos — at Circle South Gallery, in Fountain Square up through Sept. 26 — and it depicts an episode in the early life of this Indianapolis-based painter. The fact that Valadezza and her brother — both are depicted in the painting — made it across the border unharmed figures into the title, but there are other factors that it addresses as well. [More]

Catholic art creator Daniel Mitsui auctions his "Sacred Heart"

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Daniel Mitsui's "Sacred Heart" 9 1/2" × 12 1/2".

INDIANA---Daniel Mitsui's broadside, "Sacred Heart" measures approximately 9 1/2" × 12 1/2". It is based on one of his ink drawings on paper. "A scan of my drawing, slightly enlarged and modified, was used to create the plate for letterpress printing" said Mitsui. "When challenged by one of my patrons to create a new image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I determined to reconnect this devotion to its early expressions in the visions of St. Gertrude, and to create an image with the vigor and precision of late medieval art." To place a bid for this new image of the Sacred Heart, e-mail danielmitsuiartist@gmail.com. [More]

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

#IndyArtRising by the Arts Council of Indianapolis

What better way to celebrate Labor Day than to honor artists? Two-days ago, during a revival-like gathering for the arts, complete with a 23-student show choir breaking out with "Joyful, Joyful" from Sister Act 2, the mayor of Indianapolis and the Arts Council praised the labors of local artists. They noted their local impact on neighborhoods, on schools, and on job creation that annually results in a $440 million economic impact. They also announced a new grants program for visual artists and invited the nearly 1,000 assembled to join the "IndyArtRising." On this Labor Day, Alpha Omega Arts honors the hardest laboring people we know, artists.

Bruce Walker's ('53) collection of Tibetan Art on display at DePauw University, Aug. 25 - Dec. 15

DEPAUW NEWS

Shakyamuni Stong Sku (or 1000 bodies); early- mid 20th century painted pigment on silk, gift of Bruce Walker '53.

GREENCASTLE, IN---Two years after graduating from DePauw University in 1953, Bruce Walker became a case officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. Beginning August 25, you're invited to view his collection of art in an exhibition at DePauw's Richard E. Peeler Art Center.  "Infinite Splendor, Infinite Light" will remain on display through December 15, and is free and open to the public. In 2002, Walker donated his 66-piece collection of Tibetan thangkas, works on paper, and religious objects to DePauw University. [More]

For this gay photographic artist, art is for love’s sake

INQUIRER
By: Eunice Barbara C. Novio

Noli Me Tangere, “touch me not” or “don’t thread on me,” (2015-2016) is a series of photographs that examines an internal conflict of homosexuality and Catholicism.

Kelvin Burzon, 28, is an associate instructor of photography at the University of Cincinnati. He received master’s in fine arts from Indiana University’s School of Art + Design. Although Kelvin’s photographic art speaks about his identity, which revolves around religion, sexuality, race and gender, it also tells us about the current situation in many societies. His work may be sacrilegious to many, but he started it to fight bigotry. Kelvin says he cannot avoid this art from reflecting what he is — Filipino, Asian, gay and Catholic. He says he must tell his story to the world because he has the means and opportunity to share a message through his art. [More]

No arrests at downtown Indianapolis anti-Sharia march

RTV6-ABC
By Matt McKinney, Nicole Griffin

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two groups on opposing sides of a political issue gathered in front of the Indiana Statehouse Saturday, with police providing increased security in the area. The group Act for America planned the march to protest Sharia Law in the United States. Act for America has been designated as an anti-Muslim extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. In the days before the protest, fliers posted around the city asked the Muslim community to stay away from downtown. [More]

Indianapolis Muslims appalled at 'hateful' billboard on I-465 attacking the Prophet Muhammad

THE INDYCHANNEL
By Jordan Fischer

Photo: Provided by Rima Shahid via The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS---A new billboard that popped up over the past week on I-465 is an "attack on all Muslims," according to the Muslim Alliance of Indiana. The billboard features the words "The Perfect Man" – apparently in reference to the founder of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad – followed by a list of attributes including "rapist" and "slave owner." The billboard gives no indication who paid for it, save for the word "Truthophobes" – an Australian group dedicated to publishing anti-Islamic materials. The Muslim Alliance of Indiana has reached out to Mayor Joe Hogsett and Congressman Andre Carson (D-Indianapolis), one of two Muslims in Congress, about ways to challenge the billboard. [More]

Cincinnati Art Museum announces inaugural acquisition by the Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Arts

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Image: Anila Quayyum Agha (b. 1965), All the Flowers Are for Me (Red), laser-cut lacquered steel and lightbulb, 60x60x60 in, Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Art, 2017.7

CINCINNATI---Opening June 16 at 6 p.m. is Anila Quayyum Agha's All the Flowers Are for Me (Red) at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The massive laser-cut cube is the inaugural acquisition made possible by the recent Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Art. The light emanates from the center of the cube, enveloping the gallery in geometric and floral patterns. The Indianapolis-based artist Anila Quayyum Agha was born in Pakistan, and her works are inspired by her Islamic experience. She is a 2014 grand prize winner of Grand Rapid's ArtPrize and a 2013 Creative Renewal Arts Fellow of the Indianapolis Arts Council.