Winter Solstice Marks New Dawn for Ancient Monument: Stonehenge Visitor Center is Now Open

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Overhaul of 4,000-year-old monument cost $44 million. Photo courtesy of CNN.

We are headed to a Winter Solstice party this Saturday, December 21st. Our party however will be nothing compared to the celebration taking place at Stonehenge in England, where they've just opened a new $44 million Visitor's Center. The winter solstice is the high holyday of Stonehenge--the time at which the sun appears at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon. The winter solstice lasts only a moment in time, and other terms are often used for the day on which it occurs, such as "midwinter", "the longest night" or "the shortest day". But what do you take to a Winter Solstice party? "Ornaments in the shape of the sun, stars, and other pagan symbols..." recommends legal expert Dusty Sparks, because it is based on the four elements of earth, wind, water, and fire.

People walk towards the new Stonehenge visitor center, Dec. 11, 2013.

On the huge wall of the main area the landscape digitally transforms over millennia. 

New exhibition includes a forensic reconstruction of an early Neolithic man's face

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Foundation's Secret Bids Guide Hopi Indians’ Spirits Home

THE NEW YORKBy Tom Mashberg

Alain Leroy, owner of an auction company in Paris, surrounded by sacred Hopi spirit masks.

CALIFORNIA---The foundation had never done something like this before — a repatriation effort — and the logistics were tricky, to say the least. More than 100 American Indian artifacts were about to go on sale at the Drouot auction house, including 24 pieces, resembling masks, that are held sacred by the Hopi of Arizona. Now the Annenberg Foundation decided to get involved from its offices in Los Angeles. It hoped to buy all of the Hopi artifacts, plus three more sought by the San Carlos Apaches, at the Dec. 9 sale and return them to the tribes. To prevent prices from rising, the foundation kept its plan a secret, even from the Hopis, in part to protect the tribe from potential disappointment. [link]

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An Unbeliever in Disney World: "Saving Mr. Banks" Opens Dec. 20th

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By A.O. Scott

Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks in "Saving Mr. Banks," directed by John Lee Hancock.

HOLLYWOOD---“Saving Mr. Banks,” released by Disney, is a movie about the making of a Disney movie (“Mary Poppins”), in which Walt Disney himself (played by Tom Hanks) is a major character. It includes a visit to Disneyland and, if you look closely, a teaser for its companion theme park in Florida (as yet unbuilt, when the story takes place). More precisely, “Saving Mr. Banks” recounts the consummation, in business and creative terms, of Walt Disney’s long courtship of P. L. Travers, the creator of Mary Poppins, played with spirited fussiness by Emma Thompson. [link]

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Art Review: A Tension Between the Sacred and the Profane

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Ken Johnson

"Luba Female Bowl Bearer," left, and a work by Constantin Brancusi, at Paul Kasmin Gallery.

NEW YORK---What is it about African tribal art that so allures us denizens of the modern, industrialized world? I wonder this whenever I encounter tribal artifacts in museums and galleries, and I’m prompted to again by two exhibitions presented by Paul Kasmin Gallery in Chelsea. Then, around the corner, in Kasmin’s West 27th Street gallery, there’s “Brancusi in New York 1913 – 2013,” a glowing display.... A museum setting like this one, however, erases the practical magic of these objects and diminishes their spiritual potency. They have become inert collectibles. The sacred is profaned. [link]

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Jamaica's National Gallery to Explore Religion and Spirituality

JAMAICA GLEANER

Osmond Watson's 1984 piece 'Jah Lives'

JAMAICA---The National Gallery of Jamaica (NGJ) will be presenting the Explorations II: Religion and Spirituality exhibition on Sunday, December 22. The exhibition is the second in the NGJ's new Explorations series, which was launched earlier this year with the Natural Histories exhibition. The series explores major themes in Jamaican art, and in the National Art Collection, and aims to allow visitors the opportunity to engage in new, more exploratory ways, the artistic and cultural history of Jamaica. [link]

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"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" Opens Friday, December 13, 2013

FANDANGO

HOLLYWOOD---Frightening images and fantasy action violence: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". Having survived the first part of their unsettling journey, Bilbo Baggins and his companions  continue east. More dangers await them, including the skin-changer Beorn and the giant spiders of Milkwood. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood Elves, Bilbo and the dwarves journey to Lake-town and, finally, to the Lonely Mountain, where they face the greatest danger of all: the fearsome dragon Smaug. [Tickets]

Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom
Director: Peter Jackson
Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

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Bandits & Saints of Brazil in Detroit Through January 5th

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Candomble Ceremony by Didito of Maracujipe, Bahia. Courtesy of Convida.org.

MICHIGAN---Detroit's Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History presents the exhibition "Bandits & Heroes, Poets & Saints" which tells the story of how African, European, and indigenous cultural traditions interacted in Brazil for 500 years. The exhibition includes nearly 200 works of art by more than 50 artists, but the most critical part of the exhibition is the "Expressions of Faith," segment. It explores the African-Brazilian religion of Candomblé which combines traditional African roots and Roman Catholicism, while also exploring the evangelical faith of the Northeast. In the exhibition, life-size mannequins of orixás (forged iron symbols of African deities) wearing colorful vestments of Candomblé can be viewed along with actual footage of the Candomblé ceremony in Bahia.

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: "Bandits & Heroes, Poets & Saints," (Ends January 5, 2014); 315 East Warren Avenue at Brush Street; Detroit, MI; (313) 494-5808; thewright.org

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Movie Review: "The Hunger Games: Striking Fire"

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Manohla Dargis

HOLLYWOOD---“Catching Fire” is the follow-up to “The Hunger Games” and the second in what will be four movie adaptations of Suzanne Collins’s fantastically successful book trilogy. (The studio behind the series, Lionsgate, is splitting the final book into two flicks.) It’s largely satisfying as far as screen adventures go, and comes fully loaded with special effects and action scenes, and embellished with the usual brand-name character actors, including the new arrivals Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright and Amanda Plummer. It also has a different director, Francis Lawrence (replacing Gary Ross), who showed he knows his way around the post-apocalypse with the Will Smith vehicle “I Am Legend.”[link]

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Springville Museum of Art Annual Exhibit Emphasizes Religious Similarities

DAILY HERALD
By Casey Adams

First-place winner J. Kirk Richards' "Angels Singing in White." Courtesy of Springville Museum of Art

UTAH---A silent conversation is unfolding in the galleries at the Springville Museum of Art during the 28th annual Spiritual and Religious Art of Utah Exhibition, which runs through Jan. 15. Utah artists share ideas about faith and worship using art as a voice to express the beauty of the many spiritual differences represented within the Beehive State. The annual exhibition presents this conversation over three parts. First, an interfaith panel was to speak on how the panelists' personally adhere to their respective faiths. Second, the art show of nearly 200 pieces adds a visual dimension to the conversation. And finally, artists will be available on the last day of the exhibition to answer questions from museum patrons about their art work. Submissions were selected for the exhibition based on technical merit and an artist's willingness to explore the idea of spirituality in a unique way. Awards were given to top artists. [link]

Springville Museum of Art: "28th annual Spiritual and Religious Art of Utah Exhibition," (Ends Jan. 15); 126 E. 400 South in Springville, UT; (801) 489-2727; smofa.org

EVENTS CALENDAR:

Wednesday, November 20, 2013*
*Opening Reception, 7-8:30 pm
All submitting artists and the public are invited to attend. Accepted artists should come prepared to engage with public and answer questions regarding their work. Award-winning works will be announced at this event.

Monday, December 2, 2013, 6:00-8:00 pm
Community & Family Night - bring your family to the Museum for an evening of art-making and fun! Create original holiday cards, take a special tour through the exhibition, and enjoy seasonal music.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013, 7:00 pm
Interfaith Panel "Art & Worship"  - please join us for a discussion on the role of religious traditions in art from Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, LDS and Presbyterian perspectives.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014
"Reflections on Spirituality: Artists in Conversation," 7:00 pm*
*Artists may pick up artwork at conclusion of program
To conclude the exhibition, invited artists will participate in gallery conversations with the public. Facilitated by Museum Staff, these informal discussions will give artists and visitors the chance to explore religion and spirituality in art.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Exhibition Officially Closes

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Ohio Exhibition Invites Museum's Visitors to Ponder God

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Sampling of the works by 30 artists from around the world on display in Canton, Ohio

OHIO---The Canton Museum of Art presents "Sacred Voices" an interfaith exhibition of contemporary works by over 30 artists from Australia, Austria, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Inspired by the Christian, Jewish, or Muslim faith, the imagery and artistry combine to offer fresh perspectives on religious texts, narratives and traditions of all people. "Throughout much of history, art and religion have been closely intertwined," said guest curator Michele Waalkes. "For some artists, the creative process itself becomes an act of faithfulness." The Canton Museum of Art (CMA) is one of Ohio's premier locations for an exceptional visual arts experience.

Canton Museum of Art: "Sacred Voices" (December 5, 2013 - March 2, 2014); 1001 Market Avenue North, Canton, OH; 330-453-7666; cantonart.org

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Gap's Ad With Sikh Model Waris Ahluwalia Defaced With Racist Graffiti, Drawing Incredible Response From Company

THE HUFFINGTON POST

NEW YORK---This is how the Internet is supposed to work. Arsalan Iftikhar, senior editor at The Islamic Monthly and founder of TheMuslimGuy.com, posted a picture to his Twitter and Facebook wall of a defaced subway advertisement for Gap featuring Sikh actor and jewelry designer Waris Ahluwalia. He told The Huffington Post, "I wanted the world to see how millions of brown people are viewed in America today." The next day, Gap tweeted back at Iftikhar to find out the location of the ad, which is part of its holiday "#MakeLove" campaign featuring a wide variety of diverse models. But that wasn't all. The company proceeded to change its Twitter background to the picture of Ahluwalia, to show solidarity and support.[link]

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Religion And Science Mix In New Southwest School Of Art Exhibit

TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO
By Jack Morgan

TEXAS---Artist Chris Sauter wants you to question the notions of religion and science, and how they interact -- or don't interact. "If you’re a religious person you can’t really believe in science and if you’re a scientific person you can’t really believe in religion," he said. "I think that’s a fallacy." So Sauter creates art to get you to think about how they have a certain overlap. Soon, he will have four themed exhibitions in four separate locations. "The Southwest School exhibition is the first," he said. "It opens on November 21." [link]

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Gods and Heroes: European Drawings of Classical Mythology

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

"Diomedes Devoured by Horses" (1866) by Gustave Moreau

CALIFORNIA---Featuring a selection of close to 40 drawings dating from the Renaissance to the 19th century, "Gods and Heroes: European Drawings of Classical Mythology," opens on November 19 at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Center. The exhibition explores the pictorial representation of myths that have been instrumental in the formation of Western culture. The stories involving the mythical gods and heroes of Greco-Roman antiquity have inspired artists for centuries, testing their abilities to represent complex narratives in visual form. The world of gods and heroes could also be a violent one, and drawings such as Gustave Moreau's representation one of Hercules’s labors, when the hero had to capture the flesh-eating mares of Diomedes, the evil king of Thrace. Hercules, having succeeded in seizing the animals, feeds Diomedes’s body to his own horses.

J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Center: "Gods and Heroes: European Drawings of Classical Mythology"; (November 19, 2013–February 9, 2014); 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA; (310)440-7330; getty.edu

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Artist Trevor Nickolls Wins Australia's Blake Prize for Religious Art with "Metamorphosis"

THE HERALD SUN
By Louise Nun

Late South Australian artist Trevor Nickolls in 2012 with his painting "Metamorphosis", which has won the 2013 Blake Prize for religious art. Source: News Limited

AUSTRALIA---A NEW indigenous art prize established in the memory of late South Australian artist Trevor Nickolls has been given a $25,000 boost after the painter was awarded the Blake Prize, the first ever to be awarded posthumously. Nickolls, who died last year aged 63, won top honours in the national prize for religious art for his painting Metamorphosis, which depicts an Aboriginal man transformed into a butterfly, surrounded by peace doves. Metamorphosis, which melds the Western and Indigenous iconography Nickolls was known for, was commissioned for the 2012 Adelaide Festival exhibition Deadly: In-Between Heaven and Hell, held at Tandanya. [link]

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The First Artists Were Mostly Women, Says New Research

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
By Virginia Hughes

PUBLISHING---Women made most of the oldest-known cave art paintings, suggests a new analysis of ancient handprints. Most scholars had assumed these ancient artists were predominantly men, so the finding overturns decades of archaeological dogma. Archaeologist Dean Snow of Pennsylvania State University analyzed hand stencils found in eight cave sites in France and Spain. By comparing the relative lengths of certain fingers, Snow determined that three-quarters of the handprints were female. "I think the article is a landmark contribution," said archaeologist Dave Whitley of ASM Affiliates, an archaeological consulting firm in Tehachapi, California. Despite these handprints being discussed for half a decade, "this is the first time anyone's synthesized a good body of evidence." The new study doesn't discount the shaman theory, Whitley added, because in some hunter-gatherer societies shamans are female or even transgendered. [link]

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Spilled Candy by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, a Memorial to Love

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

UNITED KINGDOM---Blain|Southern art gallery in London brings legendary Damien Hirst together with icon of "Queer Spirituality," Cuban-born Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996) in "Candy" (Oct. 16-Nov. 30). While Hirst's monumental works have been previously been featured on A&O, it's Gonzalez-Torrez "Untitled" (1992) that makes this a particularly noteworthy show for A&O readers. It's a unique sculpture made of candies individually wrapped in variously colored cellophan, and copiously piled in corners or spread across the floor. The installation changes, as does life with the space and time. The spilled candy is a metaphor, or religious memorial for the loss of his life-Partner Ross. Like the new film "Gravity" the work is also a message about survival, and learning to "let go."

BLAIN | SOUTHERN: "Candy: Felix Gonzalez-Torres | Damien Hirst," 4 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1BP; +44(0)20-7493-4492; blainsouthern.com.

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Blake Prize: Emerging Religious Artists Take on Established for Fiercely Fought Accolade

THE GUARDIAN
By Andrew Frost

Contender: The Edge, 2013, by Tamara Dean. Photograph: Olsen Irwin Gallery

AUSTRALIA---The shortlist for the 62nd Blake prize has been announced, naming 73 established and emerging artists. The prize explores religious and spiritual themes in art and, although that might suggest traditional religious subjects and treatments, the attraction of the Blake for many artists – and often the source of the prize’s occasional conflicts with conservative – is that it also encourages and celebrates secular ideas of religiosity, as well as broader questions of the role of ethics and morality in contemporary society. [link]

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Alice Lives Between Fantasy and Reality, Beginning Tonight at 8pm

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Mike Hale

Down the Rabbit Hole - Rough Landing

TELEVISION---“Wonderland” is associated with the existing ABC series “Once Upon a Time,” though it’s less a spinoff than a brand extension — so far, no performers or significant characters have gone from the first series to the second. In both shows, the action moves between the human world and a fantasy realm, and both make extensive use of flashbacks to complicate their narratives and suggest that there’s more going on than there really is. In “Once Upon a Time,” the multiple time streams were clever at first but proliferated to a point of wearying confusion. “Wonderland” skips straight to bewilderment. [link]

ABC, Thursday nights at 8, Eastern and Pacific times; 7, Central time.

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Every Religion Used Art In Search of Expression

INDIAN EXPRESS
By Shombit Sengupta

INDIA---Every religion has used art to propagate its faith. Artistic embellishments portrayed belief in god's power over humans. The Indus Valley civilisation from 3300 to 1300 BC has inference of religious art in swastikas and Shiva-Pashupati seals found in the sophisticated, advanced urban remains of the Harappan period. Sacred art of Sunni Muslims prohibits representation, so you will find highly evolved calligraphy and ornamentation. Buddhist art of 6th century BC has tantric symbols and Buddha images. Chinese art dates 10,000 BC, but was later influenced by Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Ancient Egyptian Nile valley art from 5000 BC to 300 AD was highly stylised and symbolic, veering around pharaohs, who were regarded as gods. Even the Mayan civilisation from 1500 BC to 1500 AD had art which intimately served a religious purpose. [link]

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"Sacred" Describes a "Remarkable" New Show at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

INLINE

MINNEAPOLIS---There’s a remarkable new show at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts that deploys works from the museum’s collection, plus a few borrowed items, in a way that may surprise museumgoers. Sacred juxtaposes deeply traditional items of religious art—a holy water stoup, priests’ robes, icons, Qur’an pages—with edgy contemporary works, like a grey felt suit created by conceptual-art icon Joseph Beuys, a stunning faux-suit of armor by Korean artist Do-Ho Suh, and images by that ambivalent Catholic, Andy Warhol. “Sacred” is the second in a series of innovative installations featuring imaginative combinations of contemporary and historic artworks throughout the museum’s Target Wing.

Minneapolis Institute of Arts: "Sacred" (Ends July 13, 2014); 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN; (888) MIA ARTS (642-2787) (Toll Free); artsmia.org

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