Chazen Museum's Mithila Painting Shows How Adaptable a Traditional Hindu Art Form Can Be

THE DAILY PAGE
By Jennifer Smith

The focus is on line, color and filling the entire picture space. Credit:Chazen Museum of Art

WISCONSIN---It's been a strong year of exhibitions for the UW's Chazen Museum of Art, and there is a little time left to catch one of its most intriguing and unexpected offerings. "Mithila Painting: The Evolution of an Art Form" (through Dec. 1) features a style of painting that's unfamiliar to many. But even if it's new to you, you'll quickly be drawn in by intricate, stylized works with themes ranging from Hindu deities to contemporary social and political issues. [link]

Chazen Museum of Art: "Mithila Painting: The Evolution of an Art Form" (Ends Dec. 1); 750 University Ave; Madison, WI; 608-263-2246; chazen.wisc.edu

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Milwaukee Exhibition Takes on Myths About American Muslims

JOURNAL SENTINEL 
By Annysa Johnson

The Milwaukee Public Library is one of six libraries across the country to host an exhibit on Muslim art, as well as books about Muslim culture.

WISCONSIN---So, here are a few things you might not know about Islam: It has a long history in the Americas, arriving with slaves from West Africa as early as the 1600s. One of the bestselling poets in America over the last decadeis the 13th century Muslim mystic Jalaluddin Rumi. Those are just some of the revelations to emerge from a collection of books and other materials now available at hundreds of libraries across the country, under a program financed by the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities. But two local libraries, Milwaukee Public Library's downtown branch and the Golda Meir Library at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, are taking readers further, with an exhibit and programs exploring Islam in the arts and the American Muslim experience. [link]

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