20th Annual Judaica Craft Show Comes to White Plains November 16-17

SCARSDALE

"Tree of Life" Judaica pendant

NEW YORK---A dazzling array of Judaic crafts and jewelry will be shown and sold at the annual Bet Am Shalom Synagogue Judaica Craft Show, now celebrating its 20th year. The show begins on Saturday, November 16, at 8 p.m. and continues on Sunday, November 17, 10:00 a.m.-–5:30 p.m. The juried show features hundreds of unique works in all price ranges, created by 50 artists – nearly half from Israel, the rest from the U.S. and Canada; they include many well-loved favorites along with a dozen entirely new to the show. [link]

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Indian Artist Neha Choksi, Explores Absence Through Presence

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Sei Chong

A still frame from Neha Choksi’s film "Iceboat," in which she rows a boat she crafted from ice, until it melts.

INDIA---For many artists, the creative process is about making something from nothing. But Neha Choksi seeks to do just the opposite: to make nothing out of something. “How do you form nothing? How do you perform absence?” Ms. Choksi, 39, said in an interview at her home in Mumbai. “These are all repeating questions.” To demonstrate absence in her art, Ms. Choksi remains very much present. In the name of her work, she has lost consciousness, fallen silent for 10 days and submerged herself in a lake. [link]

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Pope: Art Expresses the Beauty of Faith

ALETEIA

The Church calls upon the arts to give expression to the beauty of her faith, the Holy Father says.

VATICAN CITY---The creative arts help proclaim the gospel, explore the mysteries of Christian faith and reflect the quest for the “supreme beauty” found in God, Pope Francis has said. “In every age the Church has called upon the arts to give expression to the beauty of her faith and to proclaim the gospel message of the grandeur of God’s creation, the dignity of human beings made in his image and likeness, and the power of Christ’s death and resurrection to bring redemption and rebirth to a world touched by the tragedy of sin and death,” said Pope Francis on Oct. 19 at the Vatican. More information about the patron organization can be found on its website, www.vatican-patrons.org. [link]

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Saint Louis Art Museum Urges Visitors to Take a Religious Leap for it's 20th Anniversary

SAINT LOUIS BEACON
By Nancy Fowler

"Paranirvana" (1999-2012) by Lewis deSoto, installed at MOCRA in 2013.

MISSOURI---An invitation to cross thresholds into unfamiliar territory is the theme as Saint Louis University’s Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) marks two decades of existence. “Thresholds: MOCRA at 20” is a two-part exhibit reprising segments of previous shows dating back to the museum’s 1993 debut. Part One, open through Dec. 15, revisits MOCRA’s first 10 years. Works examining all religions and spiritual quests have always had a place at MOCRA. Founding director Terry Dempsey wants to continue and expand that diversity. “We’re trying to build a bridge among various faith traditions,” Dempsey said. [link]

Museum Of Contemporary Religious Art: "Thresholds: MOCRA at 20" (Part One ends Dec. 15); Saint Louis University, Saint Loius, MO; 221 N. Grand Blvd; (314) 977-7170; slu.edu/mocra

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Celebrating "Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead) in America

STORYTELLER | EITELJORG MUSEUM
By Linda Montag-Olson

Catrinas, one of the most popular figures of the
Day of the Dead celebrations at Mexico. Image courtesy of Wikipedia

INDIANA---On Saturday, Oct. 26, join us for the annual Day of the Dead celebration at the Eiteljorg. In Mexican-Christian culture, skulls, skeletons and marigolds are important elements of ofrendas (altars) created to honor and celebrate the lives of family, friends and ancestors who have passed on. Fresh foods, candles, photographs and personal items are also placed on the public and private ofrendas, to welcome the spirits' return for a brief restful visit on Nov. 2. This is the essence of Dia de los Muertos, a traditional Mexican holiday, with roots in Aztec culture and Catholic traditions.

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art: "Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead)"; Saturday, Oct. 26, 11-4pm; White River State Park, 500 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN; (317)636-WEST; eiteljorg.org

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Rihanna Asked to Leave Mosque in Abu Dhabi

ARTS BEAT | NYT
By Dave Itzkoff

Rihanna posed for a photo in front of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

ABU DHABI---Rihanna was asked to leave the site of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi after posing for photographs there over the weekend that the shrine’s overseers said had violated the “sanctity” of the site. In photos that Rihanna posted on her Instagram and Twitter accounts, she is seen posing at the mosque site, in the United Arab Emirates capital city. Though she is fully covered in the photographs, with only her face, hands and painted fingernails visible in some of the shots, these images drew some negative responses from online commenters, like one who responded with an obscene word, adding: “Leave our holy place and keep your filth away from it. We don’t need you.” [link]

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Books, Movies, Icons -- Art As Means Of Religious Conversion

THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE 
By Rod Dreher

Inferno Canto I, by William Blake, 1826-27

This summer, I was browsing the shelves at a Barnes & Noble, when I picked up Dante’s Inferno. Along the way, I’ve learned things about life, and about myself, that I did not know. I’ve also been writing in this space lately about how the Terrence Malick film To The Wonder has become such a powerful force in my spiritual life since I first watched it a couple of weeks ago. To admire the icons and the great masterpieces of Christian art in general, leads us on an inner way, a way of overcoming ourselves; thus in this purification of vision that is a purification of the heart, it reveals the beautiful to us, or at least a ray of it. Just as the I need less thinking and more silent prayer, the world needs less Christian argument, and more Christian art. [link]

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