Archive for the 'Interviews' Category
I first connected with Kate Shellnutt on Twitter (where she has two handles). I was very excited to be a part of her article “This Muslim-American life: Allah and the Arts,” which she wrote as a journalism student at Medill. Shellnutt has since graduated and now works on the Houston Chronicle’s religion page, where she continues to write on many of the topics which are most important to me. It was obvious that I had to formally interview here, and I think readers might find particular relevance and insight in her view of the role of religion reporters.
MW: Was there a particular experience or revelatory moment when you first decided covering religion was your passion?
KS: I don’t have a crazy story. I’ve wanted to be a journalist since I was little, and majored in journalism and religion in college (Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va.). I’ve spent most of my life very curious about religion and very concerned about religion, but without strong ties to a single tradition. Studying and covering religion has given me the opportunity to explore a spectrum of beliefs. I have the chance see how different people experience the sacred, which in the end, is the most magical, special, meaningful thing we get to do.
MW: What is a day in the life of a web producer and blogger for the Houston Chronicle’s religion site like?
KS: Several times a day, I check up on religion news online: blogs, mainstream sites, religion-specific sites, organization reports and releases. I look for stories to localize, get background information and note any trends. I meet with religious leaders and attend events in the area to cover on the site. I also manage our team of pastor and reader bloggers, offering suggestions and helping promote their work on the chron.com site. And, what seems to be my least-fun job, I patrol our forums and comments for hateful and offensive remarks.
MW: What are some of the unique challenges and opportunities for religion writers?
KS: If you’re a religion writer, in many ways, you are THE expert in the room on matters of faith. The average person, even among the educated, doesn’t have impressive levels of religion knowledge and rarely has any helpful knowledge outside of their own tradition. I see the role of religion journalists to encourage their newsrooms to consider the religion angle on all sorts of stories, because it’s often helpful and relevant, but not the obvious way to go. They can help organizations deepen their coverage of everyday topics. Just this week, I’ve found religion angles to stories about Texas football, national politics the weather and celebrity gossip. The audience for mainstream news includes a great number of people of faith, and we underserve them if we don’t consider this dimension of life in our coverage.
MW: How seriously do you think religion reporters are taking religious art? Do they tend to view it as a source for soft, feel-good stories, or are religion newsrooms seriously considering religious culture as potentially news?
KS: Just this morning Houston’s Belief section in the paper led with a religion and art story. This story, as a profile of a local church and its artwork, is more feature-like; it’s not merely fluff, but not incredibly in-depth, simply a local look. I think most religion and art stories you see are either like this or on the other end of the spectrum, the controversial piss-cross kind of stories. I’d like to see art and religion stories that better explain how the art relates to the tradition, rather than just pointing at the phenomenon, like “look at that, it’s Jewish/Muslim/Christian!”
MW: Do you think there has been a tendency lately to focus on the negative side of religious art in the press (Danish cartoons, chocolate Jesus, etc.)? If so, is that because religious artists aren’t pitching their stories well enough, or is it the fault of religious press?
KS: Yes. Controversy, juxtaposition, the unexpected certainly get more attention, but that’s the case with almost all news. People are still desperate to know and learn, but they don’t necessarily want to spend time with long essays that don’t draw them in from the start. Religion reporters, like all reporters, must consider the audience and present topics in exciting, creative ways that make people want to click and read.
MW: What are some of your favorite examples of religious art? Favorite religious artists?
KS: Ok, so I did do the mandatory European art history kind of course in college, and I’ve studied in Italy, touring the museums and churches in Rome and Florence… but that’s not really the kind of religious art that turns me on.
Rather than art that depicts religious events or is commissioned by a church or includes religious symbols, I like when artists create work in a way that reflects their religious tradition. I met an artist in Chicago who was inspired by her Jewish roots. Ellen Gradman (Twitter) makes large, multimedia colleges, sculptures and environments using found objects. In the creation of her work, she’s putting pieces together, acting out the Jewish notion of “tikkun olam,” which is a notion that Jews have the responsibility to serve the broken world they live in and rebuild it piece by piece. What a deep, and almost literal, way to put religion into action, I thought. Plus her work was beautiful! (I haven’t told her this, but even her little Twitter logo reminds me of the logo for Tikkun Daily.)
I first connected with Matt Poulton, founder and director of social marketing at www.Latterdailyart.com, on Twitter (his handle: @latterdailyart. You can read more about Latterdaily art on this page. Poulton stresses something that should be obvious, but I’ve added it just in case, “The answers I give below are my personal thoughts, beliefs, and feelings and do not in any way represent those of other LDS artists or the LDS Church in any way.”
MW: What was the inspiration for creating Latterdailyart.com?
MP: The inspiration to build and launch Latterdailyart.com is two-fold. While growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah, I worked for a very well respected commercial photographer by the name of Steve Tregeagle. I worked in his custom photo lab when I was a teenager and saw first-hand how hard he worked to deliver high quality photography for all of his clients. Steve is an artist who is extremely meticulous and is widely known for the quality of his work. The Graphics Department for the LDS Church came across Steve’s work and commissioned him to take a number of photos of LDS Temples. Over the years, Steve’s photos have appeared on Church postcards and posters, as well as in Church magazines and other Church literature. Needless to say, Steve has years of experience capturing gorgeous photographs of many of the Church’s temples and historical sites.
This experience as a young teenager, mixed with my love for religious art inspired me to build Latterdailyart.com. I feel the site has great potential in helping to discover many talented artists and photographers who just need a little extra help getting their work in front of the right audience. I hope that Latterdailyart.com will provide this much needed LDS Art community and spotlight.
MW: How do you define LDS art? Is there more to it than just art made by Mormons?
MP: Personally, I define LDS art as art that portrays the thoughts, feelings, history, and doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The LDS Church has a rich history of hardship, persecution, pioneer heritage, hard work, exodus, love, and commitment to God, country, and family.
But what constitutes LDS Church art? That itself is a somewhat complicated question since the LDS culture is world-wide and members come from more than 130 different countries. It includes photography and artwork of temples, landscapes, and portraits from cultures all over the world.
Does it have to deal exclusively with Church themes? Personally, I feel inspired spiritually when I see art of nature, cool landscapes, or influential people that have impacted the thoughts and beliefs of the world. Many such people either have belonged to the church or have ties with the church and should be recognized for their hard work and achievement through the medium of art.
MW: To what extent do LDS artists draw upon Old and New Testament narratives?
MP: The Old and New Testament narratives form a very important part of the foundation of LDS art. LDS artists have placed major emphasis on portraying God’s dealings with his ancient people in Jerusalem. Every aspect of the Savior Jesus Christ’s works have been displayed in LDS art. From the birth of the Baby Jesus to His glorious resurrection, LDS artists have captured these New Testament stories.
Well known LDS artists have painted the Savior in the temple as a young 12 year old boy speaking with the priests and teachers. They have captured His humble and submissive baptism by John the Baptist. His many miracles of teaching the people of Jerusalem, speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well, raising Lazarus from the dead, washing the feet of His apostles, standing and testifying before Pilate, being crucified on the cross, and finally appearing to his apostles as the glorified and resurrected Christ have all been beautifully displayed on the LDS canvas.
MW: Is most LDS art figurative, or is there also an abstract movement?
MP: The majority of LDS art is figurative. There are others though that choose to use abstract movement very effectively to communicate their messages. One such artist, Stephanie K. Northrup, uses abstract movement to capture the beauty of LDS beliefs in shapes and contours that demonstrate great spiritual emotion. Stephanie’s work may be found on her website.
MW: To what extent are non-Mormons expressing an interest in your site, and in LDS art in general?
MP: So far, we’ve received traffic from the LDS culture. We do hope for and invite all artists and photographers to participate in the art contest as we feel religious art shares many common themes regardless of any specific religious affiliation. We hope to further promote the talent of the LDS art culture, but we do invite all to participate on the site.
MW: Is Latterdailyart.com a full-time job for you, or is it something you do on the side?
MP: Currently, Latterdailyart.com is a very satisfying and fun side job for me. Aside from my love for the site and the LDS Art Contest, I work as a statistical analyst for a statistical modeling firm.
MW: You write a blog, and use Twitter, Facebook, Photobucket, and Flickr. Do you think there is a social/new media trend in the LDS community?
MP: Yes, there is a large social media trend in the LDS culture. There are hundreds of blogs written by members of the church and thousands of members participating in the major online media forums. The Church has made an official invitation to its members to get online and help others learn about our beliefs. We do so with great desires to share and also to learn about others’ cultures and beliefs. Some of my very close friends come from the Muslim religion/culture. We have a blast discussing the differing doctrines and religious cultures with which we have lived. These relationships have been deeply satisfying for me personally and I am grateful for all I’ve learned from my Muslim friends, their faith, and their religious art as it is some of the most detailed and gorgeous religious art in the world.
MW: Do you think there is a distinction between LDS art and LDS kitsch?
MP: Yes, I do think there is a distinction between the two. Obviously, mediocre LDS art can be found in many, many locations both on and offline, but there are some highly talented and educated LDS artists whose work (regardless of whether it be religious or not) should be recognized for its purity and sophistication.
MW: I see you are hiring a blogger. Is that position still open? If any readers are interested in applying, what do they need to know?
MP: Yes, the position for a blogger is still open. If readers are interested in learning more about the position, they can email us at jobs@latterdailyart.com. A strong background in art history, a love for creative writing, and an educated background in LDS/religious art are preferred.
Zoe Murdock is author of Torn by God: A Family’s Struggle with Polygamy (my review here). I first got in touch with Zoe on Twitter (follow her here). She mentions a lot of her bio and her Mormon upbringing in her answers that follow, so I won’t reproduce them here.
MW: Most of my readers know very little about Mormonism and have never been to Utah. What do you think are some of the misconceptions about Mormonism that should be cleared up from the start?
ZM: My first-hand knowledge of Mormonism is based on my childhood experience. I pretty much stopped attending church when I left home at 19. However, I did a fair amount of research while I was writing my novel, and I have read and thought a great deal about the LDS Church, and its various fundamentalist off-shoots, in recent years.
When I see Mormons represented in the media, or in film, or in programs like HBO’s Big Love, I recognize the image and the storyline, but it is almost always a limited and stereotypical view. The problem arises because Mormons are generally portrayed in the context of their past. Mormons today are a diverse group of individuals, much more so than in the past. I recently read that today only 12 percent of Mormons live in Utah, and less than half live in the United States. My novel, Torn by God: A Family’s Struggle with Polygamy takes place in the late 50s. Utah was much more homogeneous at that time, especially in a small town like the one I grew up in where very few people were non-Mormon.
I think the reason these stereotypes persist is because when it comes to the LDS Church, the past is much more interesting than the present, especially for today’s media which always looks for something titillating or controversial. The Church has been trying to move away from some of its more controversial originating doctrine. They have tried to play down the media’s incessant tendency to draw a connection between the mainstream Church and off-shoot groups such as the FLDS, but they can’t seem to escape the past. I think I know why. What we have is a modern day church trying to evolve. The problem is, they are trying to evolve away from doctrine (for example, polygamy) that were originally represented as coming directly from God. Polygamy was presented as an essential practice if a man was to reach the highest degree of heaven (in Mormon lingo, the Celestial Kingdom). Here’s a link to a site that covers Joseph Smith’s revelations regarding Celestial Marriageand polygamy.
I’ve heard they don’t talk about polygamy in Mormon Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School anymore. In fact, I’ve talked to a number of past members who became angry and disenchanted when they found out they’d been lied to about such things. For example, some grew up thinking that Joseph Smith had only one wife, Emma.
When I was a child, we knew all about polygamy. We knew it was practiced in the past, and we knew it would be practiced in the next life. But we also knew it was grounds for excommunication (and against the law) if you practiced it in this life. It was kind of an odd concept because we lived around people who practiced polygamy: the main enclave of the FLDS (Warren Jeffs’ group) was just up the road. We saw the FLDS kids as weirdos, and yet they represented our past and our future, so in that sense we were weirdos too. Even among good Church members, there seems to be some confusion as to what to believe, but most of them accept and live according to what the current prophet tells them. This issue of doctrine changing in the Mormon Church is central to my novel; the father, Michael, represents a member of the church awash in the confusion caused by the Church’s attempt to change.
If the LDS Church ever does overcome its polygamist past, they may become just another religion. If so, the Media may well lose interest in covering them to the extent that they now do. But then, there’s always their stand on homosexuality, which is bound to keep them in the news for some time.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Zoe Murdock, LDS, polygamy, religious fiction writing’
I “met” Clarke Scott (monk name Loden Jinpa, pictured above with HH Dalai Lama) on Twitter (follow him here). According to his website, Scott is a graduate student in philosophy at the University of Tasmania (Australia). His research areas include Madhyamaka philosophy, personal identity, epistemology, and philosophy of mind. Scott is a Buddhist monk ordained in the Tibetan tradition, and he has been studying with the Tibetan lama Geshe Thubten Loden at The Tibetan Buddhist Society meditation center in Melbourne Australia since 1995. Scott discussed the term “idolatry,” the intersection of new media and Buddhism, and the religious nature of Buddhist art.
MW: What does it mean to be a Buddhist monk ordained in the Tibetan tradition?
CS: It means to hold the 253 vows of a fully-ordained Buddhist monk. It means to be part of the oldest monastic tradition in the world. One that is very much alive and practiced to this very day. It means to take seriously the claims of the Buddha but to investigate these claims via experience and meditation, and just like in science, these experiments must be repeatable by any individual that performs the same meditations.
Therefore, I believe Buddhism is not simply a religious doctrine founded by a long-dead ancient culture with little connection to contemporary life. I would claim it is the investigation and articulation of natural laws. I would also suggest that at its core it is not mysticism, but rather empirical data garnered through investigation into such things as the nature of mind.
MW: What are some of the unique aspects of being a Buddhist in Australia?
CS: Generally speaking Australia is a very open country. Its people are open minded and respectful of other traditions, as Australia was born out of immigration.
So, I don’t think there is anything unique about being Buddhist in Australia. Although, teaching kangaroos to meditate has worked out to be very difficult.
MW: I see that you are very active on a variety of social media sites. Many Americans no doubt think of technology as antithetical to Buddhism. What’s wrong with that way of thinking?
CS: Anyone who thinks that Buddhism and technology cannot co-exist does not understand Buddhism. Technology is merely a tool for communication, improving the lives of millions of people. Who would be against that? The Buddha taught that all living beings have a natural disposition to seek happiness and the wish to avoid even the slightest suffering. Not only that, he said we also have the right to be happy. It is not selfish to want happiness. Unfortunately we sometimes employ erroneous methods thinking that happiness will be found in things and events. In this sense technology can sometimes get in the way of spiritual development, but it is not inherently like that — we make it like that.
MW: Many pastors, imams, and rabbis refer to Buddhist sculptures as idolatry in their sermons. Are they right in assuming that sculptures of Buddha are worshiped? How do you respond to that use of the term “idolatry”?
CS: With all due respect, it seems to me to be the other way round. In fact, the Buddha himself warned his followers not to take his words literally, simply out of mere respect, but to analyze what he had to say, to test his words, to investigate them for oneself. Even then if his experience does not makes yours, it is up to you whether you accept or reject his teachings.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Clarke Scott (Loden Jinpa), Buddhist monk’
Rabbi Yisrael Pinson is director of the Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House in West Bloomfield, Mich. Since joining the Friendship House, he has helped create a local Jewish Recovery Community (and here) where recovering addicts are helped through support, guidance, friendship, and community. Rabbi Yisrael facilitates Jewish Recovery meetings, where recovering addicts from all 12-step programs meet and share regularly. He also teaches classes on Judaism & Recovery. I first encountered him on Twitter (follow him here).
MW: Do you think there is a such thing as Jewish art per se? Why?
YP: I think that when people say Jewish Art they can be referring to the following:
- Art created by Jewish people, but that doesn’t necessarily have any Jewish theme to it.
- Art that depicts Jewish objects of figures, but not necessarily created by a Jewish artist.
- Art that is inspired by Jewish beliefs and Torah teaching.
To me the first two are art that incidentally happens to be related to a Jewish person or item. I believe that certain art is derived and inspired from Jewish values. I would call that Jewish Art.
MW: Who are your favorite Jewish artists?
YP: I don’t have any. The only art that I seek out, is the art of song. I really enjoy old Chassidic melodies.
MW: Is it your sense that Chabad in particular, and Chassidim in general, tend to be more supportive of the arts than their mitnaged peers? To what extent is it your understanding that the Rebbe supported the arts?
YP: I would like to believe that Chassidism allows for the expression of the emotions more than other groups. If we look at art as the expression of the soul, it will make sense that Chassidic leaders showed great interest in the art of song, and some in the art of painting. The previous Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitschak Shneersohn, recounts a particular episode when he visited Vienna with his father, the Rebbe RaShaB, and his father spent hours in the museum looking at paintings of Raphael. There are Chassidic stories that recall the time they went together to a concert hall to attend a philharmonic performance.
MW: Does idolatry still exist today? Are there things you would not hang on your wall for fear that they violated the second commandment?
YP: Idolatry is alive… Have you ever visited India or Thailand? People still worship all kinds of gods, and really believe that certain inert objects have power over them. For the record I don’t have FEAR of violating any of the commandments… I believe that have a different relationship with G-d… I try my best not to transgress any of the 613 commandments, including the one prohibiting idolatry. I wouldn’t have any kind of statues in my house.
MW: Would you enter a church or another non-Jewish place of worship to see art? Is it permissible for Jews to enjoy art of other faiths?
YP: It is prohibited to enjoy or benefit from anything that is related to idolatry, including the joy of art.
MW: Can painting constitute a mitzvah and/or prayer? Could it ever replace formal prayer with a siddur and a minyan, or would it have to be in conjunction with that?
YP: Painting can be a from of spiritual expression, if it has a purpose of bringing more G-dliness into the world. It cannot replace a formal prayer that we are obligated to recite, but can definitely supplement it. That doesn’t prevent anyone to pray to G-d on his own, using any form of expression that is not prohibited in the Torah. At times I connect by singing a melody, sometimes I read a chapter of Psalm. Prayer is the act of connecting, and I believe we can connect beyond the required readings.
MW: Chabad is perhaps the Jewish community that most engages in outreach to non-observant Jews. Do you think art can play a role in this outreach, whether to less connected Jews or to a larger non-Jewish public?
YP: Absolutely. The Rebbe always encouraged artists to utilize their talent and influence to reach out to people that would otherwise not been exposed.
MW: Since this conversation originated on Twitter, who are the most important Jewish voices on Twitter in your estimation?
YP: I haven’t seen enough original Jewish thought emerge from Twitter yet. For now we see a lot of the bloggers, and old media that utilize Twitter to promote their material. I like @JewishTweets it encourages followers to take actions in their Judaism in an original way.
According to her website, Nadia Janjua’s art draws from her faith. “One day after prayer, while I was making supplication, I became distracted by my hands, and how multi-colored they were,” she writes, “these were the hands that Allah had given me: dark under the nails, brown on the outside, white on the inside, and a blended line of distinction down the profile of my hand.” I first came across Nadia on Twitter (follow her @njARTitectr), and here is the result of our conversation…
MW: You talk in your bio about artists’ capacity to use their hands to create with Allah’s will. Does this mean you identify as a Muslim artist? What does that term mean to you?
NJ: I identify as an Artist, who happens to be a Muslim, an American, a Pakistani, a Kashmiri. My faith and religion are an indistinct part of everything I do, and I don’t feel I need to categorize myself as a particular type of Artist because of that.
I have a broad interpretation of the term “Muslim Artist,” or “Islamic Artist,” which relates more to my ideas of what exactly “Islamic Art” is. As an initial clarification, “Islamic” cannot be used in the same way as “Christian” in Christian Art, or “Buddhist” in Buddhist Art, for historically it’s always transgressed ethnic and geographical bounds. It was more so about culture, then religion. For me, the term “Muslim Artist” really implies a certain relationship between human and his/her surroundings.
In my statement about artists’ capacity to use their hands to create, “with Allah’s will,” I meant to emphasize the latter part of that statement: “with Allah’s will.” While we are the vessels through which the physical creation of art occurs, I wanted to make the distinction that in my belief, only God can ultimately create, and give us the ability to create inanimate work (inanimate in a biological sense, not spiritual).
MW: There are quotes (I believe from Hadith) about the Prophet condemning artists to the fire. How do you respond to these verses, particularly as an artist who works in a naturalistic mode some of the time?
NJ: Well, there are a few clarifications I’d like to make first. Muslims believe the Prophet Mohamad (peace be upon him) to be a messenger sent to humankind by God, needless to say, similar to Prophet Jesus, Moses, and Joseph (peace by upon them all), for example. The Prophets did not condemn anyone to hellfire; they communicated prohibitions or theological pronouncements to humankind through God’s revelations.
Traditionally, Islamic Art attempts to display Divine beauty by detaching that beauty from this world, basically, from things that figurative art attempts to represent. There is an abstract nature to it and it represent ideas, rather than objects. The Prophet’s prohibition of making images had to do with forbidding the practice in pre-Islamic and early Islamic times of worshiping these images, forms, and idols. In Islam, there is no space for worship of anyone as a partner to God.
Nothing about art has ever been literal or straightforward; it is its inherent nature. At best, I will say Islamic art, or the view of art in Islam, for Muslims, is that it’s neither tangible nor spiritual, it is something in between. It attempts to represent a vision of God’s presence in the world, simultaneous with His incomparability to anything in this world. In essence beauty is always to be connected with the Ultimate One who Created it.
Continue reading ‘10 questions for Nadia Janjua: artist, arch. designer’
Part I; Part II. Rev. Gerald R. Johns Jr. is pastor of Providence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Per his website, he received a B.A. from Southwestern College and an M.Div. from Texas Christian University. You can follow him on Twitter, where I first “met” him, @JerryJohns.
MW: There have been some recent controversies in which Christ has been depicted in chocolate [my interview with the artist Cosimo Cavallaro] and earlier with animal and human excrement. To what extent do you think artists — whether Christian or not — should be required to treat Jesus respectfully in their art?
GRJ: I can’t imagine why anyone would be required to produce art within parameters. Artists should by nature freely express. While many may not find the art to be in good taste I don’t think art should be limited. Whether or not someone chooses to purchase it or display it is up to them. In a sense artists paint, sculpt, draw, and create in order to be appreciated by an audience. If what they produce does not inspire an audience then so be it.
I suppose another area of controversy generated around this type of art has been whether the National Endowment for the Arts ought to be funding such projects. That is going to depend on who is on the granting board for the NEA. It is their best judgment whether the art evokes something, will garner a following or makes an important statement or breaks a boundary that is revolutionary. (I think there is more to be said on this, and would be glad to follow up more.)
MW: You recently joined Twitter, where you join quite a large number of ministers, priests, and pastors using social media. Why do you think Christian leaders are embracing new media at a much quicker rate than other religious leaders?
GRJ: The evangelical churches that brought the church into the 21st century in relation to media are probably leading the way. They saw some years ago that introducing media into worship would draw people. There are lots and lots of folks in the pews who eschew technology in their homes and certainly in their worship. I would also say that ministers are relational and community-oriented. We don’t have lots of opportunities to gather and talk about our parishes and leadership and stewardship and frustrations. Add to that the people we knew in school are mostly scattered around the country and Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn become for us a tool for interaction with one another. Most of the Pastors I know are looking for ways to build community, to reach young people and they are not afraid of technology. Social Media does raise concern among Pastors because it offers opportunities for predators to locate and take advantage of people who have low esteem.
For part one, see here. Rev. Gerald R. Johns Jr. is pastor of Providence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Per his website, he received a B.A. from Southwestern College and an M.Div. from Texas Christian University. You can follow him on Twitter, where I first “met” him, @JerryJohns.
MW: It seems like some Christians point to St. Luke drawing the Virgin while guided by an angel as not only permission to create sacred art, but also an encouragement to do so, while others adopt a more let’s say minimalist approach to religious culture. Is it simply a question of a debate over whether that episode occurred?
GRJ: I don’t know that I have enough information to give an answer to this question.
MW: To what extent do some churches downplay the visual arts for political reasons (like distancing themselves from Catholic churches)?
GRJ: It’s hard for me to answer this one because of my perspective. I have been on the progressive side of the church since I was baptized. I could speculate and say that in the free church movement in the United States there is a definite Catholic “backlash.” Part of my religious heritage includes exposure to the A Capella Church of Christ. There are some, not all, in that movement who believe that the Catholic Church is a cult. I have heard that line of thinking in many places. So, I could speculate about art and say that in those traditions where Catholicism is anathema, those who are career artists would likely stay away from the sorts of sacred art which are prominent in the history of the Catholic faith. It seems to me — but again this could be because of my perspective — that religious art these days is not sacred art in the way we think about classic art. Religious art, it seems to me, is more about the person of Jesus and depictions of him that would show his power for salvation or over demonic forces.
MW: Who are your favorite Christian artists? Do you think there is a such thing as Christian art per se?
GRJ: Never thought about this before. I tend not to see the world in terms of Christian/ non-Christian. I don’t patronize businesses based on whether they display a fish or not. So, I don’t know that I have ever considered who my favorite Christian artist is. I will say that French impressionism touches me and so does the art of Native Americans.
MW: To what extent did Texas Christian University address Christian art?
GRJ: I was at Brite Divinity School which is a part of TCU. The school offered a class titled, “The Intersection of Art and Theology.” It was a truly wonderful experience to be in that class. I live in Lexington, Kentucky, now, and Lexington Theological Seminary is located here. They have intentionally filled the building with art. It may be sacred and it may not. There are quilts and prints and lithos. A wonderful idea that makes the space more interesting.
MW: Can art-making ever overlap with prayer? Could it ever be a substitution for communal prayer?
GRJ: There has been a surge in using the potter’s wheel as a prayer tool over the past generation. I have attended large assemblies where the wheel was placed in the room and a potter was making art while worship was occurring. At our regional assemblies in KY we are blessed with a couple who use art as a prayer form during worship. They progressively paint on a blank sheet that is back lit during the assemblies. It may not so much substitute for public prayer as it might enhance it. Then again, maybe the making of art can become itself a community prayer. Why not.
Part three to follow.
I connected with Yoram (LinkedIn) via the Consulate’s Twitter handle. According to a bio on the Consulate’s site, Morad joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992, after graduating from Tel Aviv University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, cinema, and communications. He previously served as head of the cinema section in the Ministry and as cultural attache for the Israeli Embassy in Rome.
MW: To what extent is it important for Israeli artists to serve their country through cultural diplomacy? How well is Israeli art received on the global, cultural stage?
YM: There are artists who are happy to know that their success helps people to get to know Israel better, some who do not care about it and some who are in between.
A week ago, an important person from one of the leading artistic agencies in the U.S.A. told me that “these are good times to be an Israeli artist in America.” I tend to believe her.
MW: Is all Israeli art Jewish necessarily? If not, why not?
YM: In my opinion, since Israel is the “Jewish State,” all Israeli art is Jewish or at least relevant to the Jewish cultural dialogue. Even Israeli art made by non-Jewish artists.
MW: Who are some of the most important Israeli painters working today?
YM: Visual artists - Michal Rovner, Guy Ben Ner, Sigalit Landau, Nachum Tevet, Yaacov Agam, [Yigal] Tomarkin, [Menashe] Kadishman, Yigal Ozery…..
MW: What are the most important venues for showing Israeli art in America?
YM: MoMA, PS1, Hirshhorn Museum in Washington…. In short, the major museums and galleries in America
MW: In what ways is Israeli art unique?
YM: It’s cutting edge art, dealing with “local” conflicts that are becoming “universal” like immigration etc., breaking boundaries, creative, multicultural, courageous, not restricted to one style or “dogma” and a fusion of different cultures and styles.
MW: Aliza Olmert is a very talented photographer (whose photos of eggshells I reviewed when it was shown at Hebrew Union College about 5 years ago). How, if at all, did she impact Israeli art when her husband was prime minister?
YM: She has minimized her exposure to the minimum possible.
MW: To what extent is contemporary Israeli art connected to a longer tradition of Jewish art, and to what extent is it something new?
YM: An Israeli artist – Ofri Can’ani, who is currently working in N.Y., can give a two hour lecture on the subject. I will just say that at its inception Israeli art defined itself as “anything but Jewish.” They wanted to give “the new Hebrews” a new kind of culture. Today, more and more Israeli contemporary artists are turning to our Jewish culture and tradition as a source of inspiration, and relate to it in many levels – from secular adaptations of Bible stories to a more spiritual, philosophical artistic dialogue with it.
Image: Yoram Morad, Israeli cultural attaché. AICF.
I first encountered “Peter Lamb” on Twitter (follow him @peterlamb), where his bio reveals that he is based in Texas and is “Founder of LambCreek [website] — Christian graphic design services, lover of Christ, married to my sweetie for 30+ years, my favorite 3 letter word is Dad.” I normally write a bit more of an introduction, but Peter provided his own, so I will let him speak for himself. I have only edited lightly for style.
PL: Let me say at the outset that I like these questions. They are exactly the kind of heart issues Christian creative types ought to be wrestling through. I will endeavor to answer each as honestly as I can. You are correct. I don’t like tooting my own horn. But sometimes it is necessary to explain background in order to understand the context from which one shares. I have 30+ years in the advertising and graphic design world. At four very different advertising agencies I served as an art director and creative director. Interspersed in the middle, I have had two graphic design firms. My current firm LambCreek focuses on the “Christian market” for some very pragmatic reasons. I am still vice president and creative director at an advertising agency by day. By using a pseudonym (Peter Lamb) and serving the Christian market, I can freelance with integrity and not be in conflict with my “day job.” I am unable to show huge bodies of my agency work from the past 10 years due to conflicts of interest. How’s that for transparency?
MW: According to your Twitter bio, LambCreek is a “Christian graphic design service.” Graphic design often has a lot to do with marketing and self-promotion. Doesn’t that often clash with Christian ideals of humility and moderation?
PL: Graphic design does have a lot of self promotion in it. Truth be known so do all creative arts. Show me one artist of any kind that doesn’t use self promotion in some way. It may be as simple as hanging your work in a gallery or putting it up on a website. Isn’t that a form of self-promotion? It’s just more “artfully” acceptable in some circles.
Ah, but the sticking point to your question is how to promote yourself with humility and moderation? Hope I don’t get too “out-there” for some of you.
To walk in those two very narrow paths, one must have a sure footing of faith in God that He has made you and called you to do what you do. Secondly, one must learn to walk in His Spirit. By that I mean, it is a relationship with Him. He doesn’t often lead you to do the same thing exactly the same way twice.
You see we have a false idea of what true humility really is. I once heard true humility defined as being like a powerful racehorse that is so attuned to its master’s direction, it will turn or stop with the slightest pressure of the ride’’s leg.
So with that kind of “humility” before Him, an ear to His leading, and the assurance that He has made you and called you to do what you do keeps one straying too far, or for too long into the morass of chest pounding self promotion bravado.
It is also worth stating quickly here that I have found when I do too much self-promotion, it is often rooted in fear and not faith. For example I am a self confessed SEO junkie. Grasping for that “golden three at the top of Google” can be a highly addictive form of self promotion. It is not bad in and of itself, but too much is impulsive and not faith driven. At those times, one forgets that He will take care of me if I will only trust Him. What I often tell clients is true for self promotion as well — “with God all He needs sometimes is a ’stick’ wielded by hands of faith.”
Lastly, the best and most Godly form of promotion is found in Proverbs 27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”
As for the amount of self promotion I intend to do this year — My personal desire is to do a whole bunch less push of me and a whole bunch more of encouraging others. Then let God bring the increase.
MW: What are some of the unique challenges that face Christian designers?
PL: We for the most part are imitators of the style and trends around us. This is not necessarily bad when one does what they do as “communication” through design, where the message supersedes the medium in importance. But as Christian artists, more often than not, we are really boring and mediocre in our work. Granted, some of this is budget driven. Some is laziness.
Some is that the Christian market itself can be way behind in styles and tastes. This can be tough on designers whose whole bent is originality.
Continue reading ‘INTERVIEW: Peter Lamb, Christian graphic designer’
Gary Susman (LinkedIn page, Twitter handle, and Facebook page) is an editor, writer, and critic, who served most recently as senior writer at Entertainment Weekly. He has contributed to the Village Voice, The Guardian (UK), MSNBC Online, College Music Journal, Rough Cut Online, Mr. Showbiz, and People Magazine, and he has interviewed more than 500 of the “top names in the arts and entertainment” for some of his thousands of articles, both print and online. Somehow, he also finds the time to blog at Pop Culture Warrior. I noticed on Gary’s LinkedIn page that he is a member of a group for Harvard Jewish alumni, which inspired me to reach out to him for this interview. I had also seen his byline many times before, as I’m sure many of you have as well. We talked about the future of art journalism, censorship, and what the secular arts community thinks about religious art.
MW: You have 20 years of experience writing on the arts, and are a member of the LinkedIn group for Harvard Jewish alumni group. To what extent do you put the two together and write about Jewish art?
GS: It’s not something I go out of my way to do, but when an assignment comes my way, I’m happy to take it on. For a few years, when I was living in Boston, I regularly covered the Boston Jewish Film Festival as part of my film beat at the Boston Phoenix.
MW: Do you think there is any such thing as Jewish art? If so, what does it entail?
GS: Certainly, there’s Jewish art, if you’re talking about content of specific interest to Jews. If you’re asking if there’s a Jewish aesthetic, well, that’s a lot harder to say. If there is, it’s easier to identify in literature (drawing on, say, Talmudic inspiration) or comedy writing/ performance (a stylistic line that can be drawn back through Catskill comics to wedding tummlers) or music (such as klezmer) than in visual arts.
Movies present an especially difficult case. Neal Gabler’s book about how the Jews invented Hollywood suggests an auteurist aesthetic that belongs not to the writers or directors but to the studio moguls, but that aesthetic is one of self-negation, as the Jewish moguls went out of their way most of the time to avoid specifically Jewish content (lest they call attention to themselves as Jews) and foster instead an ideology of assimilation into what they perceived as white/Christian-American virtues and aspirations. (Even an early movie as overtly Jewish as “The Jazz Singer” is more about assimilation, show business, and the general immigrant experience than about the particulars of Jewish life in America.) J. Hoberman wrote a fine book about Yiddish-language cinema, which, as produced in America before WWII, followed similar tropes as Hollywood movies despite a different cultural context (much as African-American independent film, made by such filmmakers as Oscar Micheaux, did in those same years). Today in Hollywood, Jewish filmmakers are free to wear their Jewishness on their sleeves as a cultural badge, but does that make, say, Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up” any more of a Jewish film than “The Jazz Singer”? As I said, a lot to explore here, much of it murky.
MW: Many have noted that Jews seem to be over-represented in the arts. Do you think there is anything to that claim?
GS: What do you mean by “over-represented”? Too many? Who’s to say how many is too many? Certainly, Jews are represented out of proportion to their numbers in the populace as a whole, much as they are in law, accounting, medicine, and other professions whose prerequisites of advanced education mesh with the Jewish cultural emphasis on learning. I imagine art’s potential to allow the artist self-reinvention (or self-concealment) also appeals to Jews navigating the perils and benefits of assimilation.
Continue reading ‘9 questions for Gary Susman, arts journalist, editor’
This is the fourth installment in a series. See parts three, two, and one. I posted the following question on LinkedIn: “Boston College recently introduced religious art into its classrooms. To what extent should religious art be allowed in the workplace? Do you have religious art in your office/workspace? If so, what kind? Do you support its presence at work, or is it offensive?” Jack Siegeli s the owner of Dankev Environmental, which is “a Marietta Georgia based consulting firm designed primarily to provide a cost-effective environmental solutions to local and national clients.” Jack is a licensed professional geologist with over 15 years of environmental consulting experience. Connect with him on LinkedIn here and check out his blog here. His response is below.
Jack Siegel: Art is art … sometimes it offends, other times it pleases. I went to a liberal arts college. My English 102 class used the Bible as “Historical Narrative” and my art history class spent a great deal of time on Renaissance artists that all they produced were religious works. I think Steve said it best, it really depends on the kind of business and the culture of the staff. If you put the art up for art’s sake there shouldn’t be a problem. However, if it looks like, “conversions down the hall,” you may want to rethink it.
This is the third installment in a series. See parts two and one. I posted the following question on LinkedIn: “Boston College recently introduced religious art into its classrooms. To what extent should religious art be allowed in the workplace? Do you have religious art in your office/workspace? If so, what kind? Do you support its presence at work, or is it offensive?” This response comes from Alex (who asked that the last name and affiliation be withheld). All that I will add is Alex holds a JD from a prominent law school.
Alex first wrote:
I would like to point out that “Boston College is one of the oldest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States.” U.S. News and World Report ranks Boston College 34th among national universities and BC welcome page. As such, introduction of the religious art in the classroom is quite appropriate.
I replied asking why Alex thought so many people were still opposing the introduction of crucifixions despite the school’s Catholic identity. Here’s Alex’s second reply:
The main reason why I think the religious art in the educational institutions that have strong religious affiliation, such as Boston College is appropriate is: Their affiliation with the religious establishment is clearly communicated to the visitors and potential employees. Therefore, a reasonable person should expect that there will be religious references displayed throughout out the facilities. As such, it is the visitor’s or a potential employee’s choice to visit or affiliate himself/herself with the institution. This is true, as long as, these institutions do not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of l964 that prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion in hiring, firing, and other terms and conditions of employment, or is determined to fall under Religious Organization Exception.
Please note that I did not do sufficient research on whether or not the aforementioned institutions fall under the exception. Also, please note that I am a strong advocate of the First Amendment Right of Free Exercise AND Establishment clauses.
Rev. Gerald R. Johns Jr. is pastor of Providence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Per his website, he received a B.A. from Southwestern College and an M.Div. from Texas Christian University. You can follow him on Twitter, where I first “met” him, @JerryJohns. Below is the first question I asked him in my interview, and the other responses will be forthcoming.
MW: From the pictures on the church website, Providence Christian looks like a fairly standard building architecturally, and there doesn’t seem to be any artwork hanging inside on the fairly bare-looking walls. What role do the arts play for the Disciples of Christ?
GRJ: Providence is an almost brand new building. We moved in in Nov. 2007. We moved from the historic building and location in Aug. 2006. The congregation tends to look back rather than forward. It’s a trend I have unsuccessfully tried to alter. The art in the old building was very old. There was a white, blonde Jesus knocking at the door and a portrait of the same sort of Jesus that was so large it could scare you. To have bare walls at the new building so far is a victory (small, but significant).
The walls in my office contain a watercolor of my home city of Tulsa and two Monet prints (plus my very impressive diplomas 8-) ). I don’t believe the people at Providence think very much about art in the building. That is probably true of many Disciples churches. However, all of our seminaries are adorned with fantastic art.
At Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, the structure itself is artistic. There is an intentional curriculum that combines art and theology. At Lexington Theological Seminary the walls are covered in art. There are few blank spaces. This was an intentional project started about 15 or so years ago. At Regional and General Assemblies the visual aspects of worship are as emphasized as the spoken aspects. Another thing about Providence itself related to this, we have done a big musical production every year for the past 15 years. Our music is traditional and we from time to time have instrumentalists from the local philharmonic bring additional music to worship.
And finally, we try to be more dramatic in the presentation of the scriptures during Lent and Easter. And finally with the standard architecture, yes, it is fairly standard. When designing the building we were looking to maximize the amount of space we could build. Design and creativity took a backseat. It makes me sad that we couldn’t do something more architecturally significant with the design.
Hillary Fisher is assistant director of the Janice Charach Gallery at the JCC of Metropolitan Detroit in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Hillary tweets for the JCG (Twitter handle CharachGallery), which is how I first “met” her. Hillary discussed the impact of the current economy on Jewish arts institutions, new media trends in the gallery world, and which emerging Jewish artists are worth watching.
MW: According to the gallery’s website, it hosts exhibit of both Jewish art and art made by Jews. What is “Jewish art” if it entails more than simply a Jewish maker?
HF: A non Jew has the potential to exhibit in our gallery if he/she creates art that has a visible Jewish theme in their work. For instance, we had an exhibit which featured world renowned artist Romero Britto [site]. He isn’t Jewish, however he had donated a very generous amount of money to the Maccabi games which were held in Detroit as well as had Jewish-themed art which included a ketubah. A Jewish artist doesn’t have to have a Jewish theme to their work to show in our gallery.
MW: I see that the gallery is endowed by Manny and Natalie Charach. Who are they, and why are they so supportive of Jewish art?
HF: The Janice Charach Gallery is endowed by Janice’s parents, Manny and Natalie Charach. Janice, who had embraced her Judaism, was talented and award winning artist who lost her battle with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1989. It was Janice’s dream to be able to have a place to support young artists and after she passed away, her parents made her dream come true. In 2008 we celebrated the gallery’s Chai year (18). It was truly an amazing year.
MW: The gallery director, Terri Stearn, seems to have recently launched a blog, and you are on Twitter. Do you have a sense of whether similar galleries are equally plugged in? Who are the most important bloggers and Twitterers who are talking about Jewish art?
HF: Most galleries have started embracing social media networking. We have recently jumped on the bandwagon. Both Terri and I have found that most galleries are blogging, on Twitter, Facebook, Flicker, etc. We are finding that social media networking is a great way to reach out to communities beyond our own. We can see what other galleries are up to, exchange ideas and build relationships and support those in the art world. We have so much to learn and tweak a little to get our name out there even more. The Brooklyn Museum [Twitter] has been very inspiring to us in terms of social media networking as well as the Magnes Museum [Twitter].
MW: How, if at all, does the gallery differ from other JCC galleries?
HF: Our gallery is 8,000 sq ft expanding on two levels, is the venue for a dynamic roster of changing exhibitions and educational activities. Specifically designed and built as an addition to the JCC, this state of the art facility is committed to the advancement of Jewish themes and artists, uniquely providing opportunities for emerging artists as well as internationally celebrated artists. Our calendar also includes art classes for all ages, and lectures by guest artists.
Continue reading ‘15 questions for Hillary Fisher, assistant director, Janice Charach Gallery’
Wendy Rosenfield is very active (in a good way) on Twitter (follow her here), where I first got in touch with her. She writes the blog Drama Queen (”covering drama, onstage and off”) at ArtsJournal, writes freelance arts and lifestyle features and is a theater critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer (columns here), and was previously the chief theater critic for the Philadelphia Weekly. She took me to task (correctly) for my misconceptions about journalists and new media, addressed her start at PW’s copy desk, admitted to favoring non-Jewish theater people, and took pride in the (mis)perception that Jews run the theater. I tried to provide Wiki pages for her references that might be new to non-Hebrew-speaking readers, but frankly she had too many references for me to keep up; readers are just going to have to do their own Wiki searches for the latter references.
MW: You have All About Jewish Theater listed on your blogroll for Drama Queen, you don’t post on weekends, and you brought your mother to “25 Questions for a Jewish Mother.” Am I right to assume you are Jewish?
WR: I’m so Jewish I’m already in the midst of planning my daughter’s 2011 bat mitzvah.
MW: You wrote a post last April on the pre-Arts Journal iteration of Drama Queen on “The Sadistic Seder,” in which you advocated (amongst other things) using a “Bag of Plagues” and squirting fake blood on the guests. Is Passover an opportunity to incorporate theater into religious experience?
WR: Every Jewish holiday offers an opportunity to incorporate theater. Obviously, the seder lends itself particularly well to drama — put four glasses of wine together with a mildly controversial hagaddah and an unpredictable uncle, and you’ve got the greatest show on earth. There’s also Purim, which is basically a drunken Jewish Halloween. The ritual of the tashlich ceremony, where you throw bread in the water at Rosh Hashanah, is dramatic because the weather’s always different, and your burden might be heavier or lighter from year to year. Chanukah has a thrilling back story, even Tu B’shevat is a great excuse for a staged reading of The Lorax. I’d say just about every holiday other than Yom Kippur is good for some dramatic fun, though even that one can get pretty Pinteresque by around 4 p.m.
MW: You are pretty plugged in for a writer at such a mainstream publication as the Inquirer (you even guest posted on The Critical Condition, where you included no fewer than 10 Twitter handles in one post). What drew you to new media? Do you ever get depressed when you see responses to your work on Twitter, blogs, Facebook, or elsewhere?
WR: Actually, I find it more depressing that that’s your impression of the newspaper business — I mean, their job is to communicate, and it’s criminal that they’re not leading the charge in finding and adopting new ways to do so. I was awarded an NEA fellowship in Theater and Musical Theater at USC last year, and it really opened my eyes to the possibilities and importance of new media in arts writing. I love that readers can now respond and I can respond back. Before, as a critic, I’d send in whatever I wrote, and that would pretty much be the end of it. Now I get a sense of how people feel about the issues onstage, whether they agree or disagree with my assessments and why. And I love that theater criticism has the opportunity to be a constantly mutating conversation instead of something handed down from above and left to ossify on a pedestal. Theater is a live art form, and discussions about it should do it the honor of being just as lively.
Continue reading ‘10 questions for Wendy Rosenfield, blogger @ ArtsJournal, theater critic @ Philadelphia Inquirer’
I recently posted the following question on LinkedIn: “Boston College recently introduced religious art into its classrooms. To what extent should religious art be allowed in the workplace? Do you have religious art in your office/workspace? If so, what kind? Do you support its presence at work, or is it offensive?” This is part two; see part one here.
Here’s a response from Patrick Fitzgerald, a graduate of the computer and network support technician program at Humber College, who is (here comes the shout out) looking for a job as a computer technician, network administrator, or web developer (get in touch with him to schedule an interview via his LinkedIn profile).
Here’s what Patrick had to say in response to my question:
I figure if it is a person’s own office, they should be permitted to put whatever art they feel like in there. Within reason of course. As others have said some things may be far too graphic or obscene for some clients and/or other employees. Some people consider Michelangelo’s David to be pornographic. Others might view a picture of Jesus with a crown of thorns dragging their cross depicted in a painting as overly violent. Etc…
I figure as long as it is decent and respectable that it is perfectly fine to display. Although in a school (I’m assuming it is not a Catholic/Religious College) I would say it might be pushing it a bit as people are there to learn and not be preached to directly or indirectly (unless they take a class about religions hehe). Another part where they may be in trouble is if they are publicly funded in which case the typical expectations of the separation of the church and state may be expected.
More responses to follow.
I recently posted the following question on LinkedIn: “Boston College recently introduced religious art into its classrooms. To what extent should religious art be allowed in the workplace? Do you have religious art in your office/workspace? If so, what kind? Do you support its presence at work, or is it offensive?”
Here’s a great response which I received from Steve Mattero (LinkedIn profile), president at Dezine Line Screen Printing, Embroidery and Promotional Products. Steve gave me permission to post his answers and to edit them for style.
This may get fun, but let’s go anyway. The short answer is whose business is it, who signs the checks, etc. It is a free country, and this isn’t regulated in a private business, but you do need discernment.
I think if the art is from a classic artist, like a realist painter depicting a famous religious scene, that is fine. The history of our nation is Judeo-Christian, so anything related to the bible should be fine. Anything that is derogatory in nature toward any religion is out. Also, guidelines should be established about what would be offensive to some. The art in the office will be a reflection of the business. I have the Ten Commandments on my wall, in my office. If people are Christian, they say “Good to see that,” if not they may write me off as a Holy Roller, but as long as the prices are right, it’s not an issue.
In a generic environment the art should be tasteful, but not radical. A picture of Jesus beaten and bloody on the cross may be fine for a pastor’s office, not a business hallway. Some may not want a picture of Jesus because the bible doesn’t have a picture of Him, and it says not to make any “graven” image of Him. I don’t have a problem so much, some may.
Other religious art that is done well should be acceptable. Mormons have a statue of Cain and Abel in their town square. I don’t agree with them, but I would be fine with it from an art standpoint if it was good. I may not want a picture of anything from an Eastern religion. Even if it is wrong to stereotype, people do. ( I didn’t even like the cover of “Dark Horse” by George Harrison because he had this blue guy from his Hare Krishna faith. That’s just me.)
[Steve later clarified: “I believe it is a statue of Cain, and his sacrifice to God. The significance of this is that they seem to endorse the offering that God found unacceptable, since no blood was involved. I don’t support it theologically, but I can appreciate art if it is good. I always kid with my secretary, when during Christmas we play Josh Groban’s “Noel,” and I cringe when the song Ave Maria comes on. I start commenting that I don’t pray to Mary, but it’s a great song, well written and performed.
You can’t have equal time or space for all of the religions — you would need a big office — but much of the classic artwork is Judeo-Christian in nature because that was the prominent religion in their day. Michelangelo’s statute of David, van Gogh’s “Still Life with Open Bible,” and Rembrandt’s “Return of the Prodigal Son” all reflect where we were as a society at the time. Now we have so many isms I don’t think a contemporary work would be safe in the same way. “Stand-off at Waco” or “Jim Jones Kool-Aid” art, ya know, may be a reach.
I don’t know if the ACLU is a visitor at your place, if that is the case, stick to Ansel Adams or Kinkade.
Thanks so much Steve for letting me post this. Responses are welcome, as always, and I will post other replies I received if those who posted them give their permission.
I first heard about Ben Crowder when I mentioned on Twitter that I was moderating a panel on Mormon art and was interested in learning more about the topic. The Twitter handle of “Official news and updates from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)” (@LDSNewsroom), and several others, suggested I get in touch with Ben (@bencrowder), which was good enough for me. Whether or not you are Mormon, the bimonthly magazine Mormon Artist is worth reading. The design is gorgeous (you can download it in PDF), the articles are really accessible, and the content is fascinating. Most readers probably did not even know Mormon art was a phenomenon (I didn’t until I researched this piece), and I can assure you that there is a lot of kitschy illustration, as is to be expected, but there are also many very exciting artists that are worth following. Instead of a proper bio for Ben, read this note he wrote.
MW: How did you first get involved in Mormon art, and how did the magazine come about?
BC: I’ve been interested in the arts for almost as long as I can remember. I’ve also been a believing Mormon since childhood, caring deeply about my faith. Since both art and religion are in essence about who we are and what life is about, it was natural for my interest to center on the intersection between them. It’s who I am, basically.
In June last year, I heard about MagCloud.com, a new print-on-demand magazine publisher that had just gotten off the ground. I’d edited the school newspaper and literary magazine in high school, which had given me an appetite for publishing, and I’d always wanted to start a magazine. When MagCloud made that possible, I asked myself what kind of a magazine I wanted to read. The answer was immediate: a publication about Mormon arts. The rest fell into place fairly smoothly after that.
MW: Most of my readers know virtually nothing about Mormonism and have no idea Mormon art is even a phenomenon. How would you explain the importance of the field to them?
BC: Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official name) itself has only been around for just under two hundred years, so Mormon art is understandably still in its late infancy. I don’t know that I would call it a phenomenon just yet, but it’s certainly a phenomenon-in-embryo, and in the years to come you’ll see a flood of masterpieces coming out of this movement. The gates are only just now opening.
MW: Is creating art a religious act/commandment in Mormonism? Can it be a type of prayer?
BC: Yes on both counts. We believe that God is the Creator, and we also believe that we are His literal children sent to Earth with the goal to someday become like Him. Because of that, the act of creating is very much part of who we are as humans. One of our scriptures says that “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me,” and I believe that holds true for the other arts as well.
MW: Unlike Judeo-Christian traditions, Mormonism recognizes a prophet who was alive (age 33) when the Daguerreotype was discovered. What has it meant for Mormon artists to have such a contemporary religious figure like Joseph Smith?
BC: It’s one of the pillars of our faith, of course, and for us it breathes a life and vitality into our religion that naturally extends itself into the arts. In addition, you don’t have to go too many years back before you find people whose parents or grandparents knew Joseph personally, and that kind of historical closeness has a huge impact on our culture.
Continue reading ‘INTERVIEW: Ben Crowder, founder & editor, Mormon Artist magazine’
Rabbi Aaron Spiegel is information technology director for the Center for Congregations. According to his bio on the CFC, he has served several congregations in South Florida, has a B.A. in comparative theology from Union Institute & University, ordination from the Rabbinical Academy of Mesifta Adath Wolkowisk, and is a D.Min. candidate in congregational studies at Hartford Seminary. I “met” Rabbi Siegel, who is a “transdenominational rabbi,” on Twitter, where his handle is @rebaaron. (Image courtesy of Rabbi Spiegel.)
MW: Your blog “Ma Hamatzav?” (site) describes you as a former pulpit rabbi and a rabbi at the Hillel at Butler University, and the CFC site calls you “transdenominational.” Most people have enough trouble keeping Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, etc. straight. What does it mean to be a transdenominational rabbi?
AS: I wish I could claim that I made it up but alas I’m not that creative. Trans – beyond – denominational is just that, beyond the movements or denominational tags. While I have great respect for each of the movements and their historical significance, I believe we’re now in a period in which their relevance is severely diminished. It used to mean something when someone said ‘I’m a Reform Jew’ or ‘I’m Conservative.’ Most Jews, particularly those younger than baby boomers, have little or no attachment to these monikers. In some cases, the labels are seen as negatives. I like to refer to myself as a Reformativadoctionist. Or in other words, I’m confused!
MW: You are one of very few rabbis that I have found on Twitter, and I’ve spent a lot of time looking. I see you do information technology for CFC, and have written on congregations and technology. Why do you think there is such an aversion to new media in the rabbinate, and why do you think you’ve managed to overcome that?
AS: I can easily answer the second part of the question – my first career was in information technology (starting in the late ‘70’s, early ‘80’s) so I’m a techno geek at heart. As to why rabbis have an aversion to technology I can only speculate.
Rabbis are still trained as scholars. There is little in the way of ‘practical’ leadership and management in rabbinical school. Technology, at its best, is a tool to lead and manage. I’m oversimplifying, but without an incentive to use these tools, i.e. it’s what the secular world uses to communicate, rabbis often see them as irrelevant.
I will contradict somewhat your statement that I’m the only rabbi on twitter. I’ve now found another four or five of us. I’m also seeing rabbinical students on twitter as well. I should also point out that though the numbers aren’t exactly proportional, Christian clergy have the same problem adopting technology tools in their ministry. Many find themselves doing so because their congregants are forcing them. I just did a survey on congregational use of social networking (link) and the responses were interesting. Most of the respondents were church leaders and while most agree these tools are important for maintaining relationships and communications, very few are actually adopting the tools.
Continue reading ‘INTERVIEW: Rabbi Aaron Spiegel, Center for Congregations’
I first connected with Amit Puri on LinkedIn. According to Puri’s LinkedIn page, Sai Objet d’Art (which doesn’t seem to have a website) “has been established primarily to inculcate a sense of pride by becoming multifaceted company with an aim for promotion of traditional products, artifacts, handicrafts such as Madubani Paintings, Marble Art pieces, Brassware, Wooden Artifacts etc. which are appreciated all over the world.” I asked Puri about religious art in India, about his company, and about censorship in India. I haven’t edited his answers for grammar, though I have occasionally copy edited for spelling. To connect with him, see his LinkedIn page here.
MW: How and when did you first become involved in the arts?
AP: I am associated with the art since 2003.
MW: What is Sai Objet d ‘Art?
AP: It’s my company’s name. I own this company here in India and it is registered in this name in India for business.
MW: What is tribal art in your mind, and how, if at all, does it overlap with religious art?
AP: Tribal art is the one which is practiced by a tribe in a traditional manner and in no way it overlaps the religious art. Rather traditional art is kith and kin of religious art itself.
MW: Do you recognize a different in your work between art and kitsch?
AP: The art we practice and deal are very lively and they are part of our society and they are the one which reflects the history and culture. These exist here in our part of the country for centuries together but still people are practicing it because these are lively, interesting and depict part of culture and society. This art is a rich gift and inherited from our ancestors and the society. It reflects the knowledge and expression of the past and present traditions and form an integral part of our society and culture.
These are followed by the people because one has to safeguard the gift in good hands for future generations to come and let them feel how enriched our past was and how different we are from rest of the world in this field.
MW: What are some of your favorite pieces that have come through Sai Objet d ‘Art?
AP: Tribal arts from Bastar in the form of Dhokra art, Iron craft and Tumba shilp.
MW: How important is religious or sacred art in Indian culture?
AP: It’s very important for us as things are always connected through one or the other form where religion is always there. Art is also the one way of pray to god. Nothing begins here without God. It’s an integral part of culture and art.
MW: What do you think are some of the most important aspects of Indian art of which Americans are unaware?
AP: The association of art and religion is close knit form in general in our country’s tradition. I feel that it’s really important to understand the beginning of Art. It started from the prayers and ways, and things which are integral part of that time and later on they came to be known as art form in one way or the other. You talk about any dance form of art that started with prayer and related and was related to the religion which was carried forward as a tradition. Any creation which inspired was linked to the living things and nature. The relation with living is always important here. The customs and rituals have given birth to different arts and their forms. Our art is mainly related to human being and the environment.
MW: M F Husain’s work has met recent opposition in India, to say the least. What is your feeling about his art? How open is the Indian public to contemporary art?
AP: M F Husain’s work as an artist I appreciate but not at the values and sentiments of the people. He cannot play with the beliefs and customs of people here. He no one to interfere in the religious matter here. He is from different religion [MW: Husain comes from a Muslim family] and cannot understand the belongingness to the culture and God.
Indian’s are very open to contemporary art, they feel that its art of the present thinking and time. They are people who are very famous in this art and people are adapting to new concepts and developing to the idea with pace of time. The people here in India always ready for new things but not at the cost of their base structure, but with the adoption of new idea with the presence of mind and respect of old values and customs. We are living in very open society that you can see from the progress India is doing in any field and anywhere in world.
Orit Arfa (website) is a painter and a writer on Israeli culture and society and the American Jewish community for The Jerusalem Post and The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. Arfa is also an actress and a creative writer.
She grew up in Los Angeles, earned a bachelor’s degree in Jewish studies and a journalism minor from the American Jewish University and a master’s in Bible and Jewish thought from 
JTS. Based in LA, Orit has covered arts and entertainment, travel, lifestyle, and nightlife.
Orit spoke with Iconia over email about her work, about the term “Jewish artist” (about which she gave me a lot of trouble!), and about biblical subjects in her work.
MW: Many critics are uncomfortable with terms like “Jewish art” and “Israeli art,” and many artists avoid them for fear of being pigeonholed. As an arts writer and a painter, to what extent do you identify as a Jewish or Israeli artist? What do the terms mean to you?
OA: The terms “Jewish” and “art” are loaded and subjective terms, so unless an objective definition is offered for each term, and their composite, it’s difficult to answer such a question. But I’ll try to!
I think all artists shy from categorization. I seek a universal appeal to my art, ultimately, so the term “Jewish art” almost becomes an oxymoron.
If I had to choose, I’d probably identify more as an Israeli artist, or maybe even an Israeli-American artist, rather than a “Jewish artist.” My work was very much inspired by living in Israel, the landscapes, and the exploration of Jewish identity in the Jewish State. I don’t think the term “Jewish” in many contexts has a real distinct meaning. Judaism relates to so many aspects of life: race, ethnicity, ritual, religion, ethical principles. Is an artist a “Jewish artist” simply because s/he is Jewish? Is an artist a Jewish artist because s/he creates art directed to Jews? Is an artist a Jewish artist because he renders objects/characters identifiable with Judaism? Likewise, what makes art “Israeli”? Because the artist is Israeli? The scenes take place in Israel?
The differences between Jewish art and Israeli art raise a whole slew of questions relating to Jewish identity in the Diaspora versus the Land of Israel. Can portraits of secular Zionist pioneers be classified as Jewish art? These pioneers tried to break from the Jewish shtetl, and any portraits of them would probably idealize this break from Jewish norms and ways of life. Since these pioneers called themselves “Hebrews,” maybe such art should be called “Hebrew” art?
Then how do we define the term “art.” Would beautifully crafted menorahs fall into that category? Or is “art” restricted to painting and sculpture? What about installation works, television, film?
I perceive (but do not define) “Jewish art” as artwork of images or iconography that can be explicitly associated with the religious/ritualistic/cultural aspects of Judaism, often to inspire religious feeling or connection to Jewish identity: images of Jewish landmarks, religious scenes, Shabbat candles, and the like. In that case, could Rembrandt’s portraits of rabbis or Lorenzo Ghiberti’s “Binding of Isaac” be classified as Jewish art? Maybe.
I can’t say my paintings inspire classically religious Jewish feeling (although if they inspire people to question religious norms, I would consider that “religious”)! I think the best classification of my Biblical series is Biblical art, and they appeal to people of all religions. I have quite a few Christian fans, for example. I would still prefer the plain old term, “artist,” without any qualifiers.
MW: How well do you think Jewish publications cover Jewish art, as opposed to Jewish literature, music, theater, and movies? How interested do you think the Jewish public is in Jewish art?
OA: I see very little coverage of Jewish art (again, what is Jewish art?). Pop culture, music, literature, and theater have definitely dominated discourse in Jewish publications. Then again, I wonder how much coverage of fine art you’d find in any general publication on culture. I’m not sure the reason: is there not enough Jewish art out there to interest audiences? Is fine art too specialized a genre to warrant feature reporting in mainstream publications?
The media seems to be more interested in personalities and entertainment than ideas. Paintings are often the result of a singular vision of one person, whereas music, theater and movies are much more interactive, collaborative and political and ultimately involve many more creative mediums merging into one: poetry, music, design, acting. There is little “star quality” in the fine arts; although this may have been different decades ago. An artist would have to execute something really spectacular and provocative or hold an exhibition at a very prestigious venue to get serious coverage in mainstream publications.
But probably one of the main reasons: artists can’t really afford publicists! So here’s my shameless pitch: my paintings are living alone with my relatives in Israel, and I would love a safe exhibition hall or gallery to display them.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Orit Arfa, artist and writer on Jewish culture’
I recently posted about Australian artist Philip George’s Islamic surf boards (BBC story/exhibit site and here). Philip was kind enough to reply to some questions about his work via email, which appear below.
ICONIA: In a time when art dealing with Islam has proven very controversial, can you describe the process of conceiving of and developing “Inshallah surfboards”? Do you see the pieces as religious art, or more political in nature? Do you think artists grappling with religious content have a particular obligation to weigh how their work will be received in religious communities?
PHILIP GEORGE: The Borderlands exhibition is the result of many years of travel throughout the Arabic, Ottoman and Persian worlds and a lifetime of surfing in Australia. The work has arrived out of the contemporary geo-political situation.
The work in many ways is photo-media based, many of the inscribed images are photographically based images of around the Middle East and some are collections of tile I have made
The work moves through the geo-political and the religious and even the sublime at heart it is a show about great beauty. When one moves through all these areas one needs to be clear about intent my intent is respectful.
I have been doing many radio interview including Islamic radio and the response have been very heart-warming.
ICONIA: At first glance, Islam and surf boards probably conjure two very different mental images in most Western people’s minds (surfing seems to be a very permissive, physical culture, while Islam surely strikes many outsiders as quite the opposite). How did you come to see the two as connected? Do you see the project as bringing Islam to the surfing culture, or vice-versa?
PG: The Borderlands exhibition celebrates the metaphysical art of Arabic, Ottoman and Persian worlds and the transcendental nature of surfing, both traditions speak to the wonder and complexity of the universe. The subtitle of “Inshalla surfboards” acknowledges the metaphysical from both the Islamic and surfing worlds. “Inshalla” in Arabic translates to “God willing,” a saying that punctuates daily conversation with the Islamic world, God willing this will happen, or God willing, we will meet again and then there is the Australian adaptation, God willing, there will be good surf today or God willing, I will not be eaten by a shark while surfing…
The Borderlands celebrates Australia and the divergent nature of the country and its people. Borderlands combines the territorial traditions of surf culture and the culture arriving from Arabic, Ottoman and Persian territorial traditions, making connections with these divergent tribes, via their vastly different traditions, operating simultaneously at the local and transnational level, Borderlands seeks to negotiate alternate means of engagement across cultural boundaries.
The project in a way brings the other to the other and maps the intersection…
Continue reading ‘Interview: Philip George’
Tom L. Freudenheim (site here) is a museum consultant, writer, and lecturer, with extensive experience at Jewish and cultural institutions, including serving as: deputy director/COO at the Jüdisches Museum Berlin, executive director at YIVO, several positions at the Smithsonian Institution, director of the Worcester Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art, and director of programs at the National Endowment for the Arts. (Image from: http://www.jpr.org.uk/)
MW: You have done a lot of writing, lecturing, and curating on art made by Jews and about Judaism. How, if at all, do you define “Jewish Art”? Is it a helpful concept?
TF: I don’t define “Jewish art” or any other kind of art. Art tells me what it is; I don’t tell art what it is. It’s an issue that also arises in regard to so-called “craft” — and my generic response is “if I like it, it’s art; if I don’t like it, I don’t care what you call it.” “Jewish art” means different things to different people, which is OK with me — art by Jews, art about Jews, “My grandmother’s noodle kugel” (as Harold Rosenberg once characterized the term), art relating to Jewish subject matter (whatever that is), and I don’t have a problem with that. Definitions aren’t especially useful in this sort of discourse. I use “Jewish art” as sparingly as possible, but it can mean different things depending on when and where I’m using the term.
MW: Do you think art history scholarship has given Jewish art the attention it deserves? What about scholarship on religion? Religion and art journalism? Religious Sermons?
TF: Conventional mainstream western art history scholarship used to be uncomfortable about handling anything Jewish. That was because many of the pre-eminent art historians were Jewish (or “of Jewish origins”) and they lived in a world that was more overtly anti-Semitic than ours, and there may have been professional risks in dealing with Jewish anything. (Not a problem, of course, for Yale’s Erwin Goodenough, whose magisterial 13-volume study of Jewish symbols in the Greco-Roman world opened up many new worlds of Jewish and other scholarship.) I don’t think that’s a problem anymore. Lots of scholars (Jewish and non-Jewish) work on art issues that relate to Jewish subject matter in various ways. Journalism deals with Jewish issues as appropriate, but Jewish journalism does it less than other major publications. But that’s about the lingering uncertainty that “art” (vs. Israel or fund raising) will be “good” for Jewish continuity (whatever that is). I don’t hear too many sermons, but they probably reflect what’s in the press — except when the clergy decides that art is a good hook with which to grab some marginally-connected constituency.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Tom L. Freudenheim’
A little while back, I heard an interview with Bill Wilson (site here) on The Infidel Guy radio show (my interview with the host here), in part promoting his book “How to Get Rich As a Televangelist or Faith Healer.” Toward the end of the interview, Wilson discussed the Jesus kitsch industry, which inspired me to reach out to him for more information.
MW: You mentioned the Jesus junk industry in your interview on The Infidel Guy show. Can you describe a few of the really egregious examples of this sort of kitsch?
BW: Probably the silliest example I’ve ever seen was a poster of an anonymous teenage boy standing on the shore holding a surfboard. The ad copy said that the photo portrayed Jesus as he would have looked had he chosen to come to earth as a surfer. The picture was titled “Jesus the Surfer” and retailed for $9.95.
Recently I noticed that Wal-Mart is selling toy figures of biblical characters, alongside ones of Batman and Iron Man. The local store carries Jesus and the Virgin Mary, both of whom spout scripture if you press the “secret action button” under their clothes.
In terms of simply being offensive, there was a student in Bible college who sported a tee shirt that showed the Buddha crucified. Underneath the image it read “What’s wrong with this picture?” and spouted something about non-Christians burning in Hell.
MW: How much of a role, if any, do you think religious art and visual propaganda are playing in the marketing of faith, whether to believers or outsiders?
BW: There used to be a time when religious advertisements were relatively tasteful. I recall road trips in the 80s and 90s during which I would spot a trio of crosses, identical sets, spaced along the highway every 50 miles or so on privately donated land. They struck me as a respectful way to express a spiritual concept. In my high school days Christian students would carry a small Testament with their school books - again, a sincere, low key way to share what was for them a vital part of their lives.
Then the church discovered modern marketing concepts, and modesty and taste were discarded in favor of tacky imitations of secular trends. Now you see baseball caps sporting a logo similar to that of myspace.com, with the words “Jesus died for myspace in heaven” stenciled in. I’ve seen Christians wearing tee shirts with the words “God’s Gym” styled like the signs for Gold’s Gym. They have a drawing of Jesus straining to do a push up. Stretched across his back is a cross with the phrase “the sins of the world” written on it.
Crass products like these are ubiquitous among evangelicals. They treat faith as if it were a hamburger or an MP3 player - just something else to be peddled to the public. They reduce spirituality to the level of a big Mac: “Do you want fries with your eternal salvation?”
Continue reading ‘Interview: Bill Wilson, Christian Art vs. Kitsch’
Iconia solicited some quotes from Rush Vizette, who created “Bloody Madonna” (see here). NOTE: I have cleaned up the grammar and spelling a bit (English is not Vizette’s native language), but I have left some other parts where I did not feel comfortable editing for fear of changing the meaning. Both images are courtesy of Vizette.
MW: A lot of religious people will respond to this work by being offended. What would you say to them to assure them you did not intend to be offensive?
RV: When I painted “Bloody Madonna” I did not want to hold back the essence of what makes Madonna. I think purely on my response toward her attitude, her religious Catholic background, and how she rebelled against it. The love/hate relationship with herself and her religion throughout her life. I simply translated that mean into my language. Whether that is offensive or not depends on each individual’s view. I certainly do not think it offensive. This work is not designed to do that.
MW: The bible often called for shedding both human and animal blood, and indeed cows were often sacrificed. How, if at all, does that figure into your work?
RV: Yes, perhaps that sacrifice thought was on my subconscious. I used cow blood since cow was mentioned in one chapter in the bible as “False God” and also an animal of importance in one of my closely studied religions, Hinduism. I think it references the whole idea of the two ways of looking at Madonna, one can be viewed as “False God” as far as the celebrity culture is concerned. And the other as the real and an absolute icon, who challenges all aspects of idealism on womankind and the way we think about human sexuality. Blood and fertility seemed perfect to express my thought on this subject.
MW: Given some of the violent (both literal and verbal) responses controversial religious art has received from the Danish cartoons to the Piss Christ to the Chocolate Jesus, are you are all worried about how your show will be received?
RV: I had no doubt that this series of works will raise some eyebrows. But I will say that as an artist I cant not afford to be untrue to myself when creating work. I cant not worry about how it would please or upset others. Great art, in my view, should reflect the honest and direct response from the artist to the the subject and the judgment is up to its audiences.
MW: Why did you include a bible in your work? How would the piece have been different if the bible did not appear?
RV: The bible has given the series the depth it requires in order to sum up what Madonna is all about. Her existence without her faith in her religion would be like my painting George W. Bush without mentioning the war.
MW: How, if at all, does the experience of creating a work that pays homage to an icon (especially one of Madonna’s stature) differ from creating art that speaks just to you and to your own experiences?
RV: I don’t think it separate at all. I’m obviously not into painting someone I don’t like or subjects that do not interest me. Although I must admit that needs challenging. On the whole, my works are all very personal, and creating what is true to myself and how I see it is vital. So the experiences are all the same to me when seen in a public space, its euphoria!
Rolf E. Stærk is the creator of Biblical Art on the WWW, which aims “to provide a helpful assistant in the search for biblical art on the Internet. I hope that my contribution will prove helpful to people working with preaching, teaching etc.” According to his biography on the site, Stærk is also a “Norwegian theologian and schoolteacher, born 1967, and member of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway.” He spoke with Iconia about the site and about religious art in general.
MW: When and why did you start the site?
RS: As I state on my site, it is a result of a process in several stages. I started making the division into biblical subjects back in the late 90s, and around 2000 I launched the first web pages with links to images. I then started building the database, which was programmed by my wife, and in 2001 it replaced the original pages which had proven hard to maintain.
In the beginning, I was downloading and sorting images for my own use. I spent a lot of time on this, and I was sorry that I was the only one to benefit from it. This is why I decided to make a website. I did not find any existing sites that matched my idea.
I have always liked collecting things and putting them into a system. I was very happy to have found a way to cherish this, and a way that could also be helpful to others.
Following a death in my family, I went through a personal struggle after the year 2000. I was unable to attend my regular job, and so I had a lot of time to work on my project.
MW: What sort of feedback have you received?
RS: I have received all kinds of feedback. Many people write just to say thanks. This is very encouraging, especially when they add information indicating that my site is being used according to my intention.
I also receive messages from people who want my expert opinion on some piece of art, often to get help estimating its value. Generally I must disappoint these people, since I’m no art expert at all. Neither do I know about copyright law, and so I can’t help people who ask questions connected to this. (I have only made sure that I do not break any rules myself!) Finally, many people think that I am in a position to give permission for all kinds of use of the images, not realizing that the images I link to are actually hosted elsewhere.
I am very happy to receive messages from artists who want me to include their art in my system.
Unfortunately, we have had some site trouble from time to time, and when it is down, people start writing me to ask what is happening. They are usually very polite and kind, but I remember one time when a user made it clear that I had to hand my site over to a competent person if I was unable to maintain it myself.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Rolf E. Stærk’
Roseanne Sullivan blogs at Catholic Pundit Wannabe, which she explains as follows: “This blog’s title is related to an essay I wrote at the peak of the scandals about priests betraying the trust of those who they were supposed to serve. Then as now, the press always sought out for interviews dissident Catholics who seemed to be using the scandal as an opportunity to promote their own agendas. In reaction, I made an immodest proposal: Since I am a well-informed believer who loves the Church’s teachings, wouldn’t it make more sense for the press to interview me instead of, say, Andrew Sullivan or Frank McCourt?”
MW: What, if anything, does the term “Catholic art” mean to you?
RS: A Catholic is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, which is the body of Christ.
United with Christ through the sacraments, the Catholic writer or artist of any kind creates art for the greater glory of God. Humility is a requirement. Excellence should be also. God deserves only the best.
Modern art is created for the purpose of epater les bourgeois, shock the petty middle class. I believe Catholic art should be done with love. According to St. Paul, love is not proud; it does not seek its own ends. It rejoices in the truth. As Christ taught us, love serves. Love lays down its life for the other, and it doesn’t puff itself up.
The opposite attitude of how to be an artist was taught when I studied art in the 1970s. The essential advice was to express one’s self. The unstated ideal was to shock, discomfort, or annoy. For one example, one of my art teachers had a show at the Minneapolis Museum of Art, where to enter the room where her work was displayed, you had to go through a little constructed entryway that had a low altar and a small, low window above the altar that let you get a preview glimpse into the room. She told the class with relish that by making the window low, she was forcing the gallery goers to bow before her altar. Her art consisted of hundreds of plaster statues of a rearing horse, all identical, about 14 inches high. She cast them out of a mold she had picked up somewhere. It cannot be denied that this artist’s intention was to manipulate and offend and to leave the viewer wondering what the point was. Another professor’s installation was a series of chairs hung on a wall in a stairwell at the student center.
The culmination for me occurred when a world famous artist spoke at the school, and he told the audience that he had to be on his guard to make sure the art he made was not beautiful. His art at the time consisted of concrete rectangles that he poured at gallery installations, which ruined the beautiful wood gallery floors. He exulted in the bewilderment of the gallery goers as they viewed his pieces. He told us he took special care to ensure that the concrete did not assume any of the attractive swirling patterns that might form if it was left to pour naturally. For him, beauty was not only not the point. Beauty was absolutely to be avoided.
I am in a sense recovering from those years. I didn’t accept the nonsense I was taught, but I was discouraged and paralyzed by it for a long time.
Of course, if an artist attempts to do “Catholic” art, the danger is that the artist can fall into the nether world of the maudlin, the insincere, and the clichéd. I think that art done by a Catholic is Catholic art, if it is true art, because true art tells the truth.
True art is true to the demands of the art being practiced. As Pope John Paul II wrote, an artist responds to the demands of art and faithfully accepts art’s specific dictates. He spoke with great appreciation about the creativity of the artist, whose creativity mirrors within human limits the creativity of God.
The Catholic artist should not do anything to draw the viewer or reader’s or hearer’s attention to the artist’s own cleverness. All of the artist’s work should be in the service of the thing being conveyed, whether it be the topic of the painting or the written story or the scripture, in the case of liturgical music. That’s why Gregorian chant fascinates me. The vast body of chants was written anonymously, for the glory of God.
Famous Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor wrote that a writer has to tell stories that are about life and character. Any artistic work fails when it is created to get a point across. Every story has to have a meaning, she wrote, but the meaning is perceived as part of the story not something extrinsic to it. The same is true for a painting or a music composition. The meaning must be intrinsic to the composition.
Art that is created to be in a Church and that is going to be viewed by people during the liturgy probably has to be more explicit in its meaning than art created for other venues. Art in the Church exists to draw the worshiper’s mind and heart to God.
MW: You have said that you are a “Catholic writer and artist.” To what extent does your Catholic identity inform your work?
RS: My Catholic identity makes me want to use my talents to show the truth and the beauty of God.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Roseanne Sullivan’
Brandon G. Withrow is a Ph.D. and adjunct professor at Winebrenner Theological Seminary where he teaches the history of Christianity. See his blog here.
MW: How much does current scholarship on Christianity address Christian art? How well are religion programs in this country covering religious art in general?
BW: Any discussion of Christianity and the arts would have to vary from field to field and department to department. Each religious studies department emphasizes a different model or methodology, and examining artistic expression in Christianity is often limited by that model or methodology.
In my experience teaching the history of Christianity, Christian art is often (though not always) a tool for understanding the various dimensions of religious life—cultural, institutional, political, and personal—rather than for art appreciation, per se.
I do believe, however, that the field of religious studies is giving a greater appreciation to the importance of religious art in general than has been done in previous years. By way of example, the American Academy of Religion has their Arts Series, offers awards in the arts, and sponsors trips to local exhibits. Last year they held a discussion on video art and showed several important films, including Water, which looks at Hindu widows and the practice of sati.
In the religious studies departments at Christian colleges and universities, where the study of Christianity is often driven by a commitment to its beliefs, Christian art may have an added dimension and be more personal. In the fields of history or theology, art might not only tell the students about religion in all its dimensions, it may also give the student a connection to his or her heritage. In evangelical colleges and universities, examining art, such as film, often comes with a discussion of its images of reconciliation or redemption or its usefulness for ministry.
Where I think art discussion is often lacking is in Christian seminaries, ironically. While I can’t say this is true for all seminaries, it seems to me that the greater emphasis is in biblical studies and theology. This is what they do well. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come out in some form—schools like Westminster Theological Seminary offer courses on “Christianity and the Arts” and promote jazz concerts—but on the classroom level, it is often an elective.
As I teach courses on the history of Christianity, I am trying to integrate visual art. For example, this summer I am teaching a course on Medieval and Reformation Spiritualities. While it is a history course, I have chosen a text that incorporates art depicting the diversity of Christian spirituality.
MW: Do you think there is any such thing as Christian art per se? Why or why not?
BW: In the more evangelical circles of my childhood, art was preachy. You could tell it was “Christian” because it had a cross and a weeping Jesus who called out “come to me.” It often looked like something you could find at a van convention, but with the added benefit of having a verse typed across it. Christian art, as great of a history as it has, has been given a bad name by the dominance of this kitsch. Is this Christian art? If by Christian is meant, art done in the name of Christianity, then yes, it is Christian. But this does not make it good art.
All good art is worth pursuing. And as all persons are created in the image of God, I believe good art, as it reflects something of the creator, can be done by any artist, with or without Christian commitments. By reflecting the creator, however, I don’t mean that it must look like it belongs in a chapel or a Christian bookstore. To paraphrase an article written by my wife on the role of grace in fiction, too often Christians treat art as something that needs to be redeemed, as if remarkable art done well does not justify its own existence. Christians do not need to put clothes on the nude.
The greatest difference between the Christian artist and all others is the audience. Christian art is doxological. It is a means for the Christian to glorify and enjoy God. This says nothing about its actual content. It may serve a liturgical purpose, which I admit is what I love about ancient Christian art. It may be serene, though it does not have to be. Or, it may tell us something about the darkness that exists in the world. But in the end, it must be doxological.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Brandon G. Withrow’
Rev. Ken Yamada is a minister at Berkeley Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple in Berkeley, Calif. He began with the following caveat: “As a Buddhist minister, I’m not an expert on art, but I do have a personal interest in Buddhist art and I sometimes refer to art as a means to teach Buddhism, which is the whole point of ‘Buddhist art.’ So that is my humble perspective in trying to provide feedback to your questions.”
MW: To what extent, if at all, is creating art a religious experience in Buddhism, as opposed to simply an act of creating works that then take on religious significance?
RKY: Both approaches represent two sides of the same coin. Artists create work meant to take on religious meaning. And the creation of art is also meant to be a religious experience.
For example, an artist skilled in his craft, may carve a statute or paint a picture meant to depict a Buddha or a scene of a story in a sutra, which are then seen by others for their religious meaning.
For those people who see the art only in terms of a beautiful object (such as viewers at a museum), the artwork is not really “Buddhist” in my opinion.
The creation process ideally also is a religious experience. When a carver works on a statue, one form of practice is to perform a simple chant, such as “Nam Am Da Bu” while carving, over and over. This practice cultivates a calm, clear mind of appreciation. Consequently from this mind, a peaceful-looking Buddha emerges from the block of wood. The mind of the carver is just as important as skill in creating a statue of the Buddha.
MW: Is there a such thing as Buddhist art per se? If so, what does it entail? Are there any subjects that are off limits to Buddhist artists?
RKY: Traditionally, Buddhist art are representations of the symbols and images found in the sutras, which are the scriptures based on the historic Buddha’s sermons. For example, they will be different Buddhas, specific symbols such as lotus blossoms (which represents “wisdom”), or devil-like images (which represent anger and ignorance).
However, Buddhism is very liberal in the sense that anything can be a teaching (Dharma) to us. Therefore, nothing is really off limits in terms of what subject or image form the basis of the art, as long as it expresses Truth as taught by the Buddha, such as “interdependence” or “nirvana” or “impermanence,” etc. Sometimes these teachings are deeply buried in the symbolism expressed by the art, so artwork must be studied, analyzed and meditated upon before these truths are realized by the viewer. This process too, of using art to move a person to think about life in a deep and profound way, is another means by which art serves its religious purpose. Mandalas are an obvious example of this process, as they are meant to be stared at and reflected upon continuously.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Rev. Ken Yamada’
