Riverside Church of New York is a Garden in Gethsemane

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

"Christ in Gethsemane" (1890) by Hienrich Hofmann. Collection of Riverside Church, NYC.

Long before I moved here to NYC, I already knew that this move was not about my new job but about finding "something lost." I have no idea what I am seeking, but here I wander anyway. Today, I visited The Riverside Church on the Upper Westside, and I felt a rush like I'd experienced long ago during my Christmas pageants in our grandmother's living room. I had forgotten that feeling-- that joy. I'd also forgotten the framed print of "Christ in Gethsemane" that hung on her wall facing us on stage my Dad assembled. The original by Heinrich Hofmann is here in an amazing art collection owned by the church (donated by a Rockefeller born in Ohio). Gethsemane is a place we go in agony seeking something lost. This massive and beautiful church, rich with diversity, artistry, and led by a black Baptist  minister from Cincinnati (Rev. James Forbes) might just be where I find that "something lost" that I came searching for in New York City. It's the first time that NYC has come close to feeling like home.

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A&O Prize (2008): "The Dead Christ in a Tomb" by Kehinde Wiley

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

CALIFORNIA - Unarguably the most celebrated African American painter of our times, Kehinde Wiley's "The Dead Christ in a Tomb" (c. 2007) is the recipient of the Alpha & Omega Prize for Contemporary Religious Art of the year.  The painting is currently on view at the Roberts & Tilton Gallery in Los Angeles. The prize is a contemporary religious art recognition for the promotion of religious dialogue in America during the past year.

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A&O Meetup: Metropolitan Community Church of NYC

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

NEW YORK - Founded by Rev. Troy Perry in 1968, the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) is an international Protestant Christian denomination. There are 250 member congregations in 23 countries with a specific outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families and communities. The movement has Official Observer status with the World Council of Churches but has been denied membership in the US National Council of Churches. The church borrows from many Christian traditions, and therefore has a very eclectic approach to the religious arts. I've visited several of the denomination's churches but am most intrigued, and impressed by the murals and rich artistry of this small multi-storied Manhattan church.

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US Open, Day 6: James Blake vs. Mardy Fish

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

NEW YORK---In the US Open, James Blake was stretched to a 5 set thriller against American teenager Donald Young in the first round. Blake easily won his second round match after Steve Darcis retired and then lost to friend and fellow American Mardy Fish in the third round in straight sets. Day 6 featured several upsets and lengthy contests, as four of the eight men's matches went to five sets, and five seeded players were knocked out. Thirty-second seed Gaël Monfils, who had reached the semi-finals of his last Grand Slam, the French Open, knocked out number seven David Nalbandian; unseeded Mardy Fish beat number nine seed and good friend James Blake.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/usopen05/columns/story?id=2145859

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Tah Rules - 10 Guiding Principles

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

This blog is inspired by many creative and spiritual people. Special thanks to my dad, Ernest Britton (OH), Angela Corley (FL), Dr. Leon Boothe (KY), Gregory Disney (IN), and Leslie Krienes (OH) for their help in shaping a set of principles to guide my life philosophy. The biggest thanks is due to my spiritual friend Robert Maverick. During a 2007 visit to see him in California, he greated me with a huge sign with the words "Tah Rules" as my official welcome.

Here are the 10 "Tah Rules" he listed:

1. FOLLOW one passion.
2. ACCEPT only your ideal. 
3. FINISH what you start.
4. KEEP Sunday for family. 
5. REMEMBER why you started.
6. Never let love SLIP away.
7. Never PLAY alone.
8. Never TAKE CREDIT not earned.
9. Never MISLEAD with silence.
10. Never DISHONOR other seekers.

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At Home in One of God's Art Museums

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

NEW YORK CITY---Church of St. Vincent de Paul on 23rd Street in Chelsea is across the street from our office, and I don't think that's a coincidence. They have daily noon mass, and while I've never done that before, I think I might give it a try. What's most surprising though is the church buildings major state of deterioration. While it's clean, it's also clearly crumbling away and how is that possible with the riches available in NYC? The ten Romanesque-style stained-glass windows are credited as made by Tiffanys. I can't wait to show them off to my visitors from back home! There is a small chapel to the left of the entrance devoted to St. Thérèse which honors French soldiers who died in foreign wars past. I don't know why it honors French soldiers but I assume that French-Americans started this church. I Googled, and discovered there are over 6,000 houses  of worship here in NYC, nearly one on every corner so I'm glad to have already discovered one that I like.

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How to use Microsoft Excel ( Part 5 of 10 )

1. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 1 of 10 ): Introductory Skills
2. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 2 of 10 ): Entering Data
3. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 3 of 10 ): Adding Column/Creating Formulas
4. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 4 of 10 ): Labels and Column Names
5. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 5 of 10 ): Absolute Cell Formulas
6. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 6 of 10 ): Saving and Closing the File
7. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 7 of 10 ): Worksheet Appearance
8. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 8 of 10 ): Formatting Data
9. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 9 of 10 ): Enhancing the Worksheet
10. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 10 of 10 ): Previewing & Printing Worksheet

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How to use Microsoft Excel ( Part 4 of 10 )

1. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 1 of 10 ): Introductory Skills
2. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 2 of 10 ): Entering Data
3. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 3 of 10 ): Adding Column/Creating Formulas
4. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 4 of 10 ): Labels and Column Names
5. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 5 of 10 ): Absolute Cell Formulas
6. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 6 of 10 ): Saving and Closing the File
7. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 7 of 10 ): Worksheet Appearance
8. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 8 of 10 ): Formatting Data
9. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 9 of 10 ): Enhancing the Worksheet
10. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 10 of 10 ): Previewing & Printing Worksheet

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How to use Microsoft Excel ( Part 3 of 10 )

1. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 1 of 10 ): Introductory Skills
2. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 2 of 10 ): Entering Data
3. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 3 of 10 ): Adding Column/Creating Formulas
4. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 4 of 10 ): Labels and Column Names
5. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 5 of 10 ): Absolute Cell Formulas
6. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 6 of 10 ): Saving and Closing the File
7. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 7 of 10 ): Worksheet Appearance
8. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 8 of 10 ): Formatting Data
9. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 9 of 10 ): Enhancing the Worksheet
10. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 10 of 10 ): Previewing & Printing Worksheet

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How to use Microsoft Excel ( Part 2 of 10 )

1. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 1 of 10 ): Introductory Skills
2. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 2 of 10 ): Entering Data
3. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 3 of 10 ): Adding Column/Creating Formulas
4. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 4 of 10 ): Labels and Column Names
5. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 5 of 10 ): Absolute Cell Formulas
6. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 6 of 10 ): Saving and Closing the File
7. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 7 of 10 ): Worksheet Appearance
8. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 8 of 10 ): Formatting Data
9. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 9 of 10 ): Enhancing the Worksheet
10. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 10 of 10 ): Previewing & Printing Worksheet

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How to use Microsoft Excel ( Part 1 of 10 )

1. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 1 of 10 ): Introductory Skills
2. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 2 of 10 ): Entering Data
3. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 3 of 10 ): Adding Column/Creating Formulas
4. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 4 of 10 ): Labels and Column Names
5. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 5 of 10 ): Absolute Cell Formulas
6. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 6 of 10 ): Saving and Closing the File
7. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 7 of 10 ): Worksheet Appearance
8. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 8 of 10 ): Formatting Data
9. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 9 of 10 ): Enhancing the Worksheet
10. Microsoft Excel 1997 (Part 10 of 10 ): Previewing & Printing Worksheet

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What Does Name "Tahlib" Mean

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS 
By TAHLIB

What does my name "Tahlib" mean? I like to control everyone within my influence, to shape things to my own liking. I sense that I have a high spirituality, because I have God's protection. I am generally  sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and even under stress, I am a good diplomat. I am independent, inquisitive and interested in research. For the most part, I know what I want and why I want it. I've been described as peaceful and intuitive. As I grow older, I also want to grow wiser and to understand people and I do that largely through their art and their religious traditions. I'm an introvert, and I need privacy to replenish my energy.

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10 Rules for Living and Thriving in a New World

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Tonight is my last night as a Buckeye. Tomorrow, I leave to move to NYC, but I take along my 10 rules for living. My friend Robert Maverick nick-named them "Tah Rules", and the name has stuck. I developed the rules during a particularly tough time in my life, but in shaping a road map for the future, I also found a degree of peace and I found this future. Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad journey following the North Star is the inspiration for the rules, and I hope they would make her proud.

One day, I plan to write a biography with each rule as the theme for each chapter. I hope they serve me well in the big city:

• Tah Rule #1. FOLLOW one passion.
• Tah Rule #2. BECOME your ideal.
• Tah Rule #3. PROMOTE your passion
• Tah Rule #4. REMEMBER why you started--"Celebrate".
• Tah Rule #5. KEEP Sundays for family.
• Tah Rule #6. PROTECT your partners.
• Tah Rule #7. FINISH what you start.
• Tah Rule #8. ASK to receive.
• Tah Rule #9. Give CREDIT due
• Tah Rule #10. CONTINUE your journey.

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James Ensor's Wicked Sense of Humor on View at MoMA

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

"Calvary" (1886) by James Ensor (b. Belgian). Pencil, crayon, and oil on paper, 6 3/4 x 8 3/4"

NEW YORK---The Museum of Modern Art presents James Ensor—the first exhibition at an American institution to feature the full range of his media in over 30 years. Ensor (1860–1949) was a major figure in the Belgian avant-garde of the late nineteenth century and an important precursor to the development of Expressionism in the early twentieth. In both respects he has influenced generations of later artists. The densely presented exhibition of over 100 works, examines Ensor’s allegorical uses of light including in his religious art, along with his wicked satire which takes shape in his obsession with carnival masks that are both fantastical and frightening.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): "James Ensor" (Ends September 21, 2009); 11 West 53 Street, Midtown Manhattan Precinct, New York; moma.org

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12 Months: A Faith to Freedom Story

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

It took engagement with followers of Buddha, Mary, Muhammad, Krishna, Eve and many others to turn me to the task of building the Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts. The people listed below are those I wish to thank for their special help and encouragement. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to tell this story. Leslie Kreines and Angela Corley who gifted me with my first works of religious art....And my husband Gregory and mother Vernieda who pushed me forward when I had doubts we could really succeed. This is a spiritual journey that began as an escape from with injustice.

• CHAPTER 1 Remembering Good Fridays: "Never wound a snake; kill it."
• CHAPTER 2 From Faith to Freedom: "Lord, I'm going to hold steady on to You and You've got to see me through."
• CHAPTER 3 My Introduction to Religious Art: "I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it."
• CHAPTER 4 A Lenton Journey: "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
• CHAPTER 5 The Promise of Religious Art: "I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other."
• CHAPTER 6 Leading by Collecting: "I would fight for my liberty so long as my strength lasted, and if the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me."
• CHAPTER 7 Inspiring Artists to be the very best: "If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more." 
• CHAPTER 8 Leaving a Legacy: "I never ran my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger."
• CHAPTER 9 Organizations Moving Religious Art Forward: "Quakers almost as good as colored. They call themselves friends and you can trust them every time."
• CHAPTER 10 New Artists, New Directions: "You'll be free or die!"
• CHAPTER 11 Celebrating Easter: "I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land."

INDEX

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