a-mighty-fine-blog

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Friday, 17 April 2009

Sacred Spaces: First Congregational Church | Indianapolis

Posted on 18:00 by john mical
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB


INDIANA---First Congregational Church bills itself as a progressive,  inclusive, spiritually alive servant community. I was invited to attend for the Good Friday, a stoic and somber experience for any church, and this was true for First Congregational Church as well. They are part of the United Church of Christ family of churches. However in general, they offer two distinct opportunities for worship. First, their "New Creation" worship which is varied and nontraditional with drama, contemporary music and dance. “You never know what will happen this week,” said one worshipper. The second at 11am is their Traditional worship which offers "challenging and thoughtful preaching" along with traditional music. The structure is a huge beautiful New England style sanctuary, and starkly unadorned in terms of artistry or scultptural works, but it does sit on a nice parkland campus, and even as a Baptist art-evangelist, I felt very welcomed.
Read More
Posted in 365 Days, Gods Art Museums, Indiana, Sacred Spaces | No comments

Sunday, 12 April 2009

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

Posted on 18:00 by john mical
GOD'S ART MUSEUMS
By TAHLIB
"Feet First" (1990) by Martin Kippenberger at MoMA
"Robo-priest" delivered the Easter homily in French today at Saint Vincent de Paul Church. I nicknamed him that because of his robot-like efficiency during weekday noon masses, but today he was different. Backed by an all Haitian choir, he was on fire before the packed congregation of pasty Parisian-born New Yorkers dressed in white. It was a beautful yet broken experience for me. Monday - Friday, this is my home church but on this Easter Sunday, I was an alien. Yesterday, at MOMA I saw Martin Kippenberger's retrospective, and his crucified frog is my image for Easter 2009. Everyday in NYC, wonder surrounds me but I remain an alien.

As a Christian, this holyweek is the most special week of my year:
  • Good Friday: "Crucified Frog" by Martin Kippenberg [link]
  • Easter 2009: St. Vincent de Paul, Chelsea, NYC [link]
To follow my holyweek journey, I'll be updating future Easter posts with links in the years ahead. Whether Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jew or non-denominational, we are all members of a giant spiritual family, united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's also Religion.
Facade of Church
While the facade is elegantly preserved, it is the opulent interior of the 1869 structure, as refined in 1939 by architect Anthony H. Depace that most takes your breath away. There are grandiose marble columns, intricate mosaics, murals and colorful stained glass which effectively combine to produce a kind of super spiritual atmosphere found in the greatest of Christian churches. St. Vincent de Paul is a masterpiece but one that is in a state of decay, and needs a resurrection for the modern day.
Interior of the church
Read More
Posted in @Easter, 365 Days, AOANews, AOMeetup, Art Christian, Gods Art Museums, New York, Sacred Spaces | No comments

"Christ" by Adi Nes at the The Armory | NYC

Posted on 17:00 by john mical

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB


NEW YORK - Adi Nes is an Israeli gay artist whose works, like this one entitled, "Christ" go for $40K+ at the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York City.
Read More
Posted in 365 Days, AOMeetup, Artist_ANes, New York | No comments

Friday, 10 April 2009

Crucified Frog by Martin Kippenberg at MoMA for Good Friday

Posted on 16:00 by john mical
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB
"Feet First" (1990) by Martin Kippenberger at MoMA
"Feet First" (1990) by Martin Kippenberger is a four foot high wooden sculpture of a crucified frog in loincloth, brandishing a mug of beer and an egg. The Pope called it "blasphemous." The exhibition, "Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective" at the Museum of Modern Art embraces the full range of his output and while the curators don't make the claim that it is comprehensive, this exhibition introduced me to one of the most inventive and influential bodies of artwork of the late twentieth century. It begins however with this message: "Everything in moderation," counseled Aristotle. Martin Kippenberger never got this message, as a good friend pointed out after the artist's death at age forty-four in 1997. The exhibit ends on May 11, 2009.
Read More
Posted in 365 Days, AOMeetup, Art Christian, New York | No comments

Sunday, 5 April 2009

All Souls Unitarian | NYC

Posted on 18:00 by john mical

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB


NEW YORK---Built in 1932, All Souls - a Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Manhattan has "zero" religious imagery in this elegant space in pastel colors with six large chandeliers and five magnificent clear glass windows. It is located at 1157 Lexington Ave on the Upper East side.
Read More
Posted in 365 Days, AOMeetup, Gods Art Museums, New York, Sacred Spaces | No comments
Newer Posts Older Posts Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Popular Posts

Categories

  • @Easter
  • @IMAmuseum
  • @MoBIAnyc
  • @MoCRAslu
  • 365 Days
  • Africa
  • AOANews
  • AOMeetup
  • AOPrize
  • Art Christian
  • Art Hindu
  • Artist_AGaudi
  • Artist_ANes
  • Artist_AWarhol
  • Artist_HFinster
  • Artist_HZughaib
  • Artist_JEnsor
  • Artist_KWiley
  • Artist_LdaVinci
  • Artist_RCianni
  • Artist_RCrumb
  • Artists_AWarhol
  • Arts Education
  • Arts Management
  • Asia
  • BFA Nominee
  • California
  • Candelmas
  • Catholic
  • Censorship
  • Collectors
  • Crisis Mgt
  • Europe
  • Excel
  • Film Arts
  • Florida
  • Galleries
  • Georgia
  • Gods Art Museums
  • Holydays Art
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kentucky
  • Massachusetts
  • MCC
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Movies2009
  • Museums
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New Years Day Resolutions
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Performing Arts
  • Philanthropy
  • Roman Catholic
  • Sacred Spaces
  • Tahlib
  • Texas
  • Washington DC

Blog Archive

  • ►  2010 (87)
    • ►  March (31)
    • ►  February (25)
    • ►  January (31)
  • ▼  2009 (23)
    • ►  December (2)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (3)
    • ►  September (2)
    • ►  August (5)
    • ▼  April (5)
      • Sacred Spaces: First Congregational Church | India...
      • RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK
      • "Christ" by Adi Nes at the The Armory | NYC
      • Crucified Frog by Martin Kippenberg at MoMA for Go...
      • All Souls Unitarian | NYC
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2008 (15)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (7)
    • ►  June (3)
  • ►  2007 (1)
    • ►  August (1)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

john mical
View my complete profile