'Hobbit' Filming Begins in New Zealand

THE CHRISTIAN POST
March 22, 2011

Peter Jackson on Hobbit set

NEW ZEALAND - Filming for the J.R.R. Tolkien-classic, The Hobbit, is underway at Stone Street Studios in Wellington, New Zealand after months of setbacks that delayed production. Director Peter Jackson, who has directed all three films in the trilogy, made the announcement over Facebook on Sunday. The first installment of the Warner Bros. and New Line Production film is not expected to be released until December 2012, while the second part is slated for release in 2013. Tolkien, a devout Catholic, wrote The Lord of the Rings series in part to explore his religious faith but chose not to do so in an explicit way but rather to highlight moral themes and philosophies. [link]

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Will Paris skyline suffer because of new Russian Orthodox Church?

WORLD ARCHITECTURE NEWS
March 21, 2011

Paris' planned Russian Orthodox Church

FRANCE - The city of Paris is to become home to a new contemporary structure in the form of a Russian Orthodox cathedral and cultural centre, with officials suggesting that construction work may commence as early as next year. Manuel Yanovski’s Society of Architects and Developers (SADE) and Arch Group have devised a softly undulating religious centre in 3,400 sq m of landscaped public gardens, incorporating sustainable features such as photovoltaic panels into the distinctly Russian concept design. [link]

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Decaying Religious Works to Tour After Restoration | Montreal

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE
March 22, 2011

"La recontre de Ste. Veronique" by Francois Guermon (1775)

CANADA - The Calvaire d'Oka, as the collection of seven painted wood bas-reliefs are known, were crafted by François Guernon (aka Belleville) in 1775. They were installed two centuries ago near the Église de l'Annonciation in Oka, about 60 kilometres west of Montreal, and for generations they were the centrepieces Catholic worshippers went to visit when they symbolically relived the Stations of the Cross - the depiction of Jesus Christ's final hours - in four stone oratories and three chapels on the hill near the church. [link]

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Wyoming High School shows art at Gallery

CASPER JOURNAL (The Daily Herald)
March 21, 2011

WYOMING - The Kelly Walsh High School art show will display at the West Wind Gallery through March 30, with a reception open to the public from 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22. Regular hours are noon-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday with free admission. Among many secular-themed works it also includes senior Allyson Christy’s religious-themed sculpture, “Salvador Dali Crucifixion,” which she leaves open to the viewer to decide what it means. “I kept thinking of the imagery,” she said about her inspiration. As for interpretation, she said, “It’s whatever the mind perceives.” Christy’s excited for her first public show and that one of her pieces from her first-ever art class made it in. [link]

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Groundbreaking Hindu Exhibit on view in Nashville

NASHVILLE ART SCENE
March 17, 2011

TENNESSEE - Five years in the making, a new exhibit at the Frist Center is the first major museum exhibition to focus on the Hindu deity Vishnu, offering a taste of Indian culture, an abbreviated history of Indian art, and an insightful look into Hindu traditions and philosophies. Vishnu: Hinduism's Blue-Skinned Savior includes 170 sculptures, paintings and objects from as early as the fourth century, and boasts a number of pieces that have never been exhibited. The show introduces the major aspects of Hindu religion and highlights the aesthetics of Indian art through what Cummins refers to as "the purest and rarest examples available." [link]

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Pastor's Art is a form of prayer

FORT DODGE SUMMARY
March 20, 2011

Display by Rev. Barbara Huisman, former interim pastor
at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Dodge

IOWA - Being the hands of Christ goes past teaching and preaching, however; being the hands of Christ can start with the creation of art work in response to reality. The Rev. Barbara Huisman, who used artwork in the journey of death with her father, spoke on this "Genesis" during Wednesday's Lenten service sponsored by the Interfaith Forum in the Celebration Center at Friendship Haven. "Art became not only an expression of beauty, but a form of prayer," she said. "A response to God's grace." Huisman, former interim pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Dodge, used her experiences as a reawakening of sorts. [link]

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Celebrity tattoo artists - Who do they ink they are?

THE INDEPENDENT
March 20, 2011

Tattoo artist Saira Hunjan

UNITED KINGDOM -- Having stamped much of the so-called Primrose Hill set, including Kate Moss and Jude Law, and gaining a two-year waiting list as a result, Saira Hunjan found that doors opened for her. “Because it’s such a small circle of people they just told each other about me,” says Hunjan. “A lot of people look up to them so I guess they like to go by their recommendation.” Hunjan was asked to design a range of T-shirts for the now defunct Luella label and she is currently branching out into silk scarves and home accessories. “I’m inspired by art from Mexico and India, religious art, goddesses and gypsy art. The stuff I’m designing is based on the imagery I like.” [link]

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