Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Alternative Christmas art shown

AltXmasArt, a groundbreaking exhibit of alternative Christmas art, is now showing here at the Jesus in Love Blog.

Nine artists mix Christmas imagery with a progressive vision of GLBT rights, racial and gender justice, and a world without war, poverty or pollution. Each image has a seasonal reflection by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry.

AltXmasArt was first posted in December 2008, but it’s worth another look. Many people feel left out of the traditional Christmas scenes, but AltXmasArt breaks the stereotypes and shows Christ for ALL of us -- gay and straight, bisexual and transgender, male and female, black and white, rich and poor. I hope that it will inspire you.

The series offers a superb fusion of high-quality art, deep spirituality and socio-political commentary. Surprising variations on the traditional Nativity scene include black madonnas, lesbian madonnas, father-and-son scenes of Jesus and Joseph, and a multi-racial trio of female Magi.

Two favorites from the series have been posted here earlier this month. To see the rest, you’ll have to use this quick guide with links to the whole series:



Annunciation” by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin







La Anunciación (The Annuciation)” by Armando Lopez







Mother of God: Mother of the Streets” by Brother Robert Lentz







Black Madonna - Mitochondrial Eve” by David Hewson







The Holy Family” by Janet McKenzie







San José (Saint Joseph)” by Armando Lopez







Joseph and the Christ Child” by Father John Giuliani







Mary Most Holy Mother of All Nations” by Father William Hart McNichols







Pacha Mama Healing the Earth” by David Hewson







Epiphany” by Janet McKenzie







Radiant Baby” by Keith Haring







Madonna, Lover, and Son” by Becki Jayne Harrelson




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If you like this art, you’ll also enjoy “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More” by Kittredge Cherry. The book is filled with color images by 11 contemporary artists. Five artists from AltXmasArt are featured in the book. The artists tell the stories behind their images and a lively introduction puts them into political and historical context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.

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