Advocate.com posted a big
article and slide show based on my book ‘Art That Dares’ today (July 25).
The article says:
“Kittredge Cherry's eye-opening book, ‘Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More’ can be breathtaking, depending on how attached you are to your Christian orthodoxy. But an important function of art in society is to open our minds and help us see how rigid we can be in our perceptions.
‘Art That Dares’ was published in 2007, but the content still has the jolt of the revolutionary to it and bares reexamination. While respectful of the originals, the art by a diverse group of 11 contemporary artists recasts the stories of Christian teachings.”
I like the way that Advocate.com displays 16 images in a large-format slide show. It features art by Douglas Blanchard, Alex Donis, Becki Jayne Harrelson, William Hart McNichols, Janet McKenzie, Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, Gary Speziale and Sandra Yagi.
Many of these images were censored or destroyed. I gathered them into a book to ensure that they would be available for people to see them.
Queer Christian images are needed now because conservatives are using religious rhetoric to justify discrimination against LGBT people. Jesus loved everyone, including sexual outcasts. The Jesus of scripture broke gender rules and gender roles, befriending prostitutes, lepers and other outsiders. In Christ, God became one with all humanity.
I worked hard behind the scenes this week getting permission from the artists. I’m grateful to Christopher Harrity of Advocate.com for writing the article and putting the slide show together -- and for giving me a reason to revisiting these powerful images.
See it at this link:
http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/2014/07/25/art-gay-jesus-and-woman-christ
(Top image: “Jesus and Lord Rama” by
Alex Donis from Advocate.com)
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/
Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts
