When asked, “What kind of flower are you?” because I have whimsical friends and coworkers who insisted on so-called “icebreaker” questions, I used to give the same answer: a single red rose - clean, pristine, rich in color, associated with romance and carefully cultivated perfection. And while I am still fond of a red rose, lately I have been returning to the wild places within myself, the ones that grew before all of life’s well-intentioned but not always wise gardeners came

The Birth of Venus, Alexandre Cabanel, 1863. Oil paint on canvas. Musee d'Orsay, Paris. Amid soft, foamy crests and undulating waves, a voluptuous female form emerges from the sea, born of the gods and destined to be a universal symbol of perfection and beauty. She is Venus, the ideal woman. She slowly awakens, seeming to stretch out upon the waves that slowly move her to shore, as putti, or cherubs, herald her arrival with music and celebratory gestures. Cabanel’s painting f

Michelangelo’s Pieta. Bernini’s St. Theresa in Ecstasy. The colonnade of St. Peter’s Square. These are a few of the most iconic examples of the Catholic Church’s rich history of patronage of the arts in service of the divine. Seen as not only beneficial but necessary for worship, artwork continues to be a cornerstone of Catholic ritual. It is the ultimate expression of the idea that to create as humans is to co-create with God in an echo of His mighty works which brought our

What do the painted bison of Altamira and their fellows teach us about early humans? Photo from Wikimedia Commons (Daniel Villafruela). Over thirty-thousand years ago, the first humans figured out that they needed a few essential things to survive life on this harsh planet. Most are self evident: a semi-dependable source of food and water, shelter from the elements, including the warmth of fire, and a tribe in which to move and protect one another. But at this time in history

At the corner of 18th and Broadway, one of downtown Denver’s most bustling hubs, it might be easy to overlook, amongst all the glass fronted high-rises, a more modest building of brown rhyolite. Look closer, however, and you’ll soon see the hidden gems of Trinity United Methodist Church, including the way the light filters through its amber stained glass rose window. Perhaps, if you’re lucky, you might hear the powerful notes of the massive Roosevelt organ nestled deep within

Reclaiming Nativeness in the Realm of Nerd-dom Read Part I here. To see illustrations of the works discussed below, visit Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand's portfolio here. Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand. Image courtesy of RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver, CO where she is a current Artist in Residence. In her still-in-progress series appropriately titled Indigenous Fairy Tales, Indigenous artist Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand “matches up” various European fairy tales with their

Reclaiming Nativeness in the Realm of Nerd-dom Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand. Image courtesy of RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver, CO where she is a current Artist in Residence. If asked that age-old question, “what is art?” many would conjure up images of gilt-framed oil paintings or white marble sculptures. Those inclined towards the contemporary might picture more unconventional installations, like a dead shark floating in formaldehyde. But few would think of the glo

"Tuba City Spaceport," Ryan Singer, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40". Image courtesy of CBC Radio. An adobe building stands out in the middle of the landscape with a sign proclaiming it to be the Tuba City Trading Post in Arizona. People bring their wagons with goods to trade or buy and tie their animals up outside the store. Light, fluffy clouds sweep across the bright blue sky as the sun beats down upon the red clay earth of the American Southwest. But this is not the lan

51 Sandy Pond Road Lincoln, MA 01773 Admission Price: $14 Adults, $12 Students & Seniors Free for Trustees Members, NEMA members, children 12 and under Jim Dine, "Two Big Black Hearts." Bronze. 1985. Photo by author. The phrase “contemporary art exhibition” tends to conjure visions of colorful mixed media works set against the stark white walls of a pristine art gallery, complete with high glass windows, watchful docents, and a general sense of academic, even austere, silence

In Revolt 1680/2180: Runners + Gliders, Virgil Ortiz continues telling his stunning, multi-year futurist narrative that builds on Native American history, time travel, and the power of resilience. Not many students learn about the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 in their grade school classes but in Ortiz’s words, it’s the first American Revolution. The Spanish began to colonize Mexico in the 1500s and steadily made their way up to present-day Southwest America. In 1680, led by powerful