CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 49 The Art of Sacred Spaces Celebrating religious art, cultures and communities BY PAMOLU OLDHAM | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW WONDERLY T o experience art, we oen anticipate destination points—the High Museum in Atlanta, our own North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, the Nash- er in Durham, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in NYC, Tate in London. But even close to home we can find stunning works of art in our community's sacred spaces, religious art that celebrates communities and cultures. at dull inset in the massive brick wall we pass so frequently, once seen from the opposite side, is alive with color, shape, his- tory—offering us a meditative moment, comfort, elation. Scholar Joseph Campbell says, "In your sacred space [temple, synagogue, church, mosque] you get the 'thou' feeling of life…. is is an abundant necessity for anybody today, [a place] where you don't know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don't know who your friends are, you don't know what you owe anybody, you don't know what any- body owes to you. is is the place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be…. At first you may find that nothing happens. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen." What is religious art? Since religion, comes from an ancient Latin word meaning "to tie things together," omas Trotter, Dean and Professor of eol- ogy at Claremont School of eology, believes religious art is that which "helps the participant to bridge his [her] experience with that of the artist or…the religious values expressed therein…. at is why religion and art are part of the wider quest for meaning. at is why we need them both." Reverend Cureton Johnson of First Baptist Church on Moore Street says, "I like to come here for a break." He has le his office to sit in front of a modern stained glass window as the aernoon sun emblazons a golden glass cross and chunks of bright red, azure, pur- ple, green, orange, yellow in a surrounding field of concrete. "e liturgy, scripture, music, [art]—all are designed to li our hearts up to God. at unifies us toward the source of our very being." Religious art enhances the experience of the divine by telling of historical events unique to a system of faith or by reflecting emotional and spiritual needs. St. Michael the Archangel Maronite Catholic Church on Arse- nal Avenue (with 8:30 Sunday morning service by Saint George's Anglican Church) offers beautiful stained glass windows depicting saints, including St. Maron and St. George. On Great Friday, the priest and members of the Maronite Catholic congregation lower Christ's body (Corpus) from the sanctuary's large cross, process outside the church with Christ's body held high, the congregation following, as finally His body is placed on a bier, with the congre- gation leaving fresh flowers in the bier which is closed and placed in a tomb. On Easter Sunday, the tomb is empty; Christ has resurrected. e flowers are taken home by each as a blessing. e importance of flowers is evident as one approaches Anantachin Buddhist Mon- astery on Highway 24, just off Highway 87. "Is there importance to the red and yellow of your temple?" "It's easy to see," says Head Monk Ven. eerapattarapop Phuangmala and smiles. e sanctuary has a long altar with Buddha, candles, many flowers, symbolizing how "people from many different families, styles can be peaceful in one arrangement." On the grounds, fruit trees and vegetable beds flour- ish. ere is even a magnificent lotus blossom. Opening the doors of Hindu Bhavan Temple on Cedar Creek Road, Chief Priest Dixit Karthik, a fourth-generation priest, points to the Sanskrit symbol for meditation, "OOOmmmm," the original universal sound emanat- ing from Lord Shiva, that lets us know we are all one world family. Inscribed on the façade above, it explains the call to conscious breathing, of grounding oneself in the present. Inside is a large area with a ledge-like altar upon which sit nine, sometimes more, colorful gods. e face of Ganesh, the God first to remove obsta- cles in one's path, he states, is reminiscent of the OM symbol at the entrance. Each god is an avatar responding to human needs— healing or aspirations for a good education or "self-knowledge, the concept that each of us has the same spark from the Divine power…that it is up to us to question 'Who am I? What is my pur- pose on earth and what is my connection to the Divine?'" Beth Israel Synagogue on Morganton Road offers many ceremo- nial objects and traditional and contemporary works of art. For feature Saint Patrick's Church

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