12 queer days of Xmas art online Dec. 14-25 (12/11/08)

AltXmasArt, a groundbreaking exhibit of alternative Christmas art, will be posted online in 12 daily installments Dec. 14-25 at the Jesus in Love Blog (www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com).

Nine artists combine Christmas imagery with a progressive vision of gay, lesbian, bi and trans (GLBT) rights, racial and gender justice, and a world without war, poverty or environmental destruction.

“We hope that people will visit AltXmasArt daily for progressive inspiration in the 12 days leading up to Christmas,” says lesbian art historian and minister Kittredge Cherry, curator of the show. “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, male and female, black and white, rich and poor.”

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. The AltXmasArt series starts Sunday, Dec. 14 and ends on Christmas Day.

“Christian rhetoric is used to justify hate and discrimination these days, but AltXmasArt frees people to think differently. We hope to stimulate dialogue and consciousness of love,” Cherry says. It’s important to imagine the Christmas story in new and different ways because it empowers people to grow in their relationship with each other and with God.”

The sometimes controversial art was created by a diverse group of nine artists, including openly gay or lesbian artists such as Keith Haring, Swedish photographer Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin and Becki Jayne Harrelson of Atlanta.

Artists who dare to picture Jesus’ mother as a lesbian have faced censorship and even death threats, but now their liberating images can be seen and celebrated. Explicitly queer Christian imagery in AltXmasArt includes “Annunciation” by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, in which a gay angel gives a lesbian couple a test tube for insemination, and “Madonna, Lover and Child” by Becki Jayne Harrelson, where lesbian parents cuddle the baby Jesus.

Each image in the series will be accompanied by Cherry’s seasonal reflections on its artistic, political and spiritual significance. Cherry is the author of “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More.” She holds degrees in journalism, art history, and religion. She served as national ecumenical officer for Metropolitan Community Churches.

Artists in AltXmasArt are: Joseph Giuliani, Keith Haring, Becki Jayne Harrelson David Hewson, Robert Lentz, Armando Lopez, Janet McKenzie, William Hart McNichols, and Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin.

The show includes artists working both inside and outside the church. Five of the artists are also featured in “Art That Dares,” which is filled with color images by 11 contemporary artists from the U.S. and Europe. The artists tell the stories behind their images, including censorship, and a lively introduction puts them into political and historical context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.

The Jesus in Love Blog promotes artistic and religious freedom by supporting spirituality and the arts for GLBT people and their allies.

For more info, visit the Jesus in Love Blog (www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com), JesusInLove.org, or contact info@JesusInLove.org.

The schedule for the AltXmasArt series is:
Sun, Dec 14: “Annunciation” by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin
Mon, Dec 15: “La Anunciación (The Annuciation)” by Armando Lopez
Tue, Dec 16: “Mother of God: Mother of the Streets” by Brother Robert Lentz
Wed, Dec 17: “Black Madonna - Mitochondrial Eve” by David Hewson
Thu, Dec 18: “The Holy Family” by Janet McKenzie
Fri, Dec 19: “San José (Saint Joseph)” by Armando Lopez
Sat, Dec 20: “Joseph and the Christ Child” by Father John Giuliani
Sun, Dec 21: “Mary Most Holy Mother of All Nations” by Father William Hart McNichols
Mon, Dec 22: “Pacha Mama Healing the Earth” by David Hewson
Tue, Dec 23: “Epiphany” by Janet McKenzie
Wed, Dec 24: “Radiant Baby” by Keith Haring
Thu, Dec 25: “Madonna, Lover, and Son” by Becki Jayne Harrelson

Queer Easter Surprise: Gay Jesus on the Cross (March 28, 2006)

LOS ANGELES, CA -- March 28, 2006 -- A sign saying “faggot” hangs on the cross above Christ at JesusInLove.org, the first website to focus on the queer Christ.

“Every time a gay gets bashed, Jesus is crucified again,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian author and founder of the new website. “The anti-gay movement uses religion to justify discrimination, so even atheists can see the value in uprooting homophobia from Christian tradition.”

Artists who dare to put the Easter story in a queer context have had their work destroyed -- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org.

A high-tech slide show takes visitors through the Easter story from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewpoint at JesusInLove.org’s “Pray with Us” page. It includes the following:

*The crucified Christ is labeled “faggot” in a painting by Becki Jayne Harrelson.
*The female Christ dies on the cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist in a work by Sandra Yagi.
*The dead Christ is revived by a female Holy Spirit in Harrelson’s “Resurrection.”
*The risen Christ approaches hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.

“The Easter story is important for LGBT people. It tells us that God suffers with us, and it offers the promise of rebirth and redemption,” Cherry explained.

A recent review of JesusInLove.org by online magazine QueerDay.com called the site “a rather heavenly idea.”

JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as gay or female.

The history behind the queer Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. The site also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”

For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit JesusInLove.org.

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