'Beauty and Belief' - Acclaimed Islamic art exhibit at BYU [Mormon]

Why would Brigham Young University — a Church-owned institution found in the heart of Mormon culture and heritage — play host to a massive exhibit of Islamic art grounded in the day-to-day culture of the Muslim world?

It's a fair question. One that exhibit and museum directors are eager to answer and engage. Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir, project director of the new Islamic-themed "Beauty and Belief," said she is often asked by associates from far outside Utah just why such an exhibit would open at BYU.

"Why BYU? Because here is a religious community who actually sincerely embraced the project, who is willing to cross bridges and in the making itself of this exhibition many bridges have been crossed," she said in a museum release. "That in itself is reinforcing to the message of this exhibition."

"Beauty and Belief" opens Feb. 24 at the BYU Museum of Art. Visitors will be introduced to a broad collection of objects that define the exhibit— the largest ever hosted by the museum. More than 250 objects were collected from 10 countries, 40 lending institutions and 10 private collections. Counted among the contributors are several international museums stretching from Great Britain to Morocco. The exhibit will be on display at the museum until Sept. 29. It will then be housed for short stints at museums in Indiana, New Jersey and Oregon.

Dr. Al Khemir likes to use the word "bridge" when discussing the "Beauty and Belief." It's prominently found in the exhibit's subtitle: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture. Curators hope that museum visitors will study each object, step across a bridge of understanding and discover the common ground between Islamic and Western cultures.

The exhibit is not political — but it obviously arrives at BYU during a politically charged time in the world. Dr. Al Khemir and her associates hope that visitors will discover differing ways of seeing the Islamic world — and then leave with new understandings and insight about Islamic culture.

"Beauty and Belief" is, at once, a challenging and an accessible exhibit. On one hand, the collection of "art" is obviously different than many objects found in a traditional art exhibit. Instead of paintings or sculptures that share an easily recognizable narrative, most of the objects found here are household items such as bowls, dishes, textiles and decanters.

Yet each object tells a story of belief. The items were typically crafted by an anonymous artist who utilized their talent to both celebrate and communicate their love of God and His creations. Their artwork doubles as holy offerings.

Plenty of educational materials are found in the exhibit to help folks understand the history, purpose and nuances of each object.

It's hoped that a wide variety of visitors experience "Beauty and Belief," including school groups, Primary classes, Church youth groups and, of course, families and individuals.

Admission to the exhibit is free. Visit the exhibit's web site, www.beauty-and-belief.com or call (801) 422-8287 for more information.

The Catholic church is frequently attacked, but it is also frequently glorified in Hollywood and on TV, the media also frequently treats it with great respect and as an authority.
The Catholic Church USED to be treated fairly but it hasn't been treated well by Hollyweird since the 60's. More often that not it's ridiculed; its priests are considered perverts, its nuns repressed and PRACTICTING Catholics are treated like evangelical Southern Baptists, that is, not well at all.

Evangelical Christians are almost always treated as sub human, backwards, primitive, and you won’t see the troubled movie hero going to his Southern Baptist minister for advice, because he is always Catholic. The left know how Evangelicals vote, and how steadfastly conservative they are, that is why even in horror flicks the bible quoting Protestants are likely to be the slope headed, inbred, cannibals, never the good people, or the religious counter to evil or the powers of Satan.
True. But like I said it was the 60's that turned the tide for Cathollics. SOME Protestants are treated well, but ANY evangelical, Baptist, Methodist AND Catholic evangelicals are treated just like you said.
You've watched the Bing Crosby movies too much. :o)

That is ridiculous, turn on a TV, and watch all of the positive Catholic characters and leaders, and situations, from positive, heroic Nuns on Law and Order, to family priests like the Everybody loves Raymond church, Catholic is almost the only church on TV, unless the character is to be backwards and bigoted, and stupid.

This movie is just coming out, Hollywood often makes Catholicism very positive. Like I say, the hero is always a Catholic, can you imagine the troubled detective or conflicted hit man going to his Evangelical Southern Baptist minister?

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/zleeman/2012/02/28/the-confession-dvd-review-tense-taut-saga-proves-web-series-can-satisfy/#more-574696

is ridiculous, turn on a TV, and watch all of the positive Catholic characters and leaders, and situations, from positive, heroic Nuns on Law and Order, to family priests like the Everybody loves Raymond church, Catholic is almost the only church on TV, unless the character is to be backwards and bigoted, and stupid.
This movie is just coming out, Hollywood often makes Catholicism very positive. Like I say, the hero is always a Catholic, can you imagine the troubled detective or conflicted hit man going to his Evangelical Southern Baptist minister?

There is more to tv than Everybody lovesRaymond and Law & Order. I have seen Law & Order where the priests are either nothing, nobodies or confused, never as smart as anyone else. They are necessary there because many criminals and victims are Latino and therefore Catholics, obviously nominal.

I think YOU are dead wrong, though I have to admit I DON'T watch Everyone loves Raymond. I've been watching tv and movies since the 1949 or 1950 where we got our first T.V. Catholics as good guys?? Please. Catholic rules are WAY too strict for the godless Hollywoodians, WAY too strict. The Church is against abortion, artifician contraception, porngraphy, drugs, adultery, divorce, fornication, and on and on and on--HOLLYWOOD incarnate, that is. How CAN you say that SUDDENLY the organization that has condemned Hollyweird behavior as long as there HAS been a Hollywood, is NOW being portrayed positively? NOT A CHANCE.

This is just goofy, you simply ignore everyday TV and movies, Catholics and Catholicism is very often portrayed as good, and as pretty much the only church in America. Hispanics? You think that Hispanics drive it? Remember that Hollywood and Catholics vote for the same leftist agenda, it is Evangelicals that are anti-left, and Hollywood treats them with true hatred, if they mention them at all, and i never said anything about “suddenly”, Catholicism has always been the most favored church to Hollywood, and still is.

Are YOU nuts? The Catholics represent only 25% of the population and the Protestants almost the all the rest. How can 25% be "the only church in America"?
The Left has LOATHED the Catholic Church for MANY eons and has ridiculed the male-only priesthood, the nuns (who are still portrayed as black-habited women and almost NO NUNS wear those monstronsity habits anymore) and the good ole Catholic girl-slut. I can't remember how many comedians (on tv and in movies) used the priest and nun as butts of jokes.

The Catholic Church has been targeted as being a rich, white male enclave which holds their people up for money all the time. Popes and bishops are often mocked for their robes, miters and old, old-fashioned ideas such as chastity, purity and virginity.

The only GOOD priests were the ones in THE EXORCIST and that was BECAUSE the movie was based on a book, a true story, so the priests COULDN'T be portrayed as idiots.

Hollywood USED to portray priests and nuns well, but NOT after the 60's, sexual revolution, women's lib, gay liberation and a huge spike in drug use.

Women libbers were PARTICULARLLY anti Catholic because of the male-only priesthood.
The homosexual community LOATHED the Church because of its stance against homosexual sex and "marriage."
Hollywood CELEBRATES sex, soft porn, sex, adultery, sex, divorce, sex and promiscuity...all those things on which so many of their movies and tv are based. Those same movie producers can't treat well the instituion that DENOUNCES so MANY, MANY, MANY of their movies. Hollyweird KNOWS that sex, porn and more sex SELLS and that priests and nuns (and all that they stand for) DON'T. Hollyweird USED to portray priest and nuns well but that was a long, long time ago.

You must not be Catholic. Otherwise you would KNOW the scorn my faith has been subject to from Hollyweird and the leftist media. I sure know it and have NEVER seen any priests or nuns protrayed with anything but ridicule since the 1960's.

As for VOTERS, there are plenty of idiots who vote for the left in the Catholic faith. I didn't say we were all SMART...but we are NOT portrayed well at all by Hollyweird, not since the 1960's. They are MOSTLY ignored because movies about priests and nuns would be a snooze-job these days.

From sit coms like “Everybody Loves Raymond” to movies like the current “The Confession”, to dramas like Law and Order, Catholicism is treated with respect and as powerful.

Try to imagine the detective, or the monster slaying jero seeking out a Southern Baptist minister, we both know that it will always be a Priest.

Catholics do vote Democrat not”plenty” of them, most of them, they voted for Obama for instance because Catholics are a Democrat voting block.

Southern Baptists are the second largest church in America, they are non-existent in Hollywood, unless you want to count the horrors of the scripture quoting Southern, backwoods folk who murder and eat, and torture the big city folk, in movies.

Try to imagine the troubled movie hero, or detective, or monster slayer, seeking out his old Southern Baptist minister for advice, it will always be a Catholic Priest.

Your freakish rantings about the 1950s and The Exorcist are pure BS, go turn on your TV and watch movies, and pay attention, you will see some anti-Catholic stuff, but you will see tons of good Catholic stuff, watch where the weddings take place for instance, don’t Southern Baptists get ever married?

You cannot just make it up and claim things that aren’t true, Catholics are just about the only religion on TV and in movies, except when they want to show the Christians as backwards, brutal, bigoted hicks, then it is Protestants. From sit coms like “Everybody Loves Raymond” to movies like the current “The Confession”, to dramas like Law and Order, Catholicism is treated with respect and as powerful. Try to imagine the detective, or the monster slaying jero seeking out a Southern Baptist minister, we both know that it will always be a Priest. Catholics do vote Democrat not”plenty” of them, most of them, they voted for Obama for instance because Catholics are a Democrat voting block. Southern Baptists are the second largest church in America, they are non-existent in Hollywood, unless you want to count the horrors of the scripture quoting Southern, backwoods folk who murder and eat, and torture the big city folk, in movies. Try to imagine the troubled movie hero, or detective, or monster slayer, seeking out his old Southern Baptist minister for advice, it will always be a Catholic Priest. Your freakish rantings about the 1950s and The Exorcist are pure BS, go turn on your TV and watch movies, and pay attention, you will see some anti-Catholic stuff, but you will see tons of good Catholic stuff, watch where the weddings take place for instance, don’t Southern Baptists get ever married?

Nothing to say to such WRONGNESS, except BYE-BYE. Ignore button: ON.

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