Mirror of the Divine: Art in the Baha'i World Community
Mirror of the Divine derives from the Baha'i teachings a new, world-embracing and stimulating vision of the arts and their practice. It follows that everyone involved in Baha'i community development, whether in study circles, devotionals, children's or youth activities, could benefit from a chance to get acquainted with the arts from a Baha'i perspective.
The Universal House of Justice, in its communications over the years, has repeatedly encouraged the Baha'i world to incorporate the arts into the fabric of community life. Moreover, according to Book 7 of the Ruhi Institute, the arts should be included as an "essential element" in "every study circle", for they can "enhance the spiritual development of the participants", and contribute to the spiritual vitality of community life (p. 111).
Mirror of the Divine meets this need, providing ideal reading for anyone involved in such activities, as well as for those taking courses of the Ruhi Institute. To be sure, many of the concepts regarding the arts mentioned in Book 7 of the Ruhi series are explored in Mirror of the Divine, together with quotations in the Baha'i Writings from which they were derived.
After laying a basis of art theory, Mirror of the Divine draws again on the Baha'i Writings to offer solutions to many of the practical challenges faced by artists and communities.
- What is the nature of the spiritual role the arts can play in a new era?
- In what ways can the arts contribute to the well-being of humanity?
- Should creative work done in the crafts be regarded on an equal footing with work done in the "fine arts"?
- In helping to build a new, world-wide community, how can artists find a balance between tradition and innovation?
- When translating inspiration into a finished piece, what resources and choices does a spiritually-oriented artist have? What are the hidden dynamics at work?
- How can artists who collaborate across cultural and geographical divides, drawing on one another's cultures in an interconnected world, avoid contributing to the erosion of the world's cultural diversity?
- How can the world's diversity of expression in the arts be protected while humanity moves gradually toward a world culture, and what are the principles involved?
With over 200 quotations from the Baha'i Writings relevant to the arts (many of which are not found in compilations on the arts), and over 100 illustrations, it is a highly relevant work for all who are interested in the arts.
Some of the arts referenced in Mirror of the Divine (in alphabetical order):
Architecture ~ Beadwork ~ Calligraphy ~ Ceramics ~ Clothing design ~ Dance ~ Embroidery ~ Environmental design ~ Film ~ Floral design ~ Garden & Landscape design ~ Industrial design ~ Interior design ~ Jewelry ~ Literature ~ Metalwork ~ Music ~ Origami ~ Painting ~ Photography ~ Poetry ~ Pottery ~ Puppetry ~ Rug-weaving ~ Sandpainting ~ Sculpture ~ Stained glass-setting ~ Stonework ~ Story-telling ~ Tapestry ~ Theater ~ Urban design ~ Wall mosaics ~ Woodcraft
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978-0-85398-333-X
