Interfaith Council Celebrates 25 Years of Dialogue

April 5, 2008

Author: Blackwell Thomas

Source: The Southern

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2008/04/06/front_page/24004654.txt

This month, the Carbondale Civic Center will host an art exhibit sponsored by Carbondale's Interfaith Council.

The exhibit features a couple of dozen works covering a multitude of mediums including canvas, construction paper, metal and cloth.

Despite the physical differences, each work is bound by the common theme of religion.

There are quilts that convey the work ethic of the Quakers and the Amish. A dark brown tree painted on canvas features the symbols of popular religions flowering at the end of its biggest branches; a crescent moon blooms near the Star of David. A four-foot long strip of packing paper featuring the crayon drawings of several children illustrating their favorite parts of the Bible sits next to a work called "God's Garden," a silver sheet with stylized religious symbols.

Together, the works are the embodiment of what the Interfaith Council does: Bringing different faiths together. But for the past 25 years, the council has used a series of meetings to do so in a more direct fashion.