Source: The Grand Rapids Press
On September 3, 2006 The Grand Rapids Press reported, "West Michigan has seen its share of portraits of Jesus, paintings of angels and other examples of Christian art in area exhibitions. The city even has a space devoted solely to works created from the Christian perspective in The Eyekons Gallery, which opened downtown a year ago. However, many people of other faiths live in West Michigan -- followers of Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, to name a few. These religions have artistic traditions often ignored or under-represented in local shows. That will change Sept. 15-16 when the Interfaith Dialogue Association holds its 16th annual fall conference titled "Art Meeting the Sacred: An Interfaith Dialogue" at Eyekons and First United Methodist Church. In addition to speakers and workshops exploring art and spirituality, the conference features an exhibit of more than 100 works by 22 artists (19 from West Michigan) representing diverse faiths. 'We're using art as a tool to show the different paths that religion can take, a way to enlighten people about the differences and commonalities of religion,' said IDA member and conference chair Stephanie Rensland."