Burks, whose first spirit house was commissioned by the High Museum of Art for his solo exhibition “Shelter In Place” earlier this year, draws on West African and Asian traditions to portray the dead as active contributors to our daily lives—a belief central to many non-Western cultures. These traditions, including Buddhism and the Yoruba practice of Ifá, highlight the deep integration of religion in every aspect of life—from the political to the social, cultural, and personal. Through rituals involving offerings and prayers at altars, people can experience a divine presence, a concept known as Asé in the Yoruba tradition, which infuses these human-made objects with spiritual life and power. Read the full review here.

Last year, industrial designer Stephen Burks debuted his first modern altar, ‘Spirit House’, at the High Museum of Art, for his exhibition ‘Stephen Burks: Shelter In Place’. Now, a year on, he reveals his latest exhibition, ‘Spirit Houses’, at Chicago’s Volume Gallery. Read the full review here.

Tanya Aguiñiga is known for her community-based projects and activism that involve interactions at the border. This comic is part of a series Drawn to Art: Tales of Inspiring Women Artists that illuminates the stories of women artists in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Inspired by graphic novels, these short takes on artists’ lives were each drawn by a student-illustrator from the Ringling College of Art and Design. We invite you to read the comic and share it with your friends and young people in your life. View the entire comic here.