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Painting the parables is a special calling for James Janknegt. At the start of the new millennium, the Texas artist took up his brush to create 40 images of the teachings of Christ in what he calls “modern day American vernacular,” one for each day in the season of Lent. He published them in a book of meditations on the parables in 2017. These contemporary variations in paint on the oft-told New Testament tales turn the first-century Middle East into suburban America. A stock character like the builder of bigger barns becomes a real-estate developer.

Baghdad-born artist Qais Al-Sindy, who now lives in California, knows what it means to carry a land, a people, and a tradition with him. His art creates connections between different cultures and traditions as he raises profound questions and seeks to promote spiritual healing.