It was 1987 when I got a call from a national United Methodist Church committee that wanted to award South African anti-apartheid activist and spokesperson Archbishop Desmond Tutu one of my sculptures at an upcoming global event where he was to be the featured speaker. I was of course thrilled to also present the sculpture to him in person, his being one of my ultimate heros! It just so happens my political satire group the Montana Logging and Ballet Co. was also scheduled to perform at that conference, so when they heard about it they asked if we could sing him a song at the presentation. In ..read more

My wife Sam and our 11-year-old daughter Penny came home this week with a surprise: a homeless man.  The temperature had dipped to -10 and was plunging toward -35 the next day (with a wind chill of -58!) Sam and Penny had spent the previous hour driving around looking for homeless people that had not been able to get indoors. At one point they saw a man curled up in a tent. They asked him if he had a place to get warm. No. So they invited him home to stay with us until the weather warms, thereby likely saving his life. (Another man was rescued by our friend Mark and r ..read more

There is a major rot in the heart of American culture that I've worried about for some time but that's rarely recognized. So it was with great appreciation that I read David Brooks' wonderful article in the Atlantic, How America Got Mean. His point is that for most of our nation's history there was a widespread focus on moral education, not just in churches but in many local groups and the society at large. There was (until the post-WWII period, he says) a cultural incentive to make people better individuals. That social movement was replaced with a self-focused cultural wave that makes for an ..read more

I live in a body shaming culture and it's in this context that I've lived my whole life as a figurative sculptor, trying to overcome the tendency of many viewers to sexualize what I do. I've noticed that over the years I've drifted away from depicting figures that could be sexualized more easily. And this troubles me. I too am damaged by the culture. We are all damaged in different ways, but mine is unique because of my profession. I would guess that I'm the only figurative sculptor you know, so it could be that I have a useful perspective. Or I may simply irritate you. You decide. Recently I ..read more

India's PM Narendra Modi is currently visiting the US. I had my own run-in a few years ago with repressive Hindu nationalists such as Modi, over this image I published of the 16th century Hindu mystic Mirabai. Surprise, surprise– the dialog wasn't about how significant or powerful the image is! "Mirabai Writes a Tale" Mirabai, a luminous poet, is well-known today in Indian culture but almost unknown in the west. Like the Buddha, she left a pampered life as a royal princess to go into the wilderness seeking the Divine. Legend says that she (as well as other women mystics for the bhakti ..read more

We're rightfully horrified by religious zealots who perpetrate murder by some twisted dogma, festered into life-denying campaigns. Now it's time for us to recognize the same sort of spiritual violence being perpetrated across our nation in the name of belief systems being forced on the populace by the few. In a nation constructed on the principle of no state religion, this is a travesty all Americans should fight against. I say this as a devout Christian. I'm horrified that zealots who call themselves "Christian" "American Jihad", by Tim Holmes use the powerfully transformative messa ..read more

I've been fretting about the coming AI revolution for a decade now. It started when I realized that the biggest threat to the human body was going to be not climate change or political turmoil but the persistent human weakness for tech wizardry. In 2014 there were only 6 people in the world paid full-time to try to prevent AI from wiping out humans (according to AI researcher Nick Bostrom). That year I did my TED talk on The Erotic Crisis about my fears. But then finally journalists started asking what I thought were the right questions; not "will AI kill us?" but "what effect AI will hav ..read more

Every wonderful gift that tech delivers is accompanied by an invisible cost, often one that lies hidden for decades. Creating SOUL in a human is a lifetime task that gives meaning to life. AI increasingly absolves us of creating soul for ourselves. Doesn't this just continually degrade human ability and empty out our reason for being alive? "Anima Mundi", by Tim Holmes As a sculptor I recently prompted an AI image generator to create an artwork in my own style. I didn't like the result but a dear friend looked at it and said "You should make that!" What is my value now? I prefer my ow ..read more

I was asked recently to address an online group called Design Your Life, about living an authentic life in times when the culture is trying to manipulate our behavior.  As an artist I've had to resist the forces of the dominant culture for my whole career in order to be myself, and have become pretty good at it. Now that I intentionally make less money every year, I'm happier not doing other's bidding, but following my heart.  Many people have asked about the presentation, which was recorded. I'm attaching two videos, one of just my talk (26 min.)  Tim Holmes: Sculpting a Life&n ..read more

My family had another lovely Thanksgiving, seated around a table that's deeply rooted in our beloved traditions of long and loving relationships. My partner Sam and I had driven several hours to pick up my niece and nephew from the train to join Sam's small kids for a luscious feast and games at my sister's home. We had a beautiful day together. Life doesn't get any better that this! In giving thanks on this day I always think of how lucky we are, and remember all those poor souls elsewhere who spend the holiday alone. "Fallen Angel", by Tim Holmes After a lovely day Sam's kids and I ..read more