Corita Kent

1. Sister Corita Kent
Damn everything but the circus

2. Corita Kent
A sister of the order of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Her art reflects her
spirituality, her commitment
to social justice, her hope for
peace, and her delight in the
world.

3. Cultural Miner
• Used popular culture (song
lyrics & advertisements) as raw
material for her meaning-filled
bursts of text and color
• “I am not brave enough to not
pay my income tax and risk
going to jail. But I can say
rather freely what I want to say
with my art.”

4. Servant Leader
• Corita Kent was a teacher and
chairman of the Immaculate
Heart College Art Department.
• Buckminster Fuller described
his visit to the department as
“among the most fundamentally
inspiring experiences of my
life.”

5. Artist / Teacher
• August was Corita’s time for her own
art making.
• She suffered from chronic insomnia,
which aided her productivity.
• She was also plagued by mental
illness, specifically clinical
depression.
• In 1968 she left the Order and
dedicated her life to making art. She
made over 400 serigraphs over the
next 18 years.
• She died in 1986 of cancer.