Project Description
American artist Corita Kent combined visual art and literature to inspire hope and promote love and acceptance during times of political and social unrest. In her print, only speak of hope, she overlays a quote from French philosopher Gabriel Marcel with vibrant blocks of color to create a striking and profound work of art that encourages viewers to look inward at themselves and their relationships. Kent transformed the words of others into unique pieces of art that spoke to the greater feminist and social justice movements of the 1960s.
Born in 1918 under the name Frances Kent, she entered the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) convent at age eighteen and became known as Sister Mary Corita Kent. Kent attended Immaculate Heart College (IHC) in Los Angeles in preparation to be an elementary school teacher. [1] After teaching young children for several years, she was assigned to IHC’s art department, where her career as an artist and internationally recognized icon began to take off. She completed her Master of Arts in art history at the University of Southern California and discovered a passion for printmaking.
Much of Kent’s work at IHC revolved around silkscreen printing or serigraphy. She had a distinct pedagogy and even used commissions as class assignments. Today, Kent is known for utilizing commercial imaging and advertisements in her work, often imbuing them with religious meaning, like her use of the Wonder Bread logo to represent communion wafers. [2] She found inspiration in everyday objects and sought to challenge how people perceive the world around them.
Although her early work was deeply influenced by her religious upbringing and education, Kent also focused on social justice issues, like the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. Her 1965 print my people includes a newspaper page documenting the Watts Rebellion while stop the bombing advocates for putting an end to the Vietnam War. [3] Her blatant anti-war works have led to her characterization as a “rebel nun.” Additionally, Kent was known for incorporating quotes from prominent political figures and activists, such as John F. Kennedy and Coretta Scott King.
Kent’s community at IHC was so progressive in fact, that the sisters proposed reformations to the order concerning dress code, lifestyle, and curriculum. [4] Other nuns across the country began advocating for women’s sexual liberation and access to birth control as part of a greater feminist movement. Despite their best efforts, the sisters of IHM were ultimately ruled against, driving many of them to leave the order altogether. In 1968, Kent left both her teaching duties at IHC and her role as a nun after years of conflict with the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal McIntyre. [5] Her work with IHC was so influential that some believe the art department faced a grave loss after her departure, undergoing a decrease in the quality of art education. [6]
Kent moved to Boston, where she took on commercial commissions to support herself, spending the rest of her years working with watercolors and rainbow swatches. In response to her shift in style, Kent is quoted as saying, “The watercolors, on the other hand, make conversation. I feel that the time for physically tearing things down is over. It is over because as we stand and listen, we can hear it crumbling from within.” [7] Kent was an artist who understood the power of art and literature. Until her death in 1986, she blended imagery and text in a form of activism, advocating for love, acceptance, and peace and defying societal expectations of religious women.
Essay written by Sisaly K., Engineering Technology and Design major, Art History minor, Berea College Class of 2025
Notes:
[1] Vincent Lanier, “An Interview with Sister Mary Corita,” Art Education 18, no. 2 (1965): 2.
[2] Cassidy Klein, “A Joyous Revolution,” Sojourners Magazine 50, no. 8 (2021): 25.
[3] Klein, “A Joyous Revolution,” 26.
[4] James Real, “Immaculate Heart of Hollywood,” Change 3, no. 3 (1971): 49.
[5] Tim Dulle, “Making New Wineskins: Commemorating the Life of Corita Kent,” American Catholic Studies129, no. 3 (2018): 119.
[6] Real, “Immaculate Heart of Hollywood,” 51.
[7] Suzanne Wielgos, “Gift to a Good, Gray World,” America Magazine: The Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture 206, no. 4 (2012): 29.