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Corita Kent

The artist Corita Kent was well known for her unique style of serigraphs (silkscreen prints) and public works. Often lauded as a Pop artist, Corita used a combination of quotations from contemporary intellectuals paired with brightly colored iconic images.

Corita with two others during a photo shoot in front of the Boston Gas tank in Dorchester
Corita with others during a photo shoot in front of the Boston Gas tank in Dorchester, 1976. Corita Papers. Hollis #: olvwork675236

The artist Corita Kent was well known for her unique style of serigraphs (silkscreen prints) and public works. Often lauded as a Pop artist, Corita used a combination of quotations from contemporary intellectuals paired with brightly colored iconic images. Her art appeared in magazines, book jackets, greeting cards, billboards, postage stamps, and even on a 150 feet-high gas tank.

Throughout her life, Corita remained dedicated to creating art to engage people with the spirituality and joy of everyday life. In 1979, at a testimonial dinner held in her honor at Immaculate Heart Community, Corita spoke on her philosophy of being an artist: "There is a myth around that artists suffer a painful and lonely task in their making—And of course the myth is true if we acknowledge that every human being is an artist—that pain and loneliness and making is in each of us—not only in those who paint or dance or make music. But there are joyful times too and the artist is never alone actually in that everyone else is going thru same process—each with her own unique sound—So we are really all in it together and there are no people who are not artists."

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