Corita Kent: Ordinary Things Will Be Signs for Us

Corita Kent, a Catholic nun and artist, was known for her colorful serigraphs and teaching. She lived and worked in Los Angeles, teaching art at Immaculate Heart Colleges for 20 years. Corita's inspiration came from the vernacular environs of advertising, supermarkets, and the city's media landscape. She shot thousands of 35 mm slides documenting references, the IHC milieu, and the art department processes. Her slide collection encompasses a wide range of subjects, reflecting her philosophy of looking. Ordinary Things Will Be Signs for Us embodies Corita's belief that ordinary things can be signs of hope and inspiration.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 12 September 2023
Publisher: J & L Books

Corita Kent, formerly Sister Mary Corita, is renowned for her vibrant and colorful serigraphs, as well as her influential teaching practices. Throughout her career, she dedicated herself to the art of teaching, particularly in the field of graphic design. As a Catholic nun from 1936 to 1968, Corita lived and worked in the Immaculate Heart of Mary community in Los Angeles. For 20 years, she served as an art instructor at Immaculate Heart College, where she taught lettering, layout, image sourcing, and art structure. During her tenure, she screened multiple films simultaneously, hosted renowned thinkers such as Saul Bass, Buckminster Fuller, and John Cage, and facilitated the creation of large-scale collaborative projects with her students.

Corita's teaching philosophy was centered around the idea of constant visual exploration and discovery. She regularly took her students on field trips to places like a used car lot or an art exhibition, encouraging them to observe and absorb the visual elements around them. Corita's dedication to visual exploration extended to her photographic practice. She shot thousands of 35 mm slides, documenting various subjects that inspired her artwork. These subjects included cookies, coke bottles, toys, presents, experiments, projects, Mary's Day celebrations stemming from her classroom, flowers, magazines, seeds, puppets, visits with Charles and Ray Eames, street signs, trade fairs, folk art, boxes, billboards, and kites.

Ordinary Things Will Be Signs for Us, a book published in 1968, is a testament to Corita's philosophy of looking. Drawing from the extensive slide collection at the Corita Art Center, the book showcases a diverse range of subjects that Corita found visually compelling. Through her artwork and teaching, Corita sought to inspire her students and viewers to see the ordinary and the extraordinary in new ways. She believed that by paying attention to the details and nuances of everyday life, one could find inspiration and meaning in the world around them.

Corita Kent's impact on the art world and society as a whole cannot be overstated. Her iconic artwork, innovative teaching methods, and messages of social justice have left a lasting legacy. Her dedication to visual exploration and her ability to convey her ideas through her art have inspired generations of artists and educators. Corita's legacy continues to be celebrated and honored, and her work remains a source of inspiration for artists and activists around the world.

Dimension: 191 x 254 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780999365557