with love to the everyday miracle

Corita Kent’s pioneering, and socially aware, pop art is inextricably linked to her work as a teacher at the Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. Her classes at Immaculate Heart (not least in the 1960s) were an avant-garde mecca for prominent, ground-breaking artists and inventors, such as Sir Alfred Hitchcock KBE (1899 – 1980, English film director, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema), John Cage (1912 – 1992, American composer and music theorist, one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde, lauded by critics as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century), Saul Bass (1920 – 1996, American graphic designer and Oscar-winning filmmaker, best known for his design of motion-picture title sequences, film posters and corporate logos),Buckminster Fuller (1895 – 1983, American architect, writer, designer, inventor and philosopher) and Charles & Ray Eames (1907 - 1978 / 1912 - 1988, American married couple of industrial designers who made significant historical contributions to the development of modern architecture and furniture, they also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art and film). Kent would later credit Charles Eames and Buckminster Fuller for their important roles in her own intellectual and artistic growth.

After the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), Kent transformed Immaculate Heart College’s annual Mary’s Day procession into a community celebration which was part of the sister’s campaign to bring secular people together. During this time, Kent’s work became increasingly political, addressing events such as humanitarian crises. Kent also embraced the many different revolutionary movements going on in the world at this time. These included the anti-Vietnam War movement, Civil Rights, and Women’s Rights. For example, she was commissioned by the Physicians for Social Responsibility to create what she called ‘we can create life without war’ billboards.

Tensions between the order and the church leadership were thus mounting with the Los Angeles archdiocese criticizing the college as ‘liberal’ and Cardinal James McIntyre (1886 – 1979, Archbishop of Los Angeles, 1948-1970, created cardinal in 1953, notable in Church politics with a reputation that remains highly controversial), who had a particular dislike for Kent, labeling the college as ‘communist’ and Kent’s work as ‘blasphemous’. Due to this, Kent returned to secular life in 1968 as Corita Kent. Most sisters followed suit and the Immaculate Heart College eventually closed in 1981.

Corita Kent left her copyrights and unsold works to the Immaculate Heart Community formed by the former IHM sisters in Los Angeles.

An archive is dedicated to Kent at the Immaculate Heart Community Headquarters in Hollywood, California, U.S.A, and some of Kent’s papers and early artworks are in Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Recent solo exhibitions of Kent’s work include Someday is Now: The Art of Corita Kent at the Tang Museum, Skidmore College (a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S.A.) and There Will Be New Rules Next Week at Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.

The Corita Art Center (CAC), a gallery and archive dedicated to preserving and promoting the work and spirit of Corita Kent, was originally founded, in 1969, as the Corita Prints in North Hollywood. It changed its name when it moved to the Immaculate Heart property in 1997 and was, until recently, located within the offices of the Immaculate Heart Community Headquarters in Hollywood, California, U.S.A. In September 2024, the CAC announced that it would move to a new location in the Arts District of Los Angeles, where it opened on 8 March 2025.

This milestone marked a new chapter in bringing the legacy of Corita Kent—a groundbreaking artist, educator, and social justice advocate—into the spotlight. Often referred to as the ‘Pop-Art Nun,’ Kent’s artwork pushed the boundaries of art and social practice. The Center’s independence, new location, programming, and exhibitions are focused on ensuring Kent’s place is embedded in the community as well as art history. Ahead of the opening, Nellie Scott (Corita Art Center Executive Director) stated:

Of the few single-artist spaces dedicated to women artists, this marks a significant milestone as Los Angeles welcomes its newest cultural space dedicated to one of its most important artists, Corita Kent. Corita was a pioneering artist who challenged societal norms, and used her creativity to inspire reflection, connection, and change. We are honored to open our doors to serve others at a time when Los Angeles, the nation, and the world need Corita’s artwork, messages, and social practice the most. Our inaugural exhibition is one that Los Angeles has never, until now, experienced—one that inspires new generations to see themselves as artists and changemakers.

Literature

This work is identified in the Corita Kent Archive as number 67-22.

(Eds.) Ian Berry & Michael Duncan, Someday is Now: The Art of Corita Kent, 2013, p. 148.

Miscellaneous

Transcribed text:

Conversion is revolution is growth is living in a way appropriate to the coming age and is not understood by the present age which is passing away

God descends

man ascends

and they move on

For you

WITH LOVE TO

the everyday miracle

that's me!

that's my color!

Copyright Firestorm Foundation