To my shame, I only discovered Sister Corita Kent in the last few years. I came across her through her work with John Cage and the brilliant 10 Rules they created for the Immaculate Heart College Art Department. Last year SF MoMa featured some of her more political prints in the "Get with the action" exhibition (who's title comes from Kent's work). Every piece stopped me in my tracks. The colour, the type, the attitude, incredible work!
Damn Everything But the Circus was created in 1970. It's a collection serigraphs of inspiring quotes each representing a letter of the alphabet, the title coming from e.e. cummings' poem:
Damn everything but the circus!
...damn everything that is grim, dull,
motionless, unrisking, inward turning,
damn everything that won't get into the
circle, that won't enjoy, that won't throw
its heart into the tension, surprise, fear
and delight of the circus, the round
world, the full existence...
Pretty good mantra for life, and seems to sum up Corita Kent nicely - who would have been 100 in November (check out the proposed celebrations)
I spotted this book of the work and although nothing can do justice to the colour of the original prints this book it pretty damn good. Unfortunately the cover of copy I picked up is a little battered but inside the pages are in beautiful condition. It's a riot.
Check out a few spreads:
So take a hint from a nun from the sixties and not only:
but:
