Pop Art Poster Project inspired by, Sister Corita Kent
Creativity belongs to the artist in each of us. To create means to relate. The root meaning of the word art is 'to fit together' and we all do this every day.
- Corita kent
Sister Corita Kent adopted her name at the age of 18 when she joined a teaching order at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles as an art educator. In 1962 Kent and her students saw an Andy Warhol exhibition at the Ferus Gallery which left Corita feeling hugely inspired! Amidst the social unrest of the 1960’s and 70’s, Corita began cultivating a style of art which often combined recognizable imagery with activism and spirituality. Her preferred medium was silk-screening which she learned entirely on her own. Corita was also a prolific photographer who captured moments of inspiration and then used her photos to create stencils for her prints. In her personal archives there are around fifteen thousand slides of her photographs dating from 1955 to 1968. Typography, advertisements, slogans, and popular song lyrics are the subjects of her prints which she layered and then revealed from negative space. Sister Corita Kent continued her work during her battles with cancer and remained an artist and an activist until she passed in 1986.
We do not own the rights to this image: Corita at Immaculate Heart College ca. 1964. Courtesy of Corita Art Center/Immaculate Heart Community, Los Angeles corita.org
These images are shared for educational purposes. We do not own the right to these images - (top) “hope” 1965 / (bottom left) “solw” 1967 / (bottom right) “a small brown bird” corita.org
posters created by artists - age 8-15
In this project, artists will be introduced to the work of Pop Artist and Activist, Sister Corita Kent. Corita used her creativity to spread powerful messages of peace, love, justice and equality. This project is an open-ended invitation for artists to carry a BOLD and meaningful message with their art.
You don't need fancy art materials or a silkscreen to make a Corita inspired Pop Art Poster. Set out an art buffet using what you have. The project plan includes 20 pages of color, images and text to include in your buffet. Each artist will create their own unique work of art.
Corita's magic ingredients were: color, text, shape, advertisements, packaging, handwriting.. and HOPE! How can you combine some or all of these elements to create a powerful work of art?
find the full project plan + Printable collage pack here:
Learning by Heart is a must read for educators and it was co-authored by Corita
In the 1960s Corita created her “10 rules for the art department” for her Immaculate Heart College students. The layout was designed by the calligrapher David Mekelburg and hung in her classroom. You can buy a print of this poster here.
Pop Art Poster Project inspired by, Sister Corita Kent
Sister corita kent is such a source of inspiration that it is impossible to just share a couple of quotes.
Here is a list of Corita quotes on life and creativity:
