Happy Birthday Corita Kent!

If you’ve searched google today, you saw this image by Corita Kent.

I first encountered Sister Corita’s work as a young art teacher. Someone, I wish I remembered who, gave me a copy of her book Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit as a graduation present from undergrad. Corita would have been 96 today, and I am so grateful that Google reminded me of that. And that Retro Renovation extraordinaire Pam Kueber alerted me! Thank you Pam! (and for the fun Merry Kitschmas, too–you are an inspiration!)

Some of you might remember Corita because of her love stamp, but probably only if you also remember that you used to have to lick stamps…ah, those were the days!

I am currently in the homestretch of printing our 2015 PRESS calendar along with fabulous interns Jonas McCaffery and Isaac Wood. These two young men are embracing the sentiment of Corita along with me as we make our calendar of sayings that will hopefully both inspire and challenge you. We are even including one of Corita’s rules, Rule #9: Be happy whenever you can manage it, enjoy yourself, it’s lighter than you think. Corita’s exhibit that Skidmore College organized at the Tang will be opening at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh on January 31, 2015 running through April 19, 2015. I was lucky enough to see it in Cleveland where they also had a Cleveland only work of Corita’s, the Beatitudes Banner. I wrote about that here. My favorite part of the exhibit was the movie that featured a few interviews with Corita. Watch it here.

Next up on my list is Primary Colors, a 60-minute documentary of her life from 1991, who wants to come over and watch it with me??