A Witness to the Light

A Witness to the Light
Inventory
Collection Number: 
17378
Building: 
Current Location: 
Mezzanine
Floor: 
2nd
Object Description
Artist Dates: 
1918-1986
Artist Nationality: 
American
Object Type: 
Details: 
This is an original color serigraph print .
Framed: 
Yes
 - Plexi
Length: 
32 inches
Width: 
1 1/2 inches
Height: 
25 inches
Description: 

Corita Kent joined the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1936 and became Sister Mary Corita. She spent much of her life working for the church and began making and teaching art in the 1940s. Her serigraph and screen prints became popular in the 1960s and 1970s when she began using popular culture and the backdrop for faith-based themes. In this particular print, Kent uses a popular soda brand, Sunkist, to advance the message "two men called John were sent by God" broken up and encapsulated by two limes. Four lemons line the bottom border. The imperfect shape of each fruit and the misfitted slogan, "Sunki-" with the "st" following beneath subverts, perhaps unintentionally, the value of a perfect brand in advertisement and focuses instead on the handwritten message within the two limes. Later in her life, Kent left the church and focused on her art, creating works that were more broadly spiritual and introspective. They are remembered to reflect her spirituality along with "her commitment to social justice, her hope for peace, and her delight in the world that takes place all around us" (-excerpt taken from the correspondence attached to the piece).

Reproduce the Work in Library publications/publicity, including film or videotape: 
Yes
Make slides or videotapes for educational use: 
Yes
Permit the general public to photograph the work : 
Yes