A Witness to the Light

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).
A Witness to the Light
Inventory
Collection Number
17378
Building
Current Location
Mezzanine
Floor
2nd
Description
Details
This is an original color serigraph print .
Framed
Yes
 - Plexi
Width
1 1/2 inches
Height
25 inches
Length
32 inches
Donor
Library Owns
No
Permissions
Reproduce the Work in Library publications/publicity, including film or videotape
Yes
Reproduce
Library has Photography Rights
Yes
Photograph
Permit the general public to photograph the work
Yes
Slides/Video