Not really, but it is Easter tomorrow, so let’s talk about Corita Kent (1918–1986), often called the “screen printing nun.” I just finished all three Austin Kleon books, where I discovered the Catholic sister, teacher, and pop artist known for silkscreen prints combining advertising imagery, poetry, and messages about social justice.
Working in the 1960s while teaching at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, she encouraged students to experiment and use art as a tool for change. Her prints borrowed slogans from everyday products and mixed them with scripture, song lyrics, and writers like E. E. Cummings producing hundreds of serigraphs addressing issues like the Vietnam War and poverty while maintaining an optimistic tone. Her work reached a massive audience when she designed the widely circulated 1985 U.S. “Love” postage stamp.
Sometimes you can take the whole of the world in, and sometimes you need a small piece to take in,” she said in 1967.
“I think that’s really what a work of art is, even though we don’t have works of art anymore — it’s a small piece that you can digest, which gives you a kind of idea of the richness that is in the whole.”
On Easter, maybe Sister Kent helps remind us that resurrection isn’t just a story, it’s bright colors and bold love and choosing hope even when the world feels heavy. New life, but make it loud.
To quote Kleon’s Keep Going:
“Whenever life gets overwhelming… think about your days. Try your best to fill them in ways that get you a little closer to where you want to be. Go easy on yourself and take your time. Worry less about getting things done. Worry more about things worth doing. Worry less about being a great artist. Worry more about being a good human being who makes art. Worry less about making a mark. Worry more about leaving things better than you found them.”
Happy Easter, everybody.