Sister Corita's Words and Shapes
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
From acclaimed picture book creator Jeanette Winter comes the little-known story of Sister Corita, a nun, educator, and activist who became a celebrated pop artist while creating works meant to inspire good in others.
Known by some as the Pop Art Nun, Sister Corita gained acclaim for her bold, graphic pop art that calls for peace, equality, and justice. At the age of eighteen, she entered the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart convent, where Sister Corita was encouraged to pursue her passion for art. She eventually earned her master’s degree and became an art teacher.
The pop art movement inspired her to create powerful screen-printed works dealing with political and moral issues from the 1950s to 1980s. Despite the diocese labeling her work as “blasphemous,” Sister Corita continued creating and fighting for what she believed was right.
Through her art, she called for an end to the Vietnam War and advocated for women’s rights, civil rights, and tolerance and love in a time of social upheaval. Her legacy as a teacher, activist, and artist with great creativity, compassion, and perseverance is sure to inspire young readers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Winter's biographical narrative of Sister Corita Kent (1918–1986) depicts her art as "letters and words and shapes and writing" that "tell us what she believes—she believes in Goodness and in God." Straightforward language tells a simple story of a woman who becomes a nun in California, shows "her students a new way of seeing" by breaking the world down into details, and runs afoul of an archbishop after assembling a colorful St. Mary's Day celebration. (Younger readers unfamiliar with Catholicism may need outside resources.) By the time Kent renounces convent life and heads to Boston to make art, it's clear that she has become famous, though not exactly how. Because the narrative omits some important context—particularly mention of mid-century conflicts that made Kent's faith in goodness meaningful and her radically democratic artistic choices resonant—readers may have a hard time grasping the significance of her work. Digital illustrations offer a loose, stylized version of Kent's art style in fresh hues, including some of the source material that inspired her. Back matter includes biographical information and Kent's rules for her students. Ages 3–8.
