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Daily Art Moment: Corita Kent

Horizontally oriented rectangle with large orange circle centered inside a green rectangle with orange borders right and left, Text: HANDLE WITH CARE! in Army Stencil font in circle. Text: SEE THE MAN WHO CAN SAVE YOU THE MOST in red printed over the green in plain font. Small white letters run vertically on the last T and read THERE IS ONLY ONE MAN. To the right of the main text within the orange circle is an e.e. cummings poem in white handwriting. It reads: "No time ago, or else a life, walking in the dark, I met Christ. Jesus) my heart flopped over and lay still while he passed as close (as I'm to you, yes closer. Made of nothing except loneliness. e.e.c.”

“Corita Kent—artist, educator, nun, and social activist—was a woman who faced the turmoil of the 1960s with courage, wit, and strength. This screenprint exhorts us to HANDLE WITH CARE, which is a great reminder to treat each other tenderly during uncertain times. Her reminder to SEE THE MAN WHO CAN SAVE YOU THE MOST refers to a popular car salesman at the day, but for Corita, it also refers to religious salvation. Who is the man or woman who can save you the most in our times? Our politicians? Our doctors? Or each individual, sheltering at home, washing hands, and keeping the faith? I value Corita’s cheeky yet profound art for inspiration, hope, and humor.”

Mary Weaver Chapin, Curator of Prints and Drawings

Corita Kent (American, 1918–1986). handle with care, 1967. Color screenprint on paper. Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the Graphic Arts Council, 2016.89.5 © Corita Art Center, Immaculate Heart Community, Los Angeles, CA

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