Corita Kent

Harvard University Dining: Meatballs Inspired by the Art of Corita Kent

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Corita Kent Makes Meatballs SingBack in January, I wrote a post about a Corita Kent art exhibit in Pittsburgh. Those of us in the Boston area know her work from the bright colors on the gas tank by the expressway. But her art extends far beyond that.

Last month, a new exhibit of her work called, “Corita Kent and the Language of Pop” made its debut at Harvard Art Museums. The exhibit does not end until May 8, 2016*, so we have time to plan to see it — for those of us who are local or even if you are planning a trip to the Boston area. I will definitely make my way over there!

As a celebration of the exhibit, last week Harvard University Dining Services hosted a Corita Night in the dining halls. They asked, “what would happen if food and art collided?”

The Harvard Gazette reported that Chefs answered the question by creating meatballs inspired by her image “song about the greatness,” which was used in a DelMonte ketchup ad and reads “Makes meatballs sing.”

Luke Parker, Winthrop House’s senior chef, drew on his love of spice and dished out Thai chicken meatballs seasoned with curry, lemongrass, and coconut milk. …

Over in Leverett House, chef Kathleen Smith drew on her travels in Mexico — and her Mexican boyfriend — to create the night’s menu. Her albondigas came drenched in a spicy chipotle sauce.

Sounds like a delicious menu and shows how Corita Kent‘s art is timeless and continues to inspire us all.

*Updated 4/3/2016* I was just watching a segment on CBS Sunday Morning about Corita Kent and realized that I got the dates wrong on this post. Unfortunately the exhibit at Harvard ended in January and I missed it again! Ugh! Well, if you are near San Antonio, you do have until May 8th to see it.

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Image Credit: song about the greatness, © Courtesy of the Corita Art Center, Immaculate Heart Community, Los Angeles, Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Margaret Fisher Fund.

Corita Kent: Throwback Thursday: Boston Gas Tanks

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Gas tank art of Corita KentAfter reading a recent article about Sister Corita Kent, it reminded me of my 1991 picture of the two gas tanks. Now there is only one gas tank, but thankfully the beautiful art of Corita Kent was preserved.

As a child, I used to be so excited when I would see the familiar Boston landmark. The big splashes of bright colors painted on one of the two gas tanks as my father drove our family into Boston countless times on the expressway. Until I saw that gas tank, I never thought about art being placed on objects that weren’t necessarily art. Corita Kent brought art to the masses even if you weren’t looking for it. There it was.

On January 31st, an exhibit of her work will be opening at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh called Someday is Now: The Art of Corita Kent. The exhibit will be there until April 19th and covers more than 30 years of her work. Below is an excerpt from the website.

In her rich and varied career, she was a designer, teacher, feminist, and activist for civil rights and anti-war causes. Her thousands of posters, murals, and signature serigraphs reflect these combined passions for faith and politics. Kent became one of the most popular graphic artists of the 1960s and ‘70s, and her images remain iconic symbols that address the larger questions and concerns of that turbulent time and continue to influence many artists today.

While several exhibitions have focused on Corita’s work from the ‘60s, Someday is Now is the first major museum show to survey her entire career, including early abstractions and text pieces as well as the more lyrical works made in the 1970s and 1980s. The exhibition also includes rarely shown photographs Corita used for teaching and documentary purposes.

This looks like a great exhibit if you get the chance to go. It appears to be traveling to different cities, so maybe it will stop by a location near you.