We Don’t Turn Out Perfect

1918–1986

We Don’t Turn Out Perfect, 1966

Serigraph print

Sister Mary Corita Kent, known as the “Rebel Nun” in the 1960s, was a member of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, a Catholic order known for its progressive stance. She earned a master’s degree in art from the University of Southern California and later became head of the art department at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, where her primary medium was screen printing (serigraphy).

After the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), Kent’s work grew increasingly political, addressing the antiwar movement, civil rights, and women’s rights through messages of love and peace. Her art functioned as activism: spiritually grounded social commentary that promoted love and tolerance. She left the order in 1968.