School of Art Welcomes Curator of the Corita Art Center to Lecture Series

The School of Art in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is excited to launch fall 2022 Visiting Lecture Series with Olivian Cha, curator of the Corita Art Center. The Fine Arts Center Gallery currently has Corita Kent: Heroes and Sheroes on display through the end of September. Cha's lecture is Thursday, Sept. 15 at Hillside Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. and will share insight into Corita Kent's life, work and the Heroes and Sheroes series.

Cha received both her Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Art in art history from the University of California Los Angeles. She has held research and curatorial positions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Research Institute and previously served as an Arts Librarian at the Los Angeles Central Library. She is also an independent curator and occasional art critic contributing reviews, interviews, and features for publications such as Frieze, Flash Art, and Artforum.

"The School of Art, as well as the entire U of A community, is very fortunate to have Olivian on campus to talk about the life and work of Corita Kent," said Marc Mitchell, curator and director of exhibitions for the School of Art Fine Arts Gallery. "Kent is one of the most important artists of the 21st century, especially when you think about artwork that delves into social justice and activism. Olivian has the unique ability to provide insight to both the thinking and working process of Kent, and that will be fantastic for our students."

The artist, educator and advocate Corita Kent was known for her innovative production techniques, teaching methods, and messages of social justice. Active in the U.S. during the turbulent mid-20th century, Kent's body of work reflects concerns about poverty, racism, and war. Her use of bright colors and bold text was often combined with handwritten excerpts from religious works, philosophers, poets and even pop music. Kent carefully selected words and images to deliver accessible, earnest messages about love, hope and peace.

Kent's Heroes and Sheroes series, currently at the Fine Arts Center Gallery, is revered as the most explicitly political body of work she produced in her lifetime. Made between 1968 and 1969, the twenty-nine prints not only respond to pressing issues such as the Vietnam War, political assassination and the civil rights and labor movements, they also highlight Kent's acute awareness of how these events were framed and disseminated through mass media.

Taken as a whole, Heroes and Sheroes mark her striking progression as an artist and underscore the ethos that informed her life and work—a belief in the power of collective action and finding joy in the everyday.

All are invited to learn more about Corita Kent and the Corita Art Center from Olivian Cha on Thursday, Sept. 15 at Hillside Auditorium, 202, at 5:30 p.m.

The School of Art Visiting Lecture Series is a 30-year-old tradition hosting renowned artists, designers and scholars to provide students and the community comprehensive experiences in the practice and study of fine arts and design. All lectures are free and open to the public.

To see the full fall School of Art Visiting Lecture Series schedule visit art.uark.edu.