Sister Corita Kent, the “pop art nun,” captivated 1960s America–pushing the boundaries of faith, art, and activism with her radical ideas.

Today, as Corita’s studio faces demolition, her students and a new generation of artists excavate the legacy of her unconventional life.

In the 1960s, Sister Corita (1918-1986) was a cultural icon, named a "Woman of the Year" by the LA Times and gracing the cover of Newsweek. Despite numerous achievements in art, design, and education, she was never truly included in the art historical canon. Recent efforts have added Corita back into the pop art con- versation, showing how the work she was doing in the 1960s should be considered part of the canon alongside her male peers like Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Ruscha. But this film also makes a case for the cultural importance of Los Angeles’ non-traditional art spaces—like Immaculate Heart College where Corita taught and made work—that are often led by women and people of color and overlooked by the "elite" art world.

This fresh look at Corita and her legacy will resonate widely, and engage with themes of gender, class, race, intersectionality, and the role of art in activism. Corita’s position on the periphery, both as a nun and an othered member of the art world, allowed her to see far beyond the confines of mid-century American society, and has contributed to her contemporary relevance today. This is demonstrated by the intersectional identities of the artists who cite her as an inspiration. Throughout the film, these artists will speak to aspects of Corita’s story that resonate with their own. The film is further grounded in the present through the fight to save Corita’s studio from demolition, a timely representation of how our society continues to reinforce imbalanced narratives when determining who has historical value.

Artistic Approach

The film’s title, You Should Never Blink, refers to Corita's teachings on both how to watch films and observe the world around us. Like Corita’s art, we want our film to be approachable to a wide audience, but still push formal boundaries. The film experiments with cinematic language in alignment with Corita’s vibrant visual aesthetics and pedagogy, bringing together archival footage, animation, screenprints, and never before seen photographs by Corita (allowing viewers to see the world through her eyes), along with interviews and observational footage of contemporary artists living into her legacy.

Project Stage

You Should Never Blink is supported by a Production Grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities. Production began in early 2024. We anticipate completion in late 2025.

Help Tell Corita’s Story

You Should Never Blink is a project of Catticus Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Are you interested in supporting our film? Make a tax deductible donation here.