The Beginning of Miracles: XII 1953

Curator: Here we have "The Beginning of Miracles: XII" by Corita Kent, created in 1953 using watercolor and print on paper. What strikes you when you first see it? Editor: It feels muted, almost like looking at a faded memory. The monochrome palette and abstract forms create this sense of quietude, but with a lingering question, like an unfinished thought. Curator: Kent was deeply engaged with social justice. Knowing this, how does this…muted-ness impact your reading? Editor: Given Kent's activism and deep Catholicism, it feels like a profound meditation. A focus on simplicity amidst complexity is an important activist principle, and she was influenced by the intersection of her social justice work and spiritual life. I imagine her creating a contemplative space in times of tumult. Curator: Absolutely, it's as though she's stripping things back to the essential to ask a deceptively simple question: what does change mean to the individual soul? It's interesting to think that despite her shift away from pure abstraction, this piece from the early 50s suggests an early understanding of what shapes later political engagement. Editor: It makes me think about art as a tool for processing, as preparation, as building one's sense of resilience ahead of activist labor. Kent wasn’t always overtly political, and her journey evolved organically through engagement. So to me, this shows a moment of interior building before broader expressions. Curator: Yes, there's something very gentle and exploratory in the texture that mirrors inner contemplation. The seeming absence of figures becomes meaningful when placed within a social frame that asks us who exactly do we miss when whole systems get ignored. Editor: Right. And the “miracle” in the title doesn’t need to mean some grand gesture or extraordinary action. This muted palette creates space to reflect upon daily small actions and their importance. Curator: A beautiful perspective on "The Beginning of Miracles." It prompts reflection, doesn't it? On the quieter, foundational moments that spark our actions in the world. Editor: Absolutely. The intersectional nature of one's activist self. This shows the beautiful relationship between art and political and community change.