Boston, MA-NH (1888PressRelease)
October 08, 2007 - The Dorchester Arts Collaborative (DAC) and Dorchester Historical Society (DHS) present a panel discussion on the art of Corita Kent and the history of the Rainbow Gas Tank, on Saturday, Oct. 27 from 7 to 9 pm at the Savin Hill Yacht Club, 400 Morrissey Blvd. in Dorchester. The event is free and open to the public, and is part of the annual Dorchester Open Studios event being held the same weekend. For more information, call (617) 839-6734 or visit www.thedac.org.
Panelists for this unique event will be Alexandra Carrera, Executive Director of the Corita Art Center in Los Angeles; Susan Dackerman, Carl A. Weyerhaeuser Curator of Prints at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University; Mickey Myers, artist, former Dorchester resident, Associate Producer of Primary Colors: The Story of Corita, and life-long friend of Corita Kent; former Boston Gas Company Public Relations Executive Frank Arricale and former State Senator Paul White. The panel will be moderated by Ricardo Baretto, Executive Director of Urban Arts at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design. The panelists are expected to discuss the life and work of Corita Kent, as well as the history of the gas tank, from its commissioning to its repainting, including the controversy surrounding Corita's anti-war activism and the siting of LNG tanks in such close proximity to a neighborhood.
"I love the gas tank," said DAC Board President Joyce Linehan. "For as long as I can remember, out-of-town guests have asked about it and been fascinated with its illustrious history. We've been having a lot of discussion of public art around here, with the recent installation of Laura Baring-Gould's piece in Edward Everett Square, and our ongoing fundraising for Joe Wheelwright's piece in Peabody Square. It seemed to me that we should celebrate the fact that we have, right here in our neighborhood, the largest piece of copyrighted public art in the world."
Commissioned in 1971, the original tank was torn down in 1992, and repainted on a second tank. It was surrounded by controversy from the beginning, with many claiming that the blue rainbow stripe contained a silhouette of Ho Chi Minh. Though Corita, an anti-war activist and Boston Gas denied the resemblance, veteran groups demanded that the second tank not bear the reproduction of the design on the first tank. Many believe that when the second tank was painted, the Ho Chi Minh image was softened.
Corita Kent also known as Sister Corita, gained international fame for her vibrant serigraphs during the 1960s and 1970s. A Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, she ran the Art Department at Immaculate Heart College until 1968 when she left the Order and moved to Boston. Corita’s art reflects her spirituality, her commitment to social justice, her hope for peace and her delight in the world that takes place all around us.
Related to the panel discussion, the Lower Mills Branch of the Boston Public Library (27 Richmond St., Dorchester) offers multiple screenings of Primary Colors: The Story of Corita. The hour-long PBS documentary produced in 1990, about the life and work of Corita Kent, artist, educator, former nun and political activist, will be shown Monday Oct. 22 at 6:30 pm; Tuesday Oct. 23 at 2 pm and Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 11 am. FREE.
These events are part of Dorchester Open Studios, held Oct. 27 & 28 in various locations. One hundred artists who live, work and learn in Dorchester exhibit. For more information, visit www.thedac.org or call (617) 839-6734.
