Ms. O's fourth graders celebrate artist and activist Corita Kent
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
"It's all about love." That is the philosophy behind elementary school art teacher Karen Olszewski's reason for treasuring her work here for the last 20 years, as well as the message behind her fourth grade students' recent project creating an exhibit inspired by the craft and spirit of anti-war activist Corita Kent.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent "It felt really good and you could really express yourself," said Nathalia Caldees (far left), describing the experience of making wall hangings with original quotes fourth graders created in Karen Olszewski's class as part of a study of artist Corita Kent.

The first installment of the exhibit, completed by Tracy Mailloux's class, is already hanging in the front hall of Nantucket Elementary School. The second installment, by Andrea Maher's class, will be up within a week. The students studied the art and life of Corita Kent, formerly Sister Corita until she left her religious community because, as Ms. O explained to her kids, "She followed her own drummer. She was her own captain."

Kent, who lived from 1918 to 1986, may be most familiar to people driving into Boston who see her rainbow design reproduced on a gas tank viewed from the southeast expressway. The mural was commissioned in 1971 and became the largest copyrighted work in the nation. She was also well known for her quotations, such as "Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed."

The art students authored their own quotations and then developed a design in sketch books before applying it to felt for wall hangings. The designs use a variety of mediums such as paints, thread, oil pastels and markers. It was clear during a recent class visit that the children were as enthusiastic about the project as their instructor, who said she chose Kent to celebrate her life and contributions to the art world and the world in general.

Manuel Pineda recalled that Kent often manipulated words on her pieces to bring attention to her message and cause observers to take more time to read and ingest what she was saying.

"So people could really feel it," said Samantha Bennett.

Some of the illustrated sayings by the children are "Everything happens for a reason," "Build a bridge and get over it," Dreams of life," "Volcano of love" and "Never fight."

Nathalia Caldees said, "It felt really good and you could really express yourself."

Ms. O, as she is usually called, first spent time with her students exploring the paths of Kent's life starting with her religious commitment that began in 1936, when she was 18, to heading the art department at Immaculate Heart College, then leaving to devote more time to her unique art, introducing words into her images in 1955. In 1985, one year before Kent died, the U.S. Postal Department published her Love stamp in a huge edition of seven hundred million pieces.

"It was fun making up your own quote and then painting it," Kayla McGrady said of this class assignment.

Olszewski usually has simultaneous projects in progress, such as the fourth grade construction of asymetrical buildings using resources such as paper towel tubes, cans, plastic bottles and the like, and a first grade project creating mummy masks. But she has truly savored the Corita Kent segment for a number of reasons.

"We will use [the wall hangings] in an exhibit, but this is to fill their own hearts," she said. "I really enjoyed the whole process with them so much. They really embraced it. Nobody wanted

to take the easy way out." I