Make Meatballs Sing: The Life & Art of Corita Kent / Words by Matthew Burgess / Pictures by Kara Kramer / 2021, Enchanted Lion Books
The USPS Love stamp has always occupied space in my imagination. The stripeyness! The rainbow-y-ness! The movement! It was released in 1985, when I was 5 years old, which maybe has something to do with it? But I digress. Did you know that the stamp was/is:
1) A miniature version of the largest copyrighted artwork in the world, and
2) that the original was painted on a Boston gas storage tank in 1971 by Corita Kent — an artist-activist-teacher/pop-art-pioneer and nun?
I didn’t, and I can’t believe I didn’t, especially since I’m the product of a Catholic education and had several whip-smart, fiercely independent nuns as teachers. (Cue Catholic guilt — sorry, Sister J!)
ALSO these “10 Rules” for art-making, which I’ve encountered in several creative contexts, were written by Corita!
Anyway, now I know (phew!) thanks to this delightful picture book biography.
Author Matthew Burgess was captivated by the Love stamp as a kid, too. Corita Kent is one of his artistic heroes, and it shows in his prose, which follows Corita — born Frances Elizabeth Kent in 1918 — from her childhood in Hollywood, CA to her decision to be released from her vows after more than 30 years as a Sister of the Immaculate Heart. Ample end matter — including a chronology, photos, and quotes — is a fantastic starting point for curious readers who want to learn more about Corita’s remarkable life.
Kara Kramer’s bold, joyful mixed-media illustrations could not be a more perfect fit for this story. As a kid, when “she painted, Frances became a bird in the breeze of her brush …” Kramer places a bluebird throughout the book, accompanying Corita from page to page, the sweetest reminder of the artist’s voice in her, and in all of us.
I’m tempted to hang my own giant reminder to “PLORK” — a word Corita used to encourage playing while working — over my writing desk. I also picked up a copy of Corita’s book Learning By Heart, where she shares art assignments to get the maker in you discovering new connections and using materials in unexpected ways. It would be a great resources for any teacher, art or otherwise.
Add Movement
This picture book pairs perfectly with embodied drawing activities. Here’s one that has you become a bird (a.k.a. “Swan” in Pilates) to practice some gentle upper back extension as you draw. It’s great for re-setting your posture if you’ve been working (and/or plorking!) at a desk.
- Tape some paper to the floor, and gather some art-marking, mark-making utensils. Crayons, pencils, charcoal, pastels … NB: the messier they are, the more colorful your outfit at the end. Chalk on outdoor concrete also works.
- Become a the bird of your choice!
- Lie on your belly with your legs out long and your arms stretched out in front of your shoulders, if that feels comfortable. Take a crayon in each hand/wing.
- Pick up your face/beak and lift your chest, keeping your eyes on the paper in front of you.
- Circle your bird wings out to a “T” from your shoulders, and see what you create!
- Circle your bird wings back to your starting position as you lower your chest and head.
- Try 4-5 rounds of flight, experimenting with different wing positions as you keep your chest lifted.
Embodied drawing for the win! I find this to be as grounding as it is fun, and there are a million ways to do it. Put on some music, and draw along; try embodying different animals as you move/draw; try it standing with paper taped to a wall. If you like, post your drawing and tag @whimsygym on Instagram — I’d love to see what you create!
Add Theater
Use a doodle as a starting point for becoming a character. You could use your embodied drawing, or start a new doodle. Set a doodling timer for 2 minutes. When your doodle is finished, set another timer for 5 minutes. Can you turn that doodle into a character on the page? Maybe give it eyes and a nose a smile and/or a frown and/or terrible terrible teeth and/or a funny hat? Maybe give it a name!
Next, set another timer for 5 minutes. Use this time to put your character in your body. Put your doodle in your legs, your arms, your shoulders, your spine, your eyebrows. Put your doodle’s face behind your face! Start to add sound. What kinds of sounds does your character make? Does it speak? If it does, speak in your doodle’s voice!
Maybe bring your doodle to a birthday party and see what it does.
In other words, PLORK!
Coach Cristin is a teaching theater artist who uses movement as a tool to tutor young readers and writers. She’s also a Qualified Fletcher Pilates Teacher, and she teaches Pilates to both kids and adults. Most importantly, she’s a children’s literature superfan who feels most at home lying on a library floor covered in picture books.
Coach Cristin 