Corita’s Rainbow Swash
Along the side of I-93, Boston’s Southeast Expressway, about two miles outside of downtown Boston, stands one of the most iconic public artworks of the 20th century. Seemingly bursting out of Dorchester’s waterfront, it is a monolith adorned with the colors of the rainbow. This Boston landmark, commonly referred to as the “Rainbow Swash,” is one of Corita Kent’s most widely known works.
Corita Kent was an artist, educator, and social justice advocate that worked primarily in the medium of serigraphy. She became a cultural icon and luminary in the art world during the 1960s. Many of her works reflected the political, socio-economic, racial, and global challenges of that supercharged decade. After living as a nun in the Order of the Immaculate Heart since age 18, Corita Kent sought dispensation from the Church in 1968 and relocated to Boston.
In her later years, Corita continued to work in her preferred medium of screen printing while also developing a watercolor practice and creating large public art commissions. In 1971, Eli Goldston, the president of what was then called Boston Gas Company, commissioned Corita to paint one of the company’s two gas tanks that resided off of the highway. The project started with a 7-inch scale model on which Corita initially painted the iconic colors. The brightly colored swashes were then translated onto the actual 140-foot gas tank by a team of 20 sign painters.
Even though ownership of the gas tank has changed hands over the years, Corita’s “Rainbow Swash” remains. In the early 90s, the original tank was slated to be demolished. However, Mickey Myers, Corita’s former assistant, oversaw the project to recreate the design onto the new tank. Corita Kent’s “Rainbow Swash” still stands today, greeting commuters and visitors with a message of hope and optimism.
Learn more about the Blackwing 93, tribute to Corita Kent
Read about the Life & Legacy of Corita Kent on the Blackwing Blog