Corita Kent was an educator, artist, and social justice advocate who believed that art could be a tool for dialogue, reflection, and change.

While chair of the Art Department at Immaculate Heart College in LA, Corita asked her students to engage in “slow looking” exercises. Using a paper viewfinder tool that simulated the experience of using a camera, her students were able to select, isolate, and examine the details of the world around them. This resulted in piles of drawings that taught the students how to slow down and see the world with a fresh perspective.

The Blackwing 93 is a tribute to Corita and her message to slow down and find gratitude in the everyday. Each pencil features one of the six colorful brushstrokes that make up Corita’s iconic “Rainbow swash.” Commissioned in 1971, the “rainbow swash” adorns a 140-foot-tall natural gas storage tank along I-93 in Dorchester Mass. The pencils contain soft graphite and each set includes two of each color design. 12 pencils total.