Born in 1900 in Lafayette, Alabama, deep in the racist South, Sister Gertrude Morgan’s unwavering positivity made her something of a local star. She presided over a New Orleans gospel mission, where she invited believers and nonbelievers into her circle, offering comfort, support, and emotional counseling. Meanwhile, she painted on scraps of cards, window blinds, and serving trays, using any material she could find to depict scenes that varied from the spiritual to the everyday. Walking the Louisiana streets in a modest white pinafore, Morgan attracted the attention of Larry Borenstein and Allen Jaffe, two men who would catapult her into the wider art scene, where she was interviewed by Andy Warhol and profiled by Rosemary Kent. Morgan’s mystifying eloquence takes us straight to God. —E.C.