Illinois prison artist wowed that her artwork reached Pope Leo XIV

[mucifer]

When Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and his wife MK visited Pope Leo XIV in Rome in mid-November, the first couple brought along some Illinois-themed “good tidings” for the Chicago-born pontiff.

But there was also a piece of art made by Yesenia Diaz, a woman incarcerated in the Logan Correctional Center. The Pilsen native, who was convicted of murder, decided last summer to enter her artwork in a contest that MK Pritzker organized for people housed in Illinois prisons.

Diaz’s piece caught Pritzker’s eye — enough that the governor’s wife decided it was worthy to present to the pope, who since his May election as pontiff has prioritized the rights of prisoners. A snippet of video from the Pritzkers’ papal visit shows the first lady explaining how Diaz’s drawing represents the woman’s life behind bars.

“I was like, ‘Are you serious? Like, the pope in Rome?’” Diaz told WBEZ in an interview from the prison in downstate Lincoln. “My drawing is not that great. It’s not like I painted a great painting with oil paint.”

https://www.wbez.org/religion/2025/12/02/illinois-prison-artist-artwork-pope-leo-xiv-jb-pritzker-rome-visit


I wish I could cut and paste the amazing drawing. You can see it at the link. The whole article is really interesting.

[MustLoveBeagles]

2. Wow

Great painting 🎨. She deserved to win.