Jack Wilcox, a graphic designer who lives in the Gayborhood, is passing out pope posters from his stoop this weekend.
He created a series of 120 8-by-10-inch linocut prints and 200 5-by-7-inch prints that show Pope Francis waving with the Philadelphia skyline behind him.
“I used the view from my window at Spruce and 12th streets,” said Wilcox, a straight LGBT ally. “I wanted to put him in the Gayborhood because he tries to relate to all people no matter what their background.”
Pope Francis has said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
The pope is visiting Philadelphia Sept. 26and 27 for an event during the World Meeting of Families and to deliver Mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
“As soon as I heard he was coming to visit, I thought it would be a good idea to welcome him with artwork,” Wilcox said.
He added he was raised Catholic, but stopped attending Sunday school when he was 12. Still, he said he kept an open mind about the religion.
“I was really inspired by the pope’s messages and their simplicity,” Wilcox said. “They deal with love and helping people in need.”
His pope prints are available at his Etsy shop, www.etsy.com/people/JACKCARD.
Wilcox wasn’t the only Philadelphia artist inspired by the pope’s visit. Natalie Hope McDonald, a local out artist, has also created some pope-related drawings.
“As an artist, the architecture of many of the Catholic churches in Philadelphia was really a draw,” McDonald wrote in an email to PGN. “The architectural details were incredibly challenging and fun to illustrate.”
McDonald’s drawings can be found on mugs, note cards and magnets, which are for sale at the AIA Bookstore, 1218 Arch St. She said she had worked with the bookstore last year on a project illustrating row homes in the city. The organization approached her soon after that to collaborate on a line of pope products.
Michael Sprague, manager of AIA Bookstore, said he wanted to create a line that related to the pope, but would also have a life after the papal visit.
“I decided that merchandise showcasing the wonderful architecture of many local Philadelphia Catholic churches would fit in perfectly,” Sprague wrote in an email to PGN.
“The resulting drawings were splendid,” he wrote, noting that McDonald’s drawings include St. Patrick’s, St. John the Evangelist, St. Augustine, Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, St. Peter the Apostle, St. Adalbert’s and St. Monica’s.
McDonald said she polled friends on Facebook to find out their favorite Catholic churches in Philadelphia.
“What I especially liked about the project is that you don’t need to be Catholic, or even religious for that matter, to appreciate the illustrations and these great gifts,” McDonald said.
She said the items “are also designed for locals who simply love architecture and hand-drawn art.”
Paige E. Cooperstein