By Johanna Li
August 18, 2018
Most teens spend their summer weekends tanning at the beach, camping in the woods or hitting the town with their friends.
Instead, 17-year-old Hector Rodriguez Jr. of Bayside, New York, made the two-hour trek to the Ossining Public Library in Westchester County one Saturday afternoon to attend an art show.
But it was no ordinary showcase.
“Images From Behind Prison Walls” featured 60 paintings, drawings and sketches from inmates all over New York state, offering a rare and at times uncomfortable glimpse into life in a tiny cell. Among the artists was the teen’s father, Hector Rodriguez, who is serving his sentence in Green Haven Correctional Facility, located about 35 miles north of Ossining. Rodriguez was not allowed to attend the show that day.
