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1st place: “Let Freedom Ring”
Morgan Foss
Tyler School of Art and Architecture – Art Therapy
Instagram @lttleheart_
Description: My representation of “the joy of justice” is a depiction of lady justice smiling, instead of the stern, solemn expression she is usually depicted with. I wanted to represent the joy that our justice system’s self-accountability and correction that has, and how those convicted of a crime have the ability to overturn their conviction / vacate their sentence. Instead of the weights, lady justice is holding a broken pair of handcuffs, symbolizing true justice for those who are wrongfully convicted.
2nd place: “Can’t Ban Our Existence”*
Sidney Giunta
sydneygiunta.myportfolio.com
Klein College of Media and Communications, Advertising – Art Direction
Description: This artwork is drawn to illustrate the current banning of books that has been circulating in certain states within the U.S. I believe that our youngest years illuminate our most joyful time, and education bring justice. Advocacy, freedom, recognition, and acceptance bring justice. I illustrate the various symbolism of movements and groups that are fighting for their recognition and acceptance. In order to highlight this from a personal perspective I made sure not to censor my tremors, as I always have, to expand upon the idea of expressing oneself, one’s imperfections, and anti-censorship. In the illustration this is shown through details such as the rainbow rug for LGBTQ+, the BLM poster, the statistics of banned subjects, among others. These minute details, all building up to the main focal point, joy in justice. By each character reading the few main banned books within our nation, it shows that defiance brings justice and that the education of these topics brings justice. The books illustrated in a position facing the viewer, are those that are more commonly banned in the states as of 2023. Change only happens when you push against what is most comfortable. The subjects, people, and events are all highly important to the positive evolution our nation is capable of. We all deserve recognition, acceptance, love, and passion.
Banned books referenced: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, 1984 by George Orwell, The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas, Maus by Art Spiegelman, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, Stamped by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, and Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez.
3rd place: Finding Joy in the Presence of Pain
Marin Young
Psychology Major Criminal Justice Minor/ CLA
Description: My submission is based off a sentence from Brittany Graves blog ‘GoodFaithMedia’. She wrote, “Joy is not the absence of grief”. These words are seen in my piece through the use of negative news headlines blurred in the background while positive headlines are highlighted and magnified within the magnifying glass. By incorporating the negative news, I hoped to show the audience that joy does not mean not acknowledging the negative aspects of society, but rather choosing to find the good within it. All of the headlines you are reading are solely from the Philadelphia area. An area where majority of the news headlines are negative and create the picture of the city as only a problematic place. But within every definition of the word Justice I have also found the word fair or distributive. With so much negative news about our city, this piece highlights the positive events that happen too. By distributing the type of news seen and making it a more equal image, you can begin to see the city as a whole and the people who are seeking joy in a time of grief to bring the community together. I hoped to show that justice can be based on perspective and found every day, if you look for it.
*Do not use, reproduce, alter, etc. without creator’s permission