Just off of Green Street in Ithaca, New York, at the end of Press Bay Alley, sits a brand-new mural. The piece, which stands about ten feet tall, depicts ‘Lady Justice’ with a dove in her hands. At her feet kneels a faceless figure, its frame formed by handprints in various shades of brown. Block letters surround the figures, revealing a Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”

The mural is the first public installation created by residents at MacCormick Secure Center. Located in Brooktondale, New York, the center houses young men convicted of violent crimes before the age of 16. Men in the facility range between the ages of 12-21. 

Repainting the future: Ithaca Murals and MacCormick

The art teacher at MacCormick Secure Center and facilitator of the mural project, who goes by Ms. Harty, has taught at the institution for over two years. She said the idea for the mural, which was collaboratively created by five of her students, was born when she stumbled upon Ithaca Murals’ Justice Walls Grant.

“I was looking for new and different things to do with my students, and I saw an advertisement for the Justice Walls grant,” she said. “I thought, ‘I think we have something to say.’ We were really happy to find out that our design was chosen, and that really set off everything.”

The grant is offered annually by Ithaca Murals, a local network that organizes and implements murals in and around Ithaca. The offering helps fund cultural heritage and justice-related murals in the local community. Every year, a select number of artists are chosen to receive a grant for their artwork. 

Caleb R. Thomas, coordinator of Ithaca Murals, said the grants provide necessary opportunities for artists to leave their mark on the community.

“Murals take a while to organize, so I started announcing these grants in winter time to help us as artists organize ourselves and figure out the logistics of painting a mural,” Thomas said.
“That helped push things forward.” 

Lady Justice

When Harty and her art students at MacCormick found out they received the grant, they got to work on their first project: the mural that now hangs in Press Bay Alley.

“What we started with was the idea of justice,” Harty said. “We ultimately decided to recontextualize lady justice as a modern woman …  to represent something that was restorative and community focused, and really peaceful. A true justice that restores people to their communities or wherever they need to be.”

The MacCormick students’ work sits in close quarters with many other products of Ithaca Murals, including a piece by Ithaca-based Colombian artist Yen Ospina on an electrical box in Press Bay Court. 

The future of MacCormick murals

Harty and her students at MacCormick plan to release several murals throughout the year that will appear in various locations around the Ithaca community. Their next piece, which the group just finished, commemorates the lives of people of color who have been killed by police. 

“Public art is a chance to really have a voice about things that are important to you,” Harty said. “You have a chance to make public dialogue …  to put your work up, put your creations out there into the world.” 

Those interested in collaborating with Ithaca Murals or pursuing a Justice Wall Grant can find information on the Ithaca Murals website and social media accounts, @ithacamurals.