From Canvas to Courthouse: Mural to be unveiled in appeals court reflects visitors and staff alike
When Atlanta artist Ralph Gilbert was commissioned to paint a mural in the Florida Second District Court of Appeal in St. Petersburg, Florida, he knew that he had a lot of listening to do.
He wanted to paint a mural that portrayed the role of the courthouse to the people who visited it and the staff who worked there every day.
Before he put oil paint to canvas, Gilbert went through months of research. He interviewed the judges and staff members, including clerks, marshals and attorneys, to better understand what was important to them.
“I didn’t want the cliche of Lady Justice blindfolded in a toga,” says Gilbert, 78. “I wanted something that hadn’t been done before.”
The result is a vibrant 8-foot-high mural depicting a variety of courthouse scenes. The central image portrays a judge taking the oath of office.
The mural is set to be installed beginning July 23, and the process will take about two days using the “ancient technique of marouflage,” Gilbert says. Instead of painting directly on the wall, Gilbert will be affixing painted canvas to the wall of the courthouse rotunda because, “canvas can conform to the curvature of the wall.”
Gilbert says by collaborating with the judges and staff, he learned about their core values, which he depicts through images, such as a clerk’s window.
“It was important to them that they be seen as accessible, not siloed,” he says.
The Florida Second District Court of Appeal covers the Greater Tampa Bay Area and the Central-West Florida region, including Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota counties. The court moved to a new building in downtown St. Petersburg earlier this year after stints in leased offices in Lakeland, Florida, and Tampa, Florida.
The former courthouse in Lakeland was vacated in 2016 because of air quality issues.
In the mural, Gilbert depicts the variety of staff who make up a courthouse, including janitorial staff.
“Every one of these people is part of the organic whole of the court,” he says.
Gilbert also includes the location and jurisdiction of the court, as well as three little mockingbirds, the state bird of Florida.
“This mural is beautiful and stirring,” Florida Second District Court of Appeal Chief Judge Matthew C. Lucas says. “It perfectly reflects what our court strives for: equal justice, fidelity to the law, and respect for the rights of all who come before us.”
The mural, Gilbert says, contains details personal to the staff, such as an old leatherbound collection of books containing records that the courthouse has treasured as part of its past.
“There are parts of the mural that could appeal to anybody, but the people who work in that court will also recognize things that only they can recognize,” Gilbert says.
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