Each year on May 1st, the United States observes Law Day in celebration of our legal system and the freedoms we enjoy. This year, the Office for Justice Initiatives partnered with the Historical Society of the New York Courts and invited high school students in New York State, to participate in an art contest inspired by the American Bar Association's 2024 Law Day theme, "Voices of Democracy."
Law Day 2024 Art Contest Winners
The winners of the 2024 Law Day Art Contest are Mitchell Homick, Shangjing Chen and Milo Brustein. Congratulations to all the winners!
First Prize, “Liberty Sings” by Mitchell Homick
Artist’s description:
In developing this work, I was driven to demonstrate how a unique sense of unity within our country is developed during the election process. I felt that Lady Liberty would portray the unified voice of the nation. In the piece, Lady Liberty sings an ode to democracy next to a ballot box as she encourages the audience to vote and have their own respective voices heard. As she presents herself in the opera show, symbolizing an election, the biggest spotlight in the theater highlights the importance of her guidance. The audience is represented primarily with red and blue to show the partisan nature of our country. Despite this political division, Americans are able to come together in the theater to hear Liberty sing.
Second Prize, “Democracy Bring Us Together” by Shangjing Chen
Artist’s description:
At the center of the work is a figure speaking into a microphone. This represents the main concept of democracy; the voice of the people. The stairs under the microphone represent the step-by-step progress Americans have made using their voices since they were granted free speech. The three branches next to it represent the ideas proposed by the people and adopted by the government; making the distribution of power more equal and allowing more people's voices to be heard. Behind the figure is a globe, representing the power of democracy to influence the world. Finally, the different races of hands at the bottom represent different voices and are considered a representation of democracy. What people think matters and should be expressed.
Third Prize, “The Source of our Voices” by Milo Brustein
Artist’s description:
The inspiration behind this piece came to me when I thought about the voices of democracy, more specifically where they come from. I then realized that many of us in this modern day get our voices from entertainment and media, which I thought was important to express. To illustrate this, I depicted the modern American family gathered around the TV, where icons of our democracy are shown (Lady Liberty, The bald eagle) speaking into a mic to express how they are the voices of our nation. I think that it’s important to recognize that the many pieces of media we consume build our sense of right and wrong, and we reflect that in our own voices.
Past Events
2023 Law Day Art Contest