In honor of International Restorative Justice Week, the National Center on Restorative Justice at Vermont Law School launched “Reimagining Justice,” a virtual restorative justice art show. The artists featured in this collection were asked to consider a very important question:
“How can we use the power of images to communicate the concept of restorative justice and the greater philosophical shift at work to a wider audience?”
Twenty three artworks from around the world were submitted, each taking a unique approach to visually representing the philosophical shift at the root of restorative justice.
Given the opportunity to select winners of a Viewers’ Choice Award, more than 900 visitors voted for their favorite image, with the first-place winner being “The Goddess of Time” by Bourama Diarra, Giulia Villa, and Alessia Carboni.
First Place: “The Goddess of Time” by Bourama Diarra, Giulia Villa, and Alessia Carboni
Second Place: “Restorative Future Now” by Skinner Middle School’s Restorative Justice League: Luciano Apodaca (8th grade), Deado Canales (8th grade), Ryan Gonzales (8th grade), Chris Pettis (8th grade), Mathias Quezada-Montoya (8th grade), Peter Ventresca (Restorative Practice Coordinator), and Allison Horton (Restorative Practice Coordinator)
And in a tie for Third Place: “An African Restorative Justice Lady” by Don John Omale and “Justice Lane” by Hope Hamerslough
As incredible as these images are, the stories behind them and the people who created them are even more remarkable. Three out of four of the winning images were created by students who are deeply involved in the restorative justice movement. The winning images came from three different countries and highlight different facets of restorative justice. We hope you will enjoy learning more about these outstanding restorative artists and the process behind the images they created.
First Place: ”The Goddess of Time” by Bourama Diarra, Giulia Villa, and Alessia Carboni
Second Place: “Restorative Future Now” by Skinner Middle School’s Restorative Justice League
Tied for Third Place: “An African Restorative Justice Lady” by Don John Omale
Tied for Third Place: “Justice Lane” by Hope Hamerslough
Credit: Vermont Law School Website