New mural re-envisions what justice looks like
JANS – Jackson, Mississippi, residents and visitors are getting an updated view of what justice looks like, thanks to a new downtown mural. Artist Chris Windfield officially introduced his latest mural, Justitia. The work graces the wall of the law firm Sweet and Associates, located just across from the Jackson Convention Complex at Lamar and Pascagoula streets. He says the law firm influenced his vision. “I wanted to do my take on Lady Justice through the perspective of a young Black girl,” Windfield said. “I also wanted to do something that represents us as the people who live in this city.”
Windfield paints murals to “transform spaces to tell a story that can last in an area for decades.” He says the work “fully expresses his vision and creativity.”
He is a multimedia artist and Jackson native with degrees from Jackson State University and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California. He has painted more than a dozen murals statewide. The mural was sponsored by ‘Sipp Culture and is part of Windfield’s mural series The Magnolia Experience.
Building owners Dennis and Kimberly Sweet gave permission for the work to be placed at the site after Windfield approached them about the project. For Dennis C. Sweet III, who has practiced law for more than 40 years and been at this site for nearly 20 years, the artwork is an important symbol.
“My career has been focused on the pursuit of justice, especially for those who have had no voice within our judicial and court systems. Lady Justice for many people has been an idea and not the reality. I was honored to see this depiction of Justice as a person who looks like us,” Sweet said. “Also, as a Jackson native, I am always interested in what benefits the city and brings something positive to those who live and work here. This mural is a beautiful, colorful, and meaningful image that so may people see on their way into downtown. I am honored to have it on the building where I practice law and pursue justice.”
