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The subcommittee on civic education and speakers’ bureau works closely with schools throughout the Second Circuit to provide opportunities for students and the public to learn about the work of the courts. Subcommittee projects include celebrating Law Day and Constitution Day annually, hosting student mock trial and moot court programs, presenting court library labs for students, offering teacher professional development programs, and visiting schools for in-building education programs. The subcommittee has developed a strong relationship with the New York City Department of Education and the Justice Resource Center.

Judiciary and the Arts arose from the subcommittee’s interest in expanding its programs to reach students who are developing their skills to express their ideas through the arts, including visual media. During the spring semester, specially selected high school visual arts educators are invited to develop an instructional plan with their art students. These plans actively engage the students with the judiciary as a civic institution committed to the fair and effective administration of justice, honor student voices, and culminate in a visual representation of the knowledge gained by the students about the judiciary and the rule of law in the United States. The project is consistent with the pedagogical practices described in the New York City Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts and the New York State Standards for the Arts.

Due to COVID-19, the in-person gallery show at the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse was canceled in June. We are pleased to share digital copies of the artwork created by the students. Find them connected to historical case reenactments here: The Amistad | The Trial of Susan B. Anthony | The Heart Mountain Draft Resisters | James Meredith

The Matisse Foundation provided support to the Justice Resource Center for this project.