Recently three of my NOT CRIMINAL pieces were exhibited at the Edward A. Dixon Gallery (222 N St Clair). I was with Ed Dixon at the gallery when Judge Dankof came in and bought one of the pieces. He said he planned to hang it in his courtroom, and that he’d invite us there when he had it up.
We visited last week. You can tell before you even enter that Judge Dankof’s courtroom is unique. His door has a PLEDGE OF FAIRNESS plaque, inspired by one used in all courts in Alaska. In the pledge, the judge promises that he will listen to any person involved in a proceeding, that he will answer their questions, and that he will treat them with respect.
Entering the courtroom you see a lot of art, including two beautiful pieces by the Judge’s wife, artist Nancy Dankof. One was Nancy’s portrait of Dayton’s Grafton Payne. My NOT CRIMINAL piece was hung at the front of the courtroom near a portrait of Frederick Douglass.
At the rear of the courtroom there were three portraits. Two show William Sherman and Ulysses Grant, Union generals from Ohio. The third shows capitol policeman Eugene Goodman who single-handedly diverted a mob of January 6 rioters away from the Senate chambers. There were also portraits of Bobby Kennedy, and a quote by John Lewis: “If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it”.
I asked Judge Dankof why he had filled his court with art. “There’s a lot of stress in a courtroom – on defendants, jurors, lawyers and even on the judge” he explained. “I should do anything I can to reduce that level of stress. A prosecuting attorney once asked a prospective juror to look at the art in the courtroom and use one word to describe it. She said ‘Welcoming.’ That’s exactly what I was going for.”
The Judge told me he’d gotten several positive comments about the NOT CRIMINAL piece since he’d put it up, including from an attorney from Mexico City who was in the courtroom as an interpreter. Thirty of my NOT CRIMINAL pieces are now in people’s homes, at church, at non-profits, in lawyer’s offices and now in a courtroom. If you’d like one, they are available for the cost of printing. Contact me at [email protected]
