ok, so the mural was birthed from a good, caring, healthy idea, and carried out by young criminals that are hopefully on a path leading them farther and farther away from their criminal tendencies. art can help with that.

that's great. there should be a plaque somewhere in the room explaining how the mural came to be.

but, in the end, such praiseworthy origins don't necessarily guarantee that the actual art itself will turn out well. don't beat yourself up too much, Alison.

(and of course it's a commentary on our justice system, and a pretty good one at that -- the carousel in the background is obviously a stand-in for the Supreme Court, the horses are the jurors, and the wagon is full of judges. the aerialists are the lawyers. and everybody is on acid. and the criminals are nowhere to be seen.)