Art of the Courthouse 1:
U.S. v. Thao, et al.
I’m one of two sketch artists who were — weeks back — credentialed to be present at the federal trial, U.S. v. Thao, et al. Its three defendants, former Minneapolis police officers Kueng, Lane, and Thao (allegedly) had violated the civil rights of Mr. George P. Floyd, Jr. prior to — and resulting in — his death. All three are now under criminal scrutiny in a district court in downtown St. Paul (MN). This is big.
After a single day each of a pretrial hearing and jury selection I have three matters to share, notably the setting and processes, some artful results, and thoughts on what’s next for a weekly serial I’m planning for Counter Arts.
1. Setting and processes
Context is everything. It seems especially important for a sketch artist, because that essentially is what you’re drawing. The environmental or architectural setting is the Warren Burger U.S. District Courthouse, a quintessential “mid-20th century modern” specimen, seven stories, its setting being an entire city block downtown. Occasionally it is described by building historians as a product of the “new brutalism” style, though I find it full of impeccable “golden-section” ratio and proportion. Some would judge it spare and cold. If I have time I might ask staff what it is like to work there.
Process-wise I had inquired a month ago for a possible “press pass” but the Feds required a very specific application to obtain a media-correspondent pass. In my case they told me to use the category “freelance sketch artist.” I was approved for one early in the game. Correspondents like me who got credentialed were put in a “media pool.” A lottery was then held that permits four journalists and one sketch artist to be ushered into the highly-secure courtroom each day of the trial. I was assigned 9 randomly distributed (but specific) days. Another artist was assigned the remaining 11 days.
You likely know videography is not permitted in most federal courts across the U.S. Correspondents who did not gain a lottery seat but who wish to observe could do so in an overflow room by way of CCTV.
Security is a very high concern and priority. The Burger court building was fenced in with entry by two gates, pedestrians and automobiles. Screening is airport-style. My art supplies (including a dozen of my favorite Kohinoor sharpened pencils) haven’t been assessed as weapons.
A half-dozen media outlets (local affiliates who are tied to national ones, mostly broadcast) have contacted me for use of my images. That path is tricky. Courtroom illustration is a bigger business than I imagined. It takes skill to draw the courtroom scenes quickly and accurately.
I am as much of a courthouse artist as specifically courtroom. For these weeks I circulated around the court building’s ground floor for views to draw by way of graphite “gesture sketches.” My subjects are people in the courthouse, standing, seated or in motion, on site for a myriad of reasons. There was even a Hungarian-bred police dog I encountered named “Pickle.” (Look and sketch but — don’t pet!)
2. Results
Two weeks ago I was witness to a fifty-minute pretrial hearing on-site but not “in-court,” rather in the media-room. It has CCTV with a capacity of 40 people.
Five days back correspondents like me watched one full day of jury selection. Again, I was sketching in the media-room.
“What you see is what I got” during three days over the last several weeks. Exploring variety of media, surfaces, sizes, and and styles was the goal…
3. What’s next
My answer is — February. My Counter Arts serial next week will of course include more sketches, along with more of what one experiences in a high-profile trial.
Acknowledgement:Editing assistance courtesy Kathy Heuer. Errors that might remain are mine and mine alone.
J. Kevin Byrne (MA/Minnesota, MFA/Cranbrook, MSc-Cert./Saint Mary’s) is Professor (now Emeritus) at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MN/USA). He has published in print and continues to do so online. Feel free to Link-in to him here.