On Tuesday July 12, 2005, the Art Committee for the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center presented to the community its commissions for two major sculptures: one to adorn the plaza to the right of the Courthouse entrance, and a second piece for the inside atrium.

     Renowned sculptor Brower Hatcher has been commissioned to create a spectacular piece for the Courthouse Plaza. "This may well turn out to be the most important piece of public art in Wilmington for decades," says Bill Shea, Chair of the selection process for the outdoor Plaza. Hatcher is based in Providence, Rhode Island. He is a three-time winner of a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship and has won numerous other awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and the Honeywell Environment Excellence Award. Brower Hatcher has exhibited widely throughout the United States and England.

     Nationally known artist Robert Goodnough has been commissioned to create a piece for the atrium of the Courthouse. Buoyant and colorful, the proposed piece is a tryptic designed to engage the public and will brighten and enhance the atrium area. Among the most versatile artists of our time, Goodnough is know for collage, painting and printmaking as well as sculpture. He has exhibited extensively, including at the Venice Biennale and was named by Time Magazine one of the top 100 artists in the USA. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and Ford Foundation Prize among many other honors.

     "Our mission," says Committee Chair Charles F. Richards, Jr. Esq., "is to enhance the spaces in and outside the Courthouse. We want everyone who enters to experience the work of outstanding artists and to be inspired by the values of artistic creativity, freedom and the pursuit of justice."

The Art Committee's first major installation at the Courthouse was a significant mural entitled "The Artisan", by artist Frank E. Schoonover, the "Dean of Delaware Artists". A massive and imposing piece, measuring 24' by 7', "The Artisan" was created to inspire and educate the students and citizens of Delaware.

A visual feast of brilliant color awaits visitors to the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center as "Floating Forms," a landmark sculpture by renowned artist Bob Goodnough greets them in the Atrium space. Named by Time Magazine one of the 100 best artists in America, Goodnough has crafted one of the most striking pieces of his distinguished career for the Courthouse Atrium space.