"Lady Justice" Mural

In 2021, Columbia joined our Walls for Women trail, and we got to work with the same artist who helped launch our nonprofit more than four years ago. When Tara Aversa, creator of the now-iconic Southern Magnolia flag mural, was tasked with coming up with a concept for Columbia, she chose to honor the strong women in her life, starting with her late grandmother—then midway through painting, another matriarch in her family unexpectedly died.

“Lady Justice is dedicated to the Maurillo sisters—my grandmother Constance and her sisters who came from a large Italian family and grew up in New York,” she explains. “I wanted to include symbolic flowers for different people in my life who have passed on, then it turned out in the middle of painting it, Carmella—the last living sister—died suddenly. We’re a tight-knit family with a bunch of strong, strong women, and I wanted to honor that bond and resilience in this piece. Connie Aversa is the rose in the lower right corner, the big white daisy is for my Aunt Pearl, the peony for my Aunt Sue, the white flowers with golden centers are for Aunt Antoinette, and the sunflower is for my Aunt Carm.”

The mural is located on the rail overpass on Carmack Boulevard near downtown Columbia and was sponsored by the City of Columbia.