Meet our new Restorative Justice Director Ellissa Collier!

We are thrilled to announce that our new leader for our Restorative Justice program is Ellissa Collier.  We are so happy to have found a talented and wonderful person from within the Mural Arts family to take on this leadership role.

Ellissa joined Mural Arts in 2008 working in our Restorative Justice department, then did great work in Art Education, and more recently she has been doing impressive work nationally with the Mural Arts Institute.

“Ellissa is multitalented. She is an artist, an educator and a fierce community advocate. She specializes in curriculum design, program management and group facilitation – and she approaches her work from a restorative framework,” said Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts.  “She does her work with tremendous integrity. She is impressive! I know Ellissa will bring insight, wisdom and empathy to this important department at Mural Arts.”

Additionally, Ellissa has coached thousands of professionals in the non-profit and public sectors who work to influence public health issues such as violence, poverty and education inequality.

We sat down with Ellissa to learn more about her vision for the future of the Restorative Justice program.

What experience from your past professional experience do you think will help you most in your new role?

As a former Trauma Informed Care facilitator and coach, I helped spread the message that all of us are more than our past—and there is tremendous potential for anyone to move from surviving to thriving. Based on new evidence in fields like neuroscience, psychology, biology and epigenetics, we now know that neuroplasticity exists and consistent, healthy relationships can make all the difference in a person’s physical health and emotional well being. To add to that, there is also evidence to suggest the arts are fundamental in giving people a creative outlet for processing pain, problem solving and envisioning a better future. As an artist and arts advocate I’m proud to help people achieve their full potential after justice-system involvement by providing programming that restores community engagement and workforce readiness through the power of participatory public art.

(photo above: Mural Arts’ Ellissa Collier with the Honorable James E. Clyburn, U.S. Congressman.)

What is your vision for the future of the RJ department?

We know that involvement in the justice system touches every aspect of a person’s life, impacting not only families but entire communities. It can lead to significant collateral consequences, including challenges in obtaining affordable housing, educational options, and living-wage employment. Our Guild and Rec Crew cohort programs are designed to help people impacted by the criminal legal system , by supplying them with the resources to connect with meaningful opportunities, learn new personal and professional skills, and earn additional income as program participants.

I believe that any justice-impacted individual deserves fair and equitable career opportunities- and living wage compensation. In fact, opening up opportunities for system-involved people is one of our Restorative Justice program’s top priorities. By prioritizing the reentry process, we can help reduce recidivism and increase public safety.

What impact do you hope these programs will have?

Our work helps build connections and when people see the murals created by our participants they can’t help but recognize the creators for who they are – human beings, with resilience, strength, and talent who also happen to be justice-impacted. I hope our programs will allow those skills and abilities to speak for themselves . Everyone deserves an opportunity to be acknowledged and celebrated for growth and personal change. I hope we can begin to recognize the power of art and its ability to spark personal change and transformation.