I was recently surprised to discover a glass enclosure about the size of a large shipping container with mummy-like figures peering out. The installation is situated in Philadelphia’s  Independence Historic National Park, at Market Street between 5th and 6th, near the National Constitution Center and outside the Visitor’s Center.

The 38 human-size figures made of stacked paper represent the number of states that do not have legislative policies expediting the expungement of criminal records, or clean slate laws. The stacks of paper symbolize the paperwork needed to get a criminal history erased.

Titled Waiting Workforce, the artwork, which will be up for the next few weeks, was commissioned by JPMorgan Chase and created by Australia-based arts collective The Glue Society. Its goal: to inspire people to fight for Clean Slate laws in their home state.

“This represents the mounds and mounds of paper that individuals have to go through in order to get those records expunged,” said Nan Gibson, executive director of the JPMorgan Chase PolicyCenter. “The figures are hunched over. It’s a graphic representation of the weight of those records.

“Waiting Workforce” made its debut in Philadelphia in part because Pennsylvania was the first of 12 states to pass clean slate laws. The laws make record expungement easier, in some cases even automatic, and require no paperwork at all. Recently, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a third iteration of that policy into law.