Positive. Hopeful. Confident.
A message of Hope
These four paintings will bring a message of hope and beauty to visitors to a waiting room at Bronx County Family Court. The subjects are native New York species of plants and animals, including carp, great heron, milkweed and monarch butterflies, rendered in sumptuous shades of blue, orange, green, purple and ochre. These bucolic images are unified by themes of change, renewal, loyalty, and migration.
Life Lessons
This group of Youth Apprentices included both seasoned artists as well as absolute novices. All of them developed serious artistic chops over the course of six weeks, however they also gained tangible employment and life skills such as leadership, teamwork, responsibility and the power of taking initiative.
Judge Lupuloff addresses Our Youth Apprentices
We first had the opportunity to work with the honorable Judge Lupuloff in 2017, when she was interviewed for the documentary, Speak Out, about the New York County Family Court. Judge Lupuloff’s comments at the unveiling the 2018 Bronx Family Court Paintings, excerpted below, were a highlight of the ceremony.
"This art is magnificent. I want to thank Creative Art Works, I want to thank our wonderful artists. And I want to say that you've now joined the ranks of famous artists from around the world. Vincent van Gogh, once said, "Art is to console those who are broken by life. And I want to touch people with my art." Every artist in this room understands what Vincent van Gogh spoke.
"I also want to tell you the story of how John Lennon first met his wife, Yoko Ono. In 1966, Yoko was showing her art at a gallery in London. One of her pieces of art was a ladder. John climbed to the top of that ladder to where there was a chain suspended from the ceiling, and hanging at the end of the chain was a spyglass, and when he looked into it, he saw the word yes in tiny letters. John then fell in love with Yoko.
"Yes is hopeful. Yes is confidence. And here in Family Court, this spectacular art that you have gifted to us is the biggest yes that we can give our families. Because when they see this art, they too will be positive instead of negative. They too will be hopeful instead of hopeless. You are bringing beauty to our families. When they're waiting for their cases to be called, they now have something to think about. Your art is inspiring. Your art is thoughtful. Your art is yes."