Mirroring Dreams of Justice
Bronx County Family Court wanted a mural that represents the people of The Bronx. Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices achieved this goal by putting themselves into the art.
Creative Art Work’s new mural for the lobby of Bronx Family Court House conveys many themes, including racial harmony, equal justice, respect, unity, love, and the strength and hopes of The Bronx community.
Two-thirds of the CAW Youth Apprentices and one Teaching Artist Assistant are either past or current residents of The Bronx.
An Artistic Message to Welcome the Community
From its inception, this mural was intended to be a statement piece for the lobby of Bronx County Family Court that would break down barriers and engage the community. One goal was that everyone who enters the building should be able to see themselves represented in the art. If this mural achieves that goal, it might be in large part because the team of Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices (YAs) who executed this mural mirror the fabric of The Bronx. The YAs hope that visitors to the court will feel more welcomed by seeing themselves and their local community represented in this mural and that this will give them a more optimistic view that positive change can happen here.
Two-thirds of the YAs, as well as one Teaching Artist Assistant, are current or past Bronx residents. They speak six languages, including Creole, Urdu and Yoruba, Mandarin, Spanish, and English. They have family from Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Pakistan, Nigeria, Malaysia, and Trinidad. While many elements of the mural were chosen in response to client input, many other elements were inspired by the YAs’ own lived experiences of growing up in The Bronx.
Judge Sarah Cooper, who played a vital role in shaping the design of the mural, was delighted with the finished art.
Judge Sarah Cooper address CAW Youth Apprentices at the official unveiling.
“This project was inspired by our Equal Justice Initiative. We wanted an artistic message that would welcome everybody who comes through our doors and give them a sense of fairness, equality, and justice, with a whole lot of Bronx history and culture – our Bronx strength.”
Taona Spann & Fiona Sherwood introduced the portrait of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Youth Discuss their Inspiration
During the official unveiling ceremony at the courthouse, The YAs acted as docents and shared their contributions to the mural, which they have named Mirroring Dreams of Justice. What follows are some highlights from that joyful occasion.
Taona Spann: Bronx native Sonia Sotomayor was the first Latina federal judge in New York, and the first Latina Associate Judge on the Supreme Court, where she ruled with the majority to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
Fionia Sherwood: In our research, we picked a quote from Judge Sotomayor that we felt aligned with the Court's philosophy: "Until we get equality in education, we won't get an equal society." Next to Sonia Sotomayor, we drew cardomon flowers, which are native to New York.
Nathaniel Guerier and Cesia Bernandez gave context to the portrait of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Cesia Bernandez: We also drew inspiration from Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American on the Supreme Court. He played an important role in the integration of schools through Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka which created a more inclusive society.
Nathaniel Guerier: One of the quotes from Thurgood Marshall that we found really important says, "We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred, and the mistrust. You must dissent from a government that has left its young without jobs, education, or hope. You must dissent because America can do better. Because America has no choice but to do better."
Jasmine Chan: In our client interviews, Judge Cooper moved us through the reading of an excerpt from Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate who rocketed to national recognition after reciting “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden's inauguration. Here is an excerpt from Amanda Gorman's poem “Picture In Progress” that so inspired us:
“For a piece to be rendered visible, indivisible, vivid and vibrant as all the glass we carry, we cannot just have a vision of justice. We must be able to envision ourselves in that vision of justice to be served. For the right to representation that we all deserve.”
Jasmine Chan read an excerpt from a poem by Amanda Gorman that inspired some of the imagery of the mural.
Dayana Hernandez explained that the monarch butterfly is a symbol migration and reliance.
Dayana Hernandez: In our research, we found that the monarch butterfly is known for its instinctual and seasonal migration from parts of the United States to southern Canada, to Mexico. To us, monarch butterflies are a beautiful symbol of growth, change, and diversity. And they are also beautiful symbols of resilience, because they make this journey in they face the threat of extinction.
Julian Otero: I was thinking about the things in my life that signify some of the themes we are exploring for the mural — the local culture, the community, joy, and togetherness. I made the drawing of people playing basketball, but as you can see, it ended up looking like they are dancing together. This inspired the hip-hop players on our mural. My favorite hip-hop artist growing up is Fat Joe. I used to listen to him a lot with my grandmother growing up. A Puerto Rican artist from the Bronx. The Bronx is also the home of hip-hop, which boasts a reputation at the heart of New York City street culture.
Julian Otero explains how his sketch of basketball players…
…who appear to be dancing inspired…
…a hip-hop scene featuring Fat Joe, a Puerto Rican artist from The Bronx.
Jodian Brandon: If something popped into our head that we thought aligned with the idea of representing the diversity of The Bronx, we just added it in on the spot. In the initial design, all the windows in the buildings were empty, but in the final painting, in every one of the windows you'll see people of different cultures, just doing different things that they would normally do in their home life.
Jodian Brandon explained that the figures in the windows were added to represent the diversity of The Bronx.
The Final Verdict
The unveiling ceremony at the courthouse included judges, lawyers, courthouse staff, and New York State police. Among the notable attendees were, Llinét M. Rosado, Justice of the New York State Supreme Court; Anne-Marie Jolly, Administrative Judge for New York County Family Courts; Edwina Mendelson, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge and head of the Office for Justice Initiatives for the New York State Unified Court System; Clerk of Court Ruth Whalen; and Assistant Deputy Chief Clerk Stephen Byrne. Many of these guests lavished praise upon the young artists.
CAW Executive Director Brian Ricklin with Judge Jolly (center) and Judge Edwina Mendelson (right).
“Today, you have brought joy to a place that, as of necessity, must often be one of great pain. I am a daughter of The Bronx, and I have never been prouder of our court, because we are open and welcoming to our young people as the most important members of our community. ”
Read bios by all the CAW Youth Apprentices in the commemorative brochure on ISSUU.
Our Thanks…
CAW’s Public Art Youth Employment programs are made possible by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and by these generous supporters:
