Hope and Balance

 

“Team Picasso” painted “Hope and Balance,” to welcome visitors to Bronx Family Court. This is the eighth project CAW has completed for the NYS Family Court system, and the first to be displayed inside a courtroom.

 

Hope and Balance is the eighth project Creative Art Works has created for our long-standing partner, the New York State Family Court and the third for the Bronx Division. The three interconnected panoramas will be installed in the third-floor courtroom of Bronx Family Court, which is one of the largest and courtrooms in the building and is often used for ceremonial functions. This is a first for any CAW artwork in either the Bronx or Manhattan divisions — previous works have been displayed in the lobby or waiting rooms.

The work was conceived and completed by “Team Picasso,” a group of CAW Youth Apprentices under the guidance of Teaching Artist Michael Mitchell and Cici Ruddock. Among other projects, Michael worked on the 2018 mural, In Harmony’s Way, which hangs above the elevators in the main lobby of Bronx Family Court.

Team Picasso spent the first week of their summer Public Art Youth Employment program researching a design for the mural that would make visitors to the courthouse feel welcome, especially the children and their guardians who frequently come to court under trying circumstances. They began by visiting the courtroom and interviewing Supervising Judge Sarah Cooper. The final design is a truly collaborative effort. The mural features serene, harmonious colors intended to convey a sense of calm and optimism to the viewers. The representational and abstract subject matter embraces themes such as restorative justice, the importance of family in all its many different forms, and ideals of racial, social, and gender equality. Beyond the message, the art is also intended to simply offer something beautiful to look at.

I had the privilege of meeting with these young artists when they came to visit Bronx Family Court. They had lots of really good questions about the themes and moods we wanted to create in that space. They were given extraordinary artistic license to create a vision and an experience for the viewer, and they have done a fabulous job reflecting the sense of respect, dignity, equality, and justice, that we strive to bring to our work each day.
— Supervising Judge Sarah Cooper, Bronx Family Court

Brainstorming ideas: From left, Youth Apprentices Boris Gonzales and Michael Colon, and CAW Teaching Artist Michael Mitchell.

Hope and Balance

This panel includes both concrete representation and abstract symbolism. The lower middle section shows famous Bronx landmarks, including the zoo and botanical gardens, Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Museum, of Art and the building that houses Bronx Family Court. The optical illusion of the vase and two faces represents the need for multiple perspectives. The series is anchored on one side by Lady Justice and on the other side by a young person who could be anyone in the care of the court system.

The central panel includes an archway decorated with drawings contributed by each of the Youth Apprentices. The people under the arch represent different kinds of loving families leaving the court, including an LGBTQ+ couple, a traditional cis-gender family, and a grandmother and child. The flowers represent joyful diversity while the blue hearts represent emotional trials.

An optimistic sky filled with confetti above balances the 5 and 4 trains below ground. These are the subway lines that transport people to Bronx Family Court. The sphere in the center of the group represents inclusion of all races, creeds, and nationalities.

 
I believe full-heartedly that bringing art into our courtrooms provides a warm, welcoming atmosphere. It brightens the space and hopefully it will achieve what many of the young artists told us they had hoped to impart to the viewers, which is a sense of calm and serenity, and trust. I think it’s a wonderful asset and I can’t wait to see it live and in person once the works have been installed.
— Supervising Judge Sarah Cooper, Bronx Family Court
 

Read about all of the Members of Team Picasso in our Commemorative Brochure

 
 

About the Public Art Youth Employment Program

Public Art Youth Employment Programs give teens and young adults full-time summer jobs and part-time jobs after school to create large-scale public art and multimedia projects. Youth Apprentices are guided by professional teaching artists from the initial concept development through client presentation, to the final edit and public unveiling or premiere. Along the way, they gain tangible employment and life skills such as leadership, teamwork, responsibility and the power of taking initiative. They are empowered by the enduring accomplishment in their work of art and its positive impact on the community.


This Public Art Youth Employment program was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor, and the New York State Legislature, and by the Summer Youth Employment Program of the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, and, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and these generous supporters:

Supplies were donated by Celtic Building Supplies, Colony Hardware, Commodore Construction, Newport Painting & Decorating, Pittsburgh Paint, Structure Tone, and Sherwin-Williams.