Planting Seeds of Hope at New York Family Court
Youth Apprentices Jose Santiago and Sandra Amastal working on the early stages of our now finished mural, The Collective Dream.
Murals with a Story
Within the hustle and bustle of Downtown Manhattan, a new work of art has emerged to beautify the walls of the Help Center at Manhattan Family Court. Created by Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices (YAs) under the guidance of Teaching Artists Will Watson and Noga Cohen and Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training Maria Marquez, the mural “The Collective Dream” is not just a piece of art—it’s a narrative that tells a story about love, growth, community, and the beauty of adoption.
Baby Jonah
The mural’s visual journey follows the life of Jonah, whose story unfolds across familiar landscapes and landmarks of New York City. We are first introduced to Jonah as a baby adopted by a loving and hopeful same-sex couple. This image serves as a reminder that while the courthouse can often be a stressful place, it can also be the start of new beginnings.
As Jonah grows, the mural takes us through various stages of his life. We see New Yorkers taking the subway, people crossing the Williamsburg Bridge on foot or in wheelchairs, and a lively rooftop party. There are whimsical motifs such as superhero children flying above the city and kid’s drawings. It was especially important to the team that the murals represent the diversity of people served by Manhattan Family Court — people who look just like you and I.
The story of the mural comes to a close at the far right end of the panels where Jonah, now a fully-grown adult, is depicted as planting seeds in the soil of a community garden under the shade of an apple tree — the adult invests in the community that raised him. Monarch butterflies, a symbol of immigration and the cycle of life, fly all about.
Youth Apprentice Raheem Tobierre adding some details onto the mural
Creative Art Works Youth Apprentice Rick Rodas Ochoa
“Similarly to how the community garden brings everyone together, Manhattan Family Court does the same, connecting families and so many other people who otherwise wouldn’t have the support.”
As mentioned in The Tribeca Trib by Carl Glassman, “‘Most people who come here to use our courts aren’t happy walking through our doors. Sometimes people who come through our courts don’t even know why they have to be here,’ Judge Karen Lupuloff, the court’s supervising judge, told the gathering. “But what they see when they enter our courthouse, with your beauty, with your art, is a welcoming, warm place, a place where they need not be afraid, a place where they can come and see art that’s beautiful and intriguing and interesting and hopeful and joyous.” Read the article that mentions us and some of our esteemed YAs here.
The Process
The Unveiling
The murals were unveiled on August 15, 2024 in the courthouse’s library. In attendance were NY State Family Court judges, lawyers, clerks, and court officers, CAW core staff members, friends and family members of the YAs and TAs, as well as CAW’s Board President Brian Ricklin, and Board Member Carol Rosenberg. Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina Richardson, Supervising Judge of New York County Family Court Karen Lupuloff, and CAW Executive Director Karen Jolicoeur all spoke to the young artists.
Watch the Youth-Created video, “The Court”
Read the Commemorative Brochure
Completed Mural
Our People
The Collective Dream Team
Will Watson, Teaching Artist
Noga Cohen, Teaching Artist
Maria Marquez, Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training
Donna Manganello, Program Manager
Staff
Karen Jolicoeur, Executive Director
Ian Newton, Director of Finance and Administration
Riki Sabel, Program Manager | Teaching and Learning
Donna Manganello, Program Manager
Kevin Claiborne, Program Manager
Ivory Nunez-Medrano, Community Artmaking Initiatives Coordinator
Emilio Vides-Curnen, Operations Coordinator
Madeline De León, Program Associate
Clair Vogel, Development Manager
Scott Lucas, Marketing & Communications Manager
Jill Goldstein, Office Manager
Andrés Piedrahita, Development & Marketing Associate
Board of Directors
Brian Ricklin, President
Andrew D. Levin, Chairman
Steven Soutendijk, Treasurer
Julia Sanabria, Secretary
Lauren Cascio
Mosely Chaszar
Scott Corneby
Charmaine Davis-Murray
Gail Holcomb
Cary Levy
John Maher
Gabe Marans
Carol Rosenberg
Andrew Stern
Tiffany Theriault
Our Thanks
Creative Art Works' programming is 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. The Public Art Youth Employment Program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional program funders include the Find Your Light Foundation, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, the Office of the Manhattan Borough President, the Ponce de Leon Foundation, and the William Talbot Hillman Foundation.
We are grateful for in-kind donations, space, and expertise from these generous supporters:
