Dedication of Two Murals in the Auditorium, November 1952

Seven years have passed since a hard-earned victory ended the Second World War. We now dedicate to the Madison boys who died in that war a pair of mural paintings which symbolize the spirit and hope of democracy. The two panels, painted by Abraham Joel Tobias, are located on both sides of the auditorium stage. The defense of the cause for which they died remains the responsibility of the present generation of American youth. The transformation of victory into genuine world peace is a long-term task on which all lovers of democracy must labor.

1. THE SACRIFICE OF YOUTH FOR DEMOCRACY

Democracy is symbolized by a winged female figure. She hovers over the scene to pay homage and to grieve with the mothers over the sacrifice. The broken shackles indicate her liberation and the victory for which youth was called to battle.

2. THE FULFILLMENT OF YOUTH UNDER DEMOCRACY

The Peace Panel depicts democracy as a Winged Female Figure, who is here serene and protective. Aspiration, irresistible energy, and hope are symbolized by the swiftly running figure and by a chorus of exultant singers; the growth of understanding by a youth intently reading’ all against a background of the rising sun.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Born in Rochester, New York, Abraham Joel Tobias was artist-in-residence at Adelphi College where he was executing a series of outdoor panels in concrete with the new medium, ethyl silicate; concurrently he worked on the War Memorial in fresco at James Madison High School in Brooklyn. His techniques in use of ethyl silicate, as an outdoor medium have been graphically documented in a half-hour color film produced by the Harmon Foundation. Mr. Tobias has won a number of competitive commissions. He was an award winner in the Architectural League Gold Medal Show of 1952. Sponsored by the Association of American Colleges, he was on a tour of mid-western colleges and universities to lecture on Mural Painting during October 1952. He has executed murals for a U.S. Post Office in Arkansas, for Midwood H.S. and for Howard University in Washington. His work has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the San Francisco Museum, and hangs in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Museums, the New York City and Rochester, New York, Public Libraries, and the Howard University Gallery of Art. Mr. Tobias has been Art Director of the Metropolitan Opera Guild and the Army Air Forces Intelligence Division, and graphic designer for the OSS.