Apotheosis of Youth

Apotheosis of Youth by artist Eliseo Art Silva is located at the Milton Hershey School (MHS) in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Created to celebrate the centennial of the school, this mural honors the history of its founders and the students who have walked its halls. The next generation of students represented by the large faces at the top of the mural look over, and learn from those who came before. The experiences of their predecessors while at the school and during their lives providing a guide to the opportunities that await. The mural also highlights the theme of mutual respect in honor of MHS’ first Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day, January 16th, 2006.

Approximately 300 students and staff participated in the painting of the mural, along with the polished painting technique of the artist. Although every part of the mural has been painted, some areas subtly hint at the underpainting in order to empower and engage in a dynamic way the students who envisioned and painted it. The resulting work is a celebration of the power of murals to publicly express the voices and vision of the youth of Milton Hershey School, raising them to an ‘apotheosis,’ or an elevated and dignified state.

Artist Statement:

“The entire design is dominated by the close-up view of four children of different ethnicities facing the viewer. The eyes of the children are aligned on the same level to demonstrate equality. Their heads are subtly joined, creating an effect of oneness and challenging the audience to perceive and respect them equally. Beneath each child is a vision each one shares. Their mouths are veiled by the imagery of the mural to symbolize the stories that they are sharing with us. The visions include:
▪ A child being cared for by her friends; a symbol of healing.

▪ Various groupings of MHS students who depict their interpretation of mutual respect with one another.
▪ Pennies, representing the basics in life of food, clothing, shelter; and how important

it is to plan for a better tomorrow.
▪ Milton and Catherine Hershey, the Homestead, and Founders Hall, all of which

demonstrate that the past, as well as the present and future of MHS, will be treated with mutual respect.
▪ The spirit of MHS living on beyond the School experience is embodied both by the release of a dove, and a youth looking afar, emanating from an abstraction of the

MHS Spartan head. Note that this portion of the mural was intentionally designed for realism to converge into an abstraction to manifest the child’s view that the future is distant yet attainable.

Location Note: This interior mural may not be available for public viewing.