This mural, entitled “Citizenship,” was dedicated on December 2nd, 1936. Maurice Compris painted “Citizenship.” Compris was born in the Netherlands in 1885 and he received his art education from schools in Amsterdam. He immigrated to the United States, living first in New York and then in Rockport, Massachusetts in the mid-1920s, where he painted and served in the Rockport Art Association. Compris’ speciality was murals like “Citizenship,” but he was also regarded as a portrait and still-life artist and as a furniture designer. His murals can be found in locations like the Tewksbury Public Health Museum, and his paintings have been exhibited in galleries, auction houses, and academies across the United States. He died in 1939.

“Citizenship” is based on the theme of citizenship, showing young people advancing through high school and college and into the workforce. While not depicting specific residents, the mural incorporates Newton-specific symbols like the seal of the City of Newton and Newton-specific colors like orange and black with idealistic depictions of industry, education, and commerce.

The left panel depicts “Industry,” showing men working in the midst of a factory town.

The right panel depicts “Commerce,” showing men handling supplies on a dock.

The center panel depicts “Education,” showing students involved in scholastic activities like science and athletics. In the center of the panel, a family stands on a rock with the seal of the City of Newton, while a glistening, distant city stands behind them. A quotation under the mural, meant to inspire students, reads, “We will strive unceasingly to quicken the public sense of civic duty that we may transmit our city not less, but greater, better, and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us."