We the Youth (Keith Haring)

We the Youth is two stories high and is continuous across three sections of the wall, including the front and back half of the rowhouse as well as a section of the fence of the private backyard. The mural depicts dancing figures outlined in black on a white background. The outlines of the figures are filled in with blue, yellow, red and green, sometimes with a solid color and sometimes with patterns and symbols. The northmost section of the mural, painted on a fence, contains the words "We the Youth: City Kids of Phila + NYC". Haring's initials and the date are located at the bottom right of the mural. == Historical Information ==

Conception We the Youth was painted to commemorate the bicentennial of the United States Constitution and the title plays on the phrase "We the people" from the preamble of the document. It was a pro bono collaboration between Haring, CityKids of New York and Brandywine Workshop in Philadelphia.The mural was originally intended as a temporary placeholder until a new rowhouse was built on the empty lot. A full restoration was conducted in 2013, in partnership with the Mural Arts Restoration Program, after the property was purchased by a new owner. Of the US$40,000 needed for the restoration, US$30,000 was given by the Keith Haring Foundation. Mural Arts Philadelphia hired Kim Alsbrooks and a small team of artists and conservators to conduct the restoration. Restoration involved cleaning the mural surface, filling in losses of paint, brightening the colors, replacing the flashing and repairing structural damage. The techniques used are expected to stabilize the mural for another 30 years. The garden in front of the mural was re-landscaped by LoFurno and is now owned by the Neighborhood Gardens Trust. == References ==