AN ARTISTIC MIDWEST MELTING POT

Aurora arts effort results in 30 colorful murals in variety of styles, including Mexican folk art, graffiti

Those brightly colored Mexican folk art objects of fantastical creatures known as alebrijes — maybe you saw them as animated characters in the movie “Coco” — can now also be found in Aurora.

They are the subject of a mural that was among 30 commissioned by the city as part of an arts initiative last year.

The alebrijes mural was done on a railroad viaduct near New York and LaSalle streets by four artists from Aurora: Laura Reyes, Janice Rodriguez, Catalina Diaz and

Pierre Lucero.

All have Mexican roots, including Reyes, 24, who has family from Oaxaca, Mexico, where the objects traditionally are made, and who has some of them at her home in the form of wooden figurines.

The other artists didn’t know much about alebrijes until “Coco,” which portrayed them as spiritual or mystical beings.

Diaz, 23, says the images in the murals are meant to represent their roots: “The colors feel like Mexico.”

“So many big cities value murals and public art, and street art has be

RICH HEIN/ SUN-TIMES PHOTOS Alebrije images painted on a railroad viaduct in Aurora.

ABOVE: Ali Cantarella’s mural on a utility box. BELOW: Mexican folk art images adorn a viaduct wall.

ABOVE AND BELOW: Graffiti art painted in Aurora at an event overseen in part by artist Sam “Rogue” Cervantes.

ABOVE AND BELOW: Examples of graffiti art created when Aurora brought in 17 street artists last August.