All the Art Happening in Downtown Aurora on Saturday, August 28

Saturday August 28th is a celebration of Public Art in Downtown Aurora. The first 25 of 30 new murals scheduled for 2021 in Downtown Aurora will be installed on or completed by August 28th during Aurora Downtown’s annual Alley Art Fest.

• All Art Happening 21.8.28 Flyer
• All Art Happening 21.8.28 Map Flyer

Activities:

From 12-5pm, Alley Art Fest will host live entertainment, spectacle, and 70 artist booths at three downtown locations: along Water Street Mall, the river walk along the Paramount, and the river walk along the Grand Army of the Republic Museum.

From 12-8pm, Aurora Public Art will host DJs and 16 street artists live painting Aurora’s first sanctioned Street Art Gallery in Public Parking Lot H at 14 Middle Ave. Artists include Rogue1, Rawfa, Flash ABC, Raven, Cres Roc, Acid, Fisk, Syms, Snagz, Decades Oner, Seize, Ill630ink, Shananagans,1 AV One, and Sick Bombshell.

International Muralist Rafael Blanco, an Aurora resident originally from Spain, will be installing a 40’ mural at 105 E Galena Blvd. This mural is sponsored by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Aurora Downtown, Bush Construction, and the City of Aurora.

Four local artists will be completing a mural depicting Alebrijes, magical animals from Mexican Folk Art, on the BNSF viaduct wall along E New York St., under the railroad bridge. Artists include Pierre Lucero, Catalina Diaz, Laura Reyes, and Janice Rodriguez. This mural is sponsored by a grant from the Burlington Northern Foundation and the City of Aurora.

Six new traffic cabinet murals are being added to the existing 12 traffic cabinet murals installed throughout Downtown Aurora in 2018. 2021 artists include Raul Rodea at the SE corner of Benton and River St., Thuy-An Nguyen at the SW corner of Galena and River St., Ali Cantarella at E New York St west of the BNSF viaduct, Josh Schultz at the SE corner of New York St. and Broadway, Teresa Feihn Millies on River St. south of Benton at the East entrance of the Santori Library, and Elizabeth French on the west side of River St. between Downer and Benton at Public Parking Lot C. This project is sponsored by Aurora Downtown and the City of Aurora.

Artists Laura Lynne and Catalina Diaz are installing a mural at 210 E Galena Blvd., commissioned and sponsored by Aurora Downtown.

Christopher Lucero is installing 3 large-scale prints from his Calaveras of Chicago series on the east side of 36 W Downer Place.

Accelerating Inspiration: Art from Fermilab
August 6 - September 25

Aurora Public Art’s gallery at the David L. Pierce Art & History Center reopened on August 6, with new show entitled, “Accelerating Inspiration: Art from Fermilab.” 

Aurora Public Art’s gallery on the 3rd floor of the David L. Pierce Center will reopen August 6th with a new show. “Accelerating Inspiration: Art from Fermilab” features the work of three artists with three unique visions, expressing their artistic connections to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. From its founding, the lab has encouraged the use of art to connect complex ideas with the public.

• Jim Jenkins’ kinetic sculptures and repurposed materials express objects in plain view or secrets deeply hidden.
• Lindsay Olson’s richly embroidered and beaded textiles connect viewers with the Standard Model, the discovery of the Higgs boson and neutrino research at the lab. 
• Georgia Schwender’s meticulous and expressive cyanotype process prints of bubble chamber images link the long history of particle accelerator research at the lab. 
• All three artists are passionate about their artistic practice and continue to accelerate inspiration from Fermilab.

The exhibit will run from August 6-September 25. An opening reception will take place on Friday, August 6 from 6-9 p.m. The artists will provide a gallery talk at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 25. 

Outdoor Art Installations in August

Mexican Folk Art Mural

• A Mexican Folk Art mural will be installed on the north wall of the New York St. railroad viaduct. The design theme is depictions of alebrijes, brightly-colored sculptures of mythical creatures.
• A team of 4 local artists will collaborate on the design and installation of the piece. The team includes Catalina Diaz, Pierre Lucero, Laura Reyes, and Janice Rodriguez. 

Diversity in Technology Mural

• Aurora Artist Rafael Blanco will install a legacy mural at 105 E. Galena Blvd, on the north side of the APS Tower. The theme of the piece is Diversity in Technology, and Blanco’s design features a realistic portrait with a background containing images related to technology.
• Blanco, an assistant professor at Elmhurst College, is a nationally-renowned painter whose work has been featured in galleries and public spaces.

Utility Box Murals

• 6 new utility box murals will be installed at locations throughout downtown. The 2021 theme is colorful interpretations and geometric abstractions inspired by downtown Aurora's historic architecture.
• The 2021 utility box artists are Ali Cantarella (LaSalle and New York St.), Elizabeth French (River St., north of Benton), Teresa Fiehn Millies (River St., south of Benton), Thuy-An Nguyen, Raul Rodea (River and Benton), and Joshua Schultz (Broadway and New York St.).

BOM' DA LOT - Street Art Murals

• Come see a live painting exhibition on Saturday, August 28. Aurora Public Art is creating a dedicated space for street art installations. Several street artists will paint murals in Lot H, located at 14 Middle Ave. This live painting event will also feature music and dance.