The “Diversity in Technology” mural is the largest single public art project in Aurora’s history.
Renowned national muralist and Aurora resident, Rafael Blanco, recently began work on a compelling 52 foot x 36 foot mural and most of the details were completed Saturday, Aug. 28.
The legacy mural is on the former Aurora National Bank building, 105 E. Galena Boulevard, one of the tallest buildings in downtown Aurora.
The design features a young black female (above) in a thought cloud of technology and expresses Aurora’s cultural diversity and growing technology industry.
Black females and all minorities are disproportionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math, the traditional STEM fields. Blanco’s goal features a realistic portrait in hopes of inspiring Aurora’s youth to change the narrative and dream without limitations.
A native of Alicante (Spain), Rafael Blanco is a contemporary artist fascinated with identity, human expression, diversity and inclusion as a primary focus in his work. Trained as a classical studio painter, Blanco has been, since 2014, making a transition to public art, especially to large-scale murals.
He has painted murals across the Country from California to Maryland. Currently, he works as assistant professor at Elmhurst University, where he teaches drawing, painting, and art history. He lives in Aurora.
The “Diversity in Technology” mural is primarily funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and sponsorship from Aurora Downtown.
— City of Aurora government