A visual treat

In a word, it’s spectacular.
The new mural which will be dedicated this week just off the downtown square is a vibrant, colorful, creative addition to our community. Already known as an artistic community in various ways, Aurora welcomes this piece as a wonderful presentation which offers insight to visitors as well as a daily, visual treat for locals. 
Curious eyes have been watching two talented young artists turn a large, blank, cinder block wall into a colorful canvas for more than a month, which now that it’s done offers a fun, somewhat animated reflection of our town. It’s not often that the public gets to watch original artwork being made, but in this case there was simply no way to hide the daily progress.
The artists, Brianna and Bristol Lewis, are twin sisters who grew up in the Kansas City area. The two women have local connections to the area, which added to their incentive to take on what is quite literally a giant assignment.
From the get-go this seemed like a good idea, but now that it’s done the mural has captured the community’s attention for a number of reasons. First and foremost, you just can’t miss it. The sheer size and scope of the artwork is impressive, and with a large parking lot standing as the only thing between it and the downtown area, walkers and motorists headed toward the southwest corner of the square can’t help but look right at it. That’s a good thing, by the way, because the design and execution were done with such quality and taste.
There is also just so much detail depicted within the design that it captures A-Town in spades. Part of the mural’s appeal, whether you are a life-long resident or a first-time visitor, will be to identify various pieces reflected on the wall, which when added all together create the impression of a vibrant community.
Giving credit where credit is due, the Hamilton Community Foundation deserves a huge thank you for first coming up with the idea, and then for following up with a search process that led to what, by all accounts, is getting a unanimous two thumbs up review. This project required a vision, which now that it’s done we all can appreciate.
Congratulations to the artists and the visionaries on a job well done.
Kurt Johnson