Galería del Barrio

The oldest mural on this tour, Galería del Barrio was completed in 1976 by artist Aurelio Diaz. A group of children from St. Procopius Church on 18th Street assisted Diaz with the painting. Unlike many of the murals of its era that drew imagery from Mexican history, politics, and the social upheavals of the American Civil Rights Movement, this mural instead expresses the spectrum of emotions felt within Chicano individuals. Over the decades, the unstable aggregate of the concrete abutting the raised railroad tracks degraded, necessitating a restoration of the mural in the 2010s. Artist Sam Kirk led the process in partnership with the Chicago Public Art Group before going on to collaborate with Sandra Antongiorgi on Weaving Cultures across the street.