AURORA, Colo. — Bright, colorful murals have filled the once-blank walls of buildings in East Colfax thanks to the Colfax Canvas Mural Festival.

The festival brings artists to the local community to highlight its diverse culture.

“There were a ton of little shops, a ton of amazing little hidden gems, but people didn’t see that when they drove by,” said Aaron Vega, curator of Colfax Canvas. “So the murals gave us a chance to really highlight those businesses and help change the narrative about my neighborhood.”

This year, Colfax Canvas celebrates its fifth year. Eleven artists will work in teams to bring their visions to life.

“When we divide them into teams, we have to consider the walls, the owners, what kind of representation we need, because we don’t want people to paint cultures, or artists don’t want to paint cultures that they don’t represent,” Vega said. “It’s always a fun puzzle, like a Rubik’s cube, to solve. And it gets easier every year.”

Maggy Wolanske

One of this year’s artists is Ally Grimm, who uses empty space to convey a broader community message.

“When we were putting this together, Venezuela, where I’m from, was going through an election,” Grimm explained. “So I asked my colleagues, ‘Hey, would you mind if we talked about this since we’re working on a center that really highlights refugee and migrant issues?’”

Grimm knows this is a grand mural, so he will be working with Anna Charney and David Fratu to bring this vision to life.

“I sent them some colors from the island I come from, gave them some inspiration and together we created the image of Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition in Venezuela,” Grimm said.

Grimm hopes that by creating this mural, it will reach the hearts of the residents of the area and bring hope to those struggling.

“Something that is really true for the refugee community is this pain and longing for home,” Grimm said. “It’s a feeling that we can never describe. I haven’t been home in 15 years because of the government, and I’m lucky that my family lives here, that I’m okay.”

Maggy Wolanske

Grimm said it will likely take the team about 10 days to complete the mural. Although each has different personalities and ideas, she calls Charney and Fratu good friends and is passionate about being a part of this mural festival.

“Especially with what’s going on right now, I really felt like it was a really good time to just present a powerful narrative that’s close to my heart,” Grimm said. “I like that Colfax Canvas really highlights those stories. Other festivals are a little more broad, but I felt like it was a really good opportunity to just speak to a topic that feels real right now.”

While the artists are hard at work over the next two weeks, their creations will be displayed at a huge street party on September 14. The community can expect food and entertainment, as well as a car show.

“Often, whether it’s through theater, whether it’s through mural art… or painting on canvases or food, it brings communities together. And it’s harder to hate each other if we’ve shared a history or if we’ve shared a meal, and that’s what these murals are,” Vega said.