The Elmhurst Art Museum Presents Fall Exhibition: Rafael Blanco – Reflecting On a Decade of Public Art

The Elmhurst Art Museum presents the first solo museum exhibition of muralist Rafael Blanco, whose work can be found in cities from California to Maryland breathing new life into high-visibility, urban spaces.

Through photographs, video timelapses, documentary footage, and a series of new, original paintings, the exhibition will introduce the viewer to Blanco’s revelatory artistic journey. A highlight of the exhibition is large-scale, site-specific works transforming the museum’s galleries into a landscape filled with color, texture, and the serendipity of discovering public art in the wild. For this exhibition, Blanco resurrects previously rejected public art proposals, allowing the public to see them for the first time. Rafael Blanco: Reflecting on a Decade of Public Art takes place at the Elmhurst Art Museum from September 7, 2024, to January 5, 2025. 

Interim Director of the Elmhurst Art Museum Ann Quinn Kelly says, “The Elmhurst Art Museum is overjoyed to feature Rafael Blanco in our fall exhibition. The new large-scale works that Rafael has created for this exhibition are engaging in subject and gorgeous in execution. The exhibition also shares Rafael’s journey, as he pivoted from studio to public art and concentrated on that practice. Here, Rafael inspires us with his focus on identity, culture, community engagement, and the resilience of his artistic vision.”

Born in Spain and based in Aurora, Illinois, Blanco’s work is deeply influenced by his immigrant experience and the beauty of embracing a new country while maintaining one’s own identity. In collaboration with local youth, Blanco extends this pride in the galleries by incorporating over one hundred self-portraits painted by area students into the shape of the US flag. The collaboration is intended to encourage youth to embrace and be inspired by their own identities and cultures.

The exhibition will feature a map showcasing the locations of Blanco’s works across the US. Near the museum, Blanco’s 32’ x 190’ -foot mural declaring “Be Bold” is on the wall of Elmhurst University’s R.A. Fagnel Hall. The first mural in the city of Elmhurst, Be Bold serves as both inspiration and call to action. 

While Blanco’s colorful works are celebrated across the country, the exhibition also features new realizations of projects that had previously been rejected. A series of programs for families, creatives, and the general public will explore more in-depth themes of the exhibition, including how Blanco uses adversity to empower his work as an artist and to imagine new visions for his work.

Rafael Blanco says, “For the past ten years I have been ditching the studio, transforming walls, and creating site specific murals all over the country. The exhibition’s new ‘canvas/murals’ commemorate the designs that, at some point, were rejected during my trajectory as a muralist, and therefore never painted. My purpose is to visually impact, confront, and surprise the museum visitors by creating art that blends the nuances of street art with classical studio techniques.”

The Elmhurst Art Museum is located at 150 South Cottage Hill Avenue in.  The Museum is open Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Friday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Regular admission prices are $18 for adults (ages 18+), $15 for seniors, $10 for students, and $5 for children. For more information, please call 630.834.0202 or visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.