"Pride On Your Side" art display puts people both in front of and behind the camera

A local artist is encouraging the Aurora community to stretch their creative muscles. A new art exhibit now on display at the Aurora Central Library is putting people both in front of and behind the camera. 

It's called "Pride On Your Side" and the project is led by Denver artist Juan Fuentes. 

In collaboration with the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Fuentes used library workshops to teach community members some photography basics. He then asked them to capture everyday experiences in Aurora. 

These include people, a day at school, the many international shops, and whatever Aurora means to them. 

Fuentes then combined some of his images to create the mural. 

"I don't just want to bring my art into different spaces, I want to activate it in a way where I can activate the community within it to participate and to be able to engage in a medium that maybe they hadn't before," said Fuentes. 

Fuentes has installed similar murals, one in Bennett and another in Westwood. He plans to create more community projects. 

His photography is on display at the Denver Art Museum and the Colorado History Museum.