The Back of the Yards community has many hidden yards that all individuals should be alerted to in order for these yards to be truly appreciated. These yards create beauty, inspiration, and hope.

One yard specifically belongs to Claudia Alvidrez, she created her very own mural in the front of her fence, which is located at 4759 S. Wolcott Avenue.

Her fence started off as a plain brown fence until she picked a spray can, for the first time in her life and started painting from her imagination. A group of kids was intrigued by her work and participated in creating the first mural by sketching. This first mural lasted for years.

Eventually, her mural needed maintenance so she decided to create a whole new mural, only this time, the youth group who helped her with the first one inspired her to get help from other women and children who had also never picked up a brush.

With this group of people, they were able to create a new and improved mural that one can now view and admire. There was a lot of people working on the mural, including our very own Ms. Hallie Trauger. Her name can be found on the mural. The Holy Cross, a catholic church, threw one of their parties, known as the Marimba ensemble in her front yard. They needed a vibrant background, which the new mural offered.
Through this yard, inspiration was developed, through art and a sense of teamwork and belonging. People were exposed to one of their many talents. There are many yards around Back of The Yards where talent is used by other fascinating individuals that have the capability to create something aesthetically pleasing. It’s just a matter of going around with an open mind that appreciates beautiful yards such as this one.

– Dulce Morales