'Naperville Together' street mural painted in city's downtown

Artists worked throughout the day Saturday to paint large, block letters spelling out the words "Naperville Together" onto a parking lot in the city's downtown.

The street mural is the inaugural piece developed by the recently formed Art of Inclusion, an organization aimed at creating art that reflects the diversity of Naperville and promotes unity and inclusion within the community.

Each of the 18 letters was assigned to an artist, who worked with small teams to design and paint a theme within their 7-foot by 5-foot outline. The mural was carefully spaced out to fit in the Naperville Township parking lot at 139 Water St.

Community members gathered throughout the day to watch the artists work and to add their own handprints to the letter "N."

The concept was designed to be a highly visible display of hope, change and inclusion, project leaders said. It has received support from the Century Walk Corp. and Naperville Township Supervisor Eddie Bedford, among other community members and local stakeholders.