Local artist Silvia López Chavez has painted a 5,000-square-foot mural on the MBTA wall outside Ruggles Station, turning a nondescript space into a vibrant passageway to and from campus. The focal point is a pair of hands holding a paper crane, a reference to the ancient Japanese legend promising eternal happiness to anyone who folds 1,000 such origami models. Her mural is the latest piece in President Joseph E. Aoun’s Public Art Initiative, which provides a platform for artists to brighten the campus with their creativity.

Photos by Matthew Modoono and Adam Glanzman