It’s About Time: Glen Ellyn History Painted Across One Wall
A research-driven public mural that layers people, buildings, transportation, flowers and community memories into a visual story about Glen Ellyn and the passage of time.
Where Is the It’s About Time Mural in Glen Ellyn?
The It’s About Time mural is located at 528 Duane Street in downtown Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Created in 2003 by artist and College of DuPage instructor Alberto Aguilar with students from his Mural Design class, the artwork uses local people, architecture, transportation and symbolic imagery to explore Glen Ellyn’s history and the passage of time.
At first glance, It’s About Time looks like a colorful collection of faces, buildings, flowers, transportation and community scenes.
Spend another minute with it, though, and the wall begins to read more like a visual timeline of Glen Ellyn itself.
The artwork was built around research rather than simply decorative imagery.
Aguilar and his students studied Glen Ellyn’s history at the local library and historic Stacey’s Tavern Museum before developing the scenes that appear across the mural.
It’s About Time Mural Quick Guide
What Is the It’s About Time Mural?
It’s About Time is a 2003 public mural that uses people, architecture, transportation, nature and symbolic imagery to explore Glen Ellyn’s history and the way a community changes over time.
Artist Alberto Aguilar created the mural with students in his College of DuPage Mural Design class.
According to the Downtown Glen Ellyn Public Art Walk, the group researched the community at the library and at historic Stacey’s Tavern Museum before developing the imagery.
That background makes the mural especially interesting because the scenes were not chosen simply to fill a wall.
They connect to the people, places and stories that helped shape Glen Ellyn.
What Does the It’s About Time Mural Mean?
The mural explores how time and change leave behind both visible and less tangible traces within a community.
Aguilar’s artist statement explains that changes over time leave a residue that can be physical and spiritual, seen and unseen.
The mural attempts to give that idea a concrete visual form.
That helps explain why the composition does not read like a perfectly ordered historical timeline.
Different eras overlap.
Historic-looking figures appear beside architecture, transportation, flowers and scenes of everyday community life.
Rather than presenting history as a sequence of isolated dates, the wall feels more like layers of memory accumulated over generations.
What Can You See in the It’s About Time Mural?
The mural includes Glen Ellyn architecture, a commuter train, portraits and community figures, flowers, transportation and other symbolic details.
There is a lot happening across the wall, which makes this a mural worth viewing both from a distance and up close.
The result feels less like one frozen historical moment and more like a collection of memories moving across the wall.
Who Created the It’s About Time Mural?
Artist and educator Alberto Aguilar created It’s About Time with students from his 2003 College of DuPage Mural Design class.
The students did more than help paint a predetermined design.
They researched Glen Ellyn’s history before deciding what images and stories should become part of the mural.
That research-based approach created a direct connection between the College of DuPage classroom and the community surrounding its Glen Ellyn campus.
College of DuPage continues to support visual arts and public-art programming, including projects connected with the Cleve Carney Museum of Art.
Where Is the It’s About Time Mural?
You’ll find It’s About Time at 528 Duane Street in downtown Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
The mural is outdoors, so you can see and photograph it without paying admission or entering an attraction.
Its central location also makes it much more useful as part of a larger downtown public-art walk than as a stand-alone destination.
Use the official Downtown Glen Ellyn Public Art Walk to find additional pieces within the community.
How Long Do You Need at the It’s About Time Mural?
Allow about 5–15 minutes to see and photograph the mural.
A quick wide photograph takes only a few minutes, but this is one of those pieces where spending a little longer makes a difference.
The train, faces, architecture, flowers and smaller symbolic scenes are easier to appreciate when you stop instead of photographing the wall and immediately moving on.
How Should You Photograph the It’s About Time Mural?
Start with a wide photograph of the entire mural, then move closer for the train, faces, buildings and smaller historical details.
The mural’s wide format makes composition slightly more challenging than a smaller portrait-oriented wall, but it also gives you several different photographic options.
For more practical smartphone and travel-photo ideas, visit my Travel Photography Tips.
What Other Public Art Can You See Near It’s About Time?
Downtown Glen Ellyn now has enough public art to turn one mural stop into a much longer photography walk.
Is the It’s About Time Mural Worth Seeing?
Yes—especially if you’re already exploring downtown Glen Ellyn or enjoy public art with a connection to local history.
This is not simply a colorful wall created to fill empty space.
The imagery came from actual research into Glen Ellyn’s history, which gives the mural considerably more context once you know what you are looking at.
I particularly enjoy murals like this because they encourage you to slow down and study the artwork.
You may notice the train first, then a building, a face, a flower or another scene you completely missed a few seconds earlier.
I would not plan an entire trip around this one mural alone, but as part of a larger Glen Ellyn public-art route it is an easy and worthwhile stop.
It’s About Time Mural FAQ
What is the It’s About Time mural in Glen Ellyn?
It’s About Time is a 2003 public mural exploring Glen Ellyn’s history, community and the passage of time through people, architecture, transportation, flowers and other symbolic imagery.
Where is the It’s About Time mural located?
The mural is located at 528 Duane Street in downtown Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Who painted the It’s About Time mural?
Artist and College of DuPage instructor Alberto Aguilar created the mural with students in his 2003 COD Mural Design class.
How did the students choose what to include in the mural?
The class researched Glen Ellyn’s history at the local library and at historic Stacey’s Tavern Museum before developing the mural imagery.
What does the It’s About Time mural represent?
The artwork explores how time and change leave visible and invisible traces within a community. It combines Glen Ellyn people, architecture, transportation, nature and historical imagery in one layered composition.
Is the It’s About Time mural free to visit?
Yes. It’s About Time is outdoor public art and can be viewed and photographed for free.
How long should you spend at the mural?
Allow approximately 5–15 minutes for the mural alone. Give yourself longer if you enjoy studying or photographing the smaller historical details.
Are there other murals near It’s About Time?
Yes. Downtown Glen Ellyn has several murals and public-art installations within the surrounding area, including Tony Fitzpatrick’s bird murals, Flora, The Chocolate Tree, the Warhol-inspired portraits, The Grove and other works on the Downtown Glen Ellyn Public Art Walk.
A Visual Timeline of Glen Ellyn
What makes It’s About Time interesting is not just how much imagery fits onto one wall. It is the idea connecting all of those scenes.
People change. Buildings change. Transportation changes.
Communities grow, but pieces of what came before remain visible if you know where to look.
Aguilar and his students turned that idea into public art more than two decades ago, and the mural still gives visitors a reason to stop on Duane Street and look a little more closely at Glen Ellyn’s story.
Looking for more public art and interesting places to photograph? Explore my Street Art Maps and Photo Spots or browse my U.S. Weekend Getaways for more Midwest travel ideas.
About Angela
Angela Addington is the travel photographer and writer behind Lenses & Latitudes. She shares firsthand destination guidance and practical photography advice for independent and solo travelers, women over 50, road-trippers and weekend explorers. Learn more about Angela.
