Downtown Durham murals transport viewers to an augmented reality

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- We're 20 miles away but murals in downtown Durham are your portal to the North Carolina Museum of Art.

"You can walk in and it'll take you to the exhibition at the N.C. Museum of Art," said Irene Serrano, Code the Dream.

Code the Dream exposes under represented groups to the world of computer coding-completely for free.

"It's been both frustrating but then once we got it figured out it's like yes, we're one of the first ones to figure this one out," Serrano said.

The two murals on East Chapel Hill Street in Durham pay homage to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo exhibit at the North Carolin Museum of Art. And with the Mariposa AR app created by Irene and Code the Dream, people can take a look inside through this augmented reality.

"It's really great because we're wanting to increase accessibility and just conveying the idea that the museum is really for everybody across the whole state not just for folks who are used to going to it in Raleigh," said Angela Lombardi, NC Museum of Art.

You can also learn about the artists and stories of immigration, which is a theme of the mural represented by the butterflies - creating a community.

"It's just all a way to connect people together in ways that have all been just thought of before but not done yet so it's very exciting," Serrano said.

If you want to download the app, you can take a picture of the QR code at the mural or visit codethedream.org.