As you wander underneath the train tracks at 55th or 53rd Street, your first thought may not be how beautiful they are. The path along these viaducts is dark and often scattered with dirt and food wrappers. Many may hurry through it to the other side, or to a train quickly without a second glance.

But displayed along the walls are colorful images of figures, hands, suns and more — a new collection of art that makes a seemingly ordinary space into a collection of experiences, ideas and values.

The renovation of the 55th and 53rd Street viaducts now features 19 new murals chosen from nearly 600 submissions. The goal of this project — a collaboration among Special Service Area #61/Downtown Hyde Park, the Chicago Public Art Group and the South East Chicago Commission — is to make the area more welcoming through art that reflects community values.

For artist Lewis Lain, a Chicago resident of 25 years, having his mural under the viaduct was an opportunity to continue a story he’d already explored in his artwork and bring a piece to Hyde Park.

Mr. Lain’s piece fits into a larger series of pieces he’s created throughout his career inspired by the shapes created from a painting he did on a discarded window. Over time, these works developed into a larger story that were messages from another world, Mr. Lain said.

His painted mural, “The Sun,” depicts a sun both rising and setting over the lake’s horizon.

“The painting in Hyde Park is of what I think is a fascinating moment, right? A sunrise, a sunset. It’s a thing we experience and we all agree,” Mr. Lain said. “It’s a starting point. It’s an ending point. It’s a time to begin. It’s a time to rest.”

Mr. Lain feels this is a moment that represents Chicago.

“The idea is that the singular moment contains so much energy and so much possibility,” Mr. Lain said. “To me, it felt like capturing that in Chicago properly.”

Another piece featured in the viaduct is “Held-Upon,” a photo showing four hands all holding each other in the same position with the first hand holding a ceramic figure. The moisture in the clay replicates the feeling of hands holding each other, she said.

Artist Kushala Vora created “Held-Upon” with the idea of coexistence in mind.

“I wanted to suggest camaraderie, like the synchronicity within the community of Hyde Park,” Ms. Vora said.

For both artists, their care for the Chicago community comes through in their work selected for the viaducts.

“Chicago’s important to me. I’m a Midwesterner, but I am a city dweller. I love being in this environment,” Mr. Lain said. “I love that there are 2.7 million of us here. I love that we manage to live together relatively well. I love that there are different flavors throughout this entirety that is Chicago.”

The refreshed viaducts at 53rd and 55th Streets are a chance for Mr. Lain, Ms. Vora and other artists to weave their lives, values and experiences into the fabric of Hyde Park and invite visitors to see special pieces of their community in the most ordinary places.