Graffiti is making a comeback.

With street artists such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Roa making political and artistic statements with their wall art, it did not take much time for Columbia to join the movement. In 2012, the college and Cacciatore Real Estate Company funded alumnus Nino Rodriguez’s mural on the parking garage at the corner of Balbo Street and Wabash Avenue, near Buddy Guy’s Legends Lounge.

Aside from some gang tagging on the windows of his piece, his mural remains unblemished two years after its origination. Rodriguez said the piece took approximately 100 cans of spray paint and he still actively touches up the mural whenever he can.

The Chronicle sat down with Rodriguez on August 26th to discuss his style of graffiti, how he got started and the difficulties of having an illegal profession.