New mural shines bright in downtown Barrie
Another touch of beauty and inspiration has been added to Barrie's downtown through the local duo Clandestinos Art.
Spearheaded by the Downtown Barrie BIA, the piece of art is located on the side of Shak's World Community Centre at 59 Maple Avenue, facing Kempenfelt Bay.
Bruno Smoky and Shalak Attack make up the Barrie duo who create art locally and internationally.
The new mural titled Home visualizes the narrative of a "colourful and diverse place to live in harmony with our surrounding nature."
It was inspired by talking with several community members, including Shak, her staff, and the Barrie Native Friendship Center.
The couple described the meaning of the mural in their own words.
"The maple tree stands at the heart of the mural; the sun shines light through its branches, illuminating the strength of the community and highlighting the maple tree as a historical symbol for the First Nations of the area.
The little girl blows the seeds of the flower, making a wish and a whimsical blast of snowflakes representing winter. Spring, summer and fall are also present, telling of the cycles of nature and time.
The man looking to the right is a nod to Shak's World and the activities going on inside. He's a sports player wearing a jersey and also a balance to the feminine and masculine energies of the piece. The bees are working away gathering pollen, an important symbol for Barrie as a Bee City, which encourages pollinator conservation in the area.
The Eagle and Condor are a nod to an ancient Prophecy that represents the indigenous peoples of the Americas reunited in connection to the Earth, which signals a time of reconciliation, reunification, and healing of the land and its peoples.
In the heart of the Condor is the Andes, the backbone that unites both South and North America, which turns into the Rocky Mountains. It also represents migration and the diverse people here on this land.
The tobacco flower is also present, a listening activator of all creation; it listens to prayers and is a gift, as shared by members of the Barrie Native Friendship Centre. Water is also an important symbol for Barrie and the surrounding area represented on the left side of the panel. We hope that through this colourful and harmonious composition, we can represent the diversity and character of this amazing city and brighten up the downtown area."
The mural also highlights the work being done at Shak's World, which welcomes those aged between seven to 17, offering drop-in programming such as art, dance, cooking, yoga, chess and basketball training.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.