Brought to the neighbourhood by the Downtown Barrie BIA, the mural “Home” shines from the side of Shak’s World Community Centre. The visual narrative tells of a colourful and diverse place to live.
The mural was inspired by conversations with several community members, including Shak, her staff, and the Barrie Native Friendship Center among others.
“The maple tree stands at the heart of the mural, the sun shines light through its branches illuminating the strength of the community and highlights 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.” Shalak Attack & Bruno Smoky of Clandestinos Art
The mural highlights the wonderful things Shak’s World does for our community, it adds beauty and positivity to downtown.
