This mural project was awarded to Future Day Artists in 2021 and completed in October of that year with the primary objective to assist in the placemaking and beautification of the Wasaga Beach downtown with positive and optimistic imagery that contributes to the “sense of place” that is unique to Wasaga Beach.  

Following are some of the key elements of our design as noted by the town in their online publications:

• .. “the artwork should embrace Wasaga Beach’s culture, history, and overall brand. The mural should foster connections among people and across cultures.” 
• For historical imagery, bubbles float throughout the mural, showing key scenes from the past, such as the HMS Nancy, the Capstan Inn, the original VanVlack Bridge, the Trail of the Caribou plane, a scene from the war of 1812 and a scene representing indigenous people of this land – all of which are iconic to Wasaga Beach.  
• Imagery includes a backdrop of the sun, the beach and a sandcastle, merged with both the summer beach and winter snow. 
• Within the mural, the artists included current popular activities via silhouettes. This includes paddle boarding, cross country skiing, and children playing on the beach. 
• The artists also included wildlife images associated with the area – the piping plovers and a monarch butterfly.
• The original image concepts were developed by sketches, paintings and photographs produced by the artists or offered by the Museum curator

This project was also written up by multiple news outlets, including Search for The Sands of Time in Wasaga Beach and you will find many writeups on this mural:

The Toronto Star

https://www.thestar.com/local-wasaga/news/2021/11/07/what-s-going-on-here-mural-provides-sense-of-place-for-wasaga-beach.html?rf

Bayshore Broadcasting – https://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/2021/11/14/new-mural-on-main-street-has-significance-to-wasaga-beach/

https://www.wasagabeach.com/en/explore-and-discover/140-main-street-mural.aspx#About-The-Sands-of-Time

https://www.simcoe.com/news/what-s-going-on-here-mural-provides-sense-of-place-for-wasaga-beach/article_14a6270d-f74a-5ead-9558-7fc2fd0f9913.html

Letter of reference

Lindsay Neale, Chair of the Town of Wasaga Beach Historical Advisory Committee sent a lovely letter which we have permission to share. 

“I wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much we at the Historical Advisory Committee appreciated the wonderful work you did on the mural on the side of the Archives building. 

You have captured the essence of what our Town is all about and the historical references incorporated into the mural, in particular the Capstan Inn, are exactly what we were hoping for. We also appreciate how respectful you were of our exhibits inside the Archives and any apprehension we had of having non-staff inside were quickly allayed...”

This photo was taken with two (Eden and Rebecca) of three artists along with the Mayor of Wasaga Beach and council members in front of the “Sands of Time” mural.