A detailed mural entitled Time Flies by artist Jan Poynter, mounted on the upper wall of the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives in Gibsons, was officially unveiled last Saturday on George and Charlotte Gibson Day.
In fact, the wind had already disturbed the coverings of the six giant panels that depict a bird's eye view of the Coast, allowing pedestrians an inviting view of the museum's sea-facing wall.
Poynter and former museum director Barry Stewart removed with a flourish a giant red ribbon draped across the colour illustration at the noon ceremony. About 40 people gathered to watch, many of whom had lived on the Coast for years, giving the occasion a friendly, small town feeling.
Poynter thanked those who assisted the museum in acquiring project funding and those who helped with logistics. After a museum committee accepted her project design, she began historical research in earnest. She was given a tall order - to incorporate all of the Sunshine Coast and its heritage over many eras, from Coast Salish settlement to modern ferry boat travel. Poynter depicted two of the Coast's heritage buildings: the old hospital at Garden Bay and Gibsons Elementary School. Other recognizable landmarks are the mill, the government wharf and Gospel Rock. (A key to the mural placed on the exterior wall at eye level gives more information).
Poynter found a way to digitally transfer her original scratchboard illustration on to the six larger panels that were then propped on a giant easel with the help of museum volunteer John Hird.
"I wanted this to be a community project," she told the crowd. To make it more accessible to the public, she set up her workshop in a donated space at Sunny-crest Mall where she painted the panels in UV resistant materials.
Reana Mussato of the museum's staff also thanked those involved. "As soon as the proposals were made public, we had many people ready to put up their own money to help it along," she said.
In a brief speech, Barry Stewart, a museum director for 12 years, said, "We picked Jan. We couldn't have done a better job."
Guitarist Steve K was on hand to perform, and cake was served to celebrate the pioneer heritage day. Inside the museum, sculptor and photographer Sarama (see photo page A28) featured a photo display of Gibsons' landmark houses and sights, old and new, generated by a day of walking with his camera and seeing the familiar with an artist's eye. Posters of the mural for $50 and postcards for $1 are available for sale at the museum gift shop to raise funds for activities.
