Temporary Artworks
The City regularly develops and presents temporary artworks in the public sphere.
Aashawaa by David Beaucage Johnson
In 2026, the City of Oshawa commissioned artist David Beaucage Johnson to create a work of art to accompany the land acknowledgement signs placed in City owned and operated facilities. David was selected by a Public Art Jury comprised of community members from the Williams Treaties Signatory Nations.
To celebrate this project, a temporary large scale reproduction of the artwork will be installed at City Hall for up to 18 months.
About the Artwork
Aashawaa, rendered in watercolours, acrylics and digital medium, appears to be birds, animals, and fish interacting in a very human-like manner. The truth is that the birds, animals and fish are human. Each represents a family Doodem (clan) used in Anishnaabe identity, governance, and culture. Images of animal, bird, or fish were used to sign documents and treaties in place of a cursive signature. For the Anishnaabe, the Doodem symbols were passed down through the father’s lineage.
Generally, the Doodem shares personality traits with the Anishnaabe. For example, the Bear possesses knowledge of medicine and protection. The Otter is known for playfulness and mischief. The Swan, Crane and Eagle are the spiritual leaders and visionaries. The Lynx sees into the spirit world and can harness magical abilities. Those in the Fish Doodem are the intellectuals and teachers. The Caribou are the gentle mediators. Notice that there are two Turtles shown. The colourful smaller Turtle is the Turtle Doodem known for their knowledge of the ways of the Earth. The underside of the turtle because that is their vulnerability. It is an aspect of the turtle that must always be remembered.
The other larger Turtle symbolizes North America, or Turtle Island, as the Anishnaabe call it. The connection between the turtle and the land is so close moss actually grows on the shell of some of the older Turtles. Upon this Turtle Island, are the four sacred medicines; Sweetgrass, Cedar, Tobacco, and Sage. On the shell of large Turtle in the mural are thirteen segments representing time as there are thirteen moons in a calendar year. Finally, each segment of the Turtle’s shell is lit with the glow from a firefly.
The theme of the mural is arriving from canoe travels and beginning a trail journey. The place where a canoe route connects to a land portage is called Aashawaa (also spelled “Oshawa”), which means the beginning of a trail.
About the Artist
Intertwining the Anishnaabe spirit world with the natural world is one of the mysteries Artist David Beaucage Johnson has undertaken. David is a Mississauga Anishnaabe artist from Curve Lake and his family is Turtle Clan. He has created over 15,000 original Artworks to date using watercolours, acrylics, ink serigraphy and most recently has expanded his mediums to include digital. In a review in Quill and Quire Quotables, Laura Murray describes his illustrations as “liquid line drawings and magically lighted paintings”. The Art is the product of an informal nurtured relationship within a tightly woven vibrant and diverse community of Artists. David’s artistic path is an eclectic apprenticeship guided by Canadian artist icons Norman Knott, Harold Town, and Bill Lishman. He maintains that he owes a great debt to all the Artists who blazed a trail and to those Artists who helped him on his creative journey.
In the community, David has been a frequent Ontario Artist in the Classroom, an instructor at the Haliburton School of Art and Design, and served as a juror for the Kawartha Art Gallery. He also opens his studio to the public in the Kawartha Artist Studio Tour. Recognition of his accomplishments spurred invitations of residencies at God’s Lake Narrows in Manitoba, The Southampton Arts Centre, and The Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery. David has presented at the Centre of Creativity at King’s University College; the Celebration of Research at Trent University; Haliburton Museum, and the Canadian Canoe Museum. The path has earned David’s Art an honoured place in the prestigious collections of the Royal Ontario Museum, The Magnotta Winery, Harper Collins Publishers, among others.
David’s Artistic Statement stems from Science Fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke who once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic”. David prefers a variation of which states, “Any sufficiently advanced Art is indistinguishable from Magic.”
This artwork can be seen on land acknowledgement signs installed at main entrances in City owned and operated facilities throughout Oshawa or as a large scale reproduction installed on the windows to the right of the Courtyard Entrance at City Hall in late September.
Turning the Wheel by Dani Crosby
This mural, created in 2024, celebrates the historical essence of the John Borlase Mill in Oshawa, Ontario. The artwork captures the mill's function and structure within the surrounding natural landscape near the Oshawa Creek; blending historical and natural elements, creating a visual narrative that honours the John Borlase Mill’s place within the landscape of Oshawa, while reflecting my own personal connection to the area and its beauty.
The composition begins at the bottom of the piece with a closer view of the creek, teeming with life. This section illustrates lifeforms such as plants, flowers, fish, and mammals that rely on such riparian zones both presently and historically. As the eye moves upward it follows the creek which shrinks into the distance, leading to the base of the mill. Here, the structure is depicted with natural elements—plants and flowers intertwining with the mill’s windows, along with figures representing the labourers who worked in the mill.
Further up the wheel of the mill is featured, adorned with natural features including birds, stars, clouds and the water that powered the wheel. The east-facing windows and upper portion of the mural portray the star signs visible from the mill’s former site, connecting the historical with the celestial.
The colour palette is derived from photographs I took of the sky at sunrise, midday, and sunset. The weaving effect is intentional, using repetition of colours and shapes throughout. For example, the star elements begin lower down in the composition where they are visible in the water pooled inside the mill wheel as they are carried up toward the sky.
Growing up in Oshawa and currently living near the downtown core, I have spent considerable time walking along the creek path with my son, immersing ourselves in our local landscape. This mural provided an opportunity for me to delve deeper into the history of this part of my community. I took many reference photos to ensure that viewers can observe elements from the mural along the creek path. Additionally, some features from the nearby Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens’ play structures have been incorporated into the design.
My hope is that my community will enjoy this artwork in various ways: as a playful teaching tool used to seek and find visual elements in the mural along the creek path, while enjoying the mural from different angles and vantage points around the installation area. There are many details in this artwork which cannot be easily seen from one location. Don't hesitate to zoom in using your phone camera or binoculars, or capture a special moment with this mural as your backdrop. Feel free to connect with the artwork in whatever way you choose. I am grateful for this opportunity to share my artwork with my community.
Stay True by Jon Colwell
Stay True (2024) is an autobiographical piece by Jon Colwell, exploring the tension between his creative vision and the expectations imposed on him by others because of his Indigenous identity. Colwell symbolizes himself as the eagle depicted in a neo-traditional tattoo style, venturing into creating new works while the background hints at the Woodland style artwork, typically expected of him, being left behind. The black border and beveled edges represent a still frame or Polaroid, capturing the decisive moment to deviate from expectations and pursue authentic self-representation.
One Fish Two Fish by Meaghan Claire Kehoe
One Fish Two Fish (2024) is an exploration of childhood nostalgia, depicted through vibrant colours and playful forms intended to recall joyful memories. Inspired by whimsical stories like those of Dr. Seuss, this painting invites viewers to reconnect with the fun and innocence of childhood, where imagination knows no bounds. One Fish Two Fish celebrates the freedom to dream and create, offering a journey into possibility and wonder.
Joseph Kolodzie Oshawa Creek Bike Path temporary artwork installation
In 2025, Fine Art students from Durham College’s Community Collaboration course were invited to submit proposals for this temporary public art installation to celebrate Oshawa’s Parks and Trail systems. The students were given a tour of the Joseph Kolodzie Oshawa Creek Bike Path and were asked to find inspiration along the way. This project provides an opportunity for local students to showcase their artistic talent while celebrating Oshawa’s green spaces.
Exhibited artworks were created by: Bryn Baker, Geneviève Pitt, Owen Macmillan, Regan Haina and Sean Barton.
Recreation facilities temporary public art installations
Fine Art students from Durham College’s Community Collaborations course in 2024/2025 were invited to create ideas for a temporary public art display. The project celebrates Oshawa’s commitment to a sustainable environment. Students toured Second Marsh and the McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve with Friends of Second Marsh.
This project gave local students a chance to show their artwork and connect it to Oshawa’s natural spaces. View the installations at:
Civic Square community mural project
The mural on the fence in front of Oshawa's Civic Square was developed in 2018 by students from Durham College's Fine Arts Community Collaborations course. The artwork expresses the theme of human rights to mark the creation of the City's first Diversity and Inclusion Plan.
Alexandra Park temporary public art installation
Temporary public art pieces were produced in 2018/2019 by students in Durham College's Fine Arts Community Collaboration course and installed at Alexandra Park through a partnership with the City, Durham College and Lakeridge Health Oshawa.
Arts Resource Centre Canada’s 150th anniversary vinyl
Students from Durham College's Fine Arts Community Collaborations course (2016/2017) created artwork on the exterior windows of the Arts Resource Centre to honour community milestone anniversaries.
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