In the foreground of Laurie Sawyer’s new mural at the Dance Palace Community Center, the megafauna of West Marin gaze upon a small gathering of human inhabitants clustered around a campfire. Woven into the landscape are many details of the region, engaging viewers to lean in. An owl at the top represents wisdom and oversight, keystone species such as coho salmon and river otter make their way through Tomales Bay, and poppies, trillium and huckleberries line the canvas edges. The 12-by-12-foot painting is a permanent addition marking the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the Dance Palace and captures the center’s ethos: a community within a larger ecosystem. “I feel like we’re the newcomers. These creatures were here before we came along,” said Ms. Sawyer, a science illustrator who raised five children in Point Reyes Station. As she converts her small watercolor into a large canvas using a grid method, scaffolding near the main entrance allows Ms. Sawyer to work the smooth plywood surface constructed by Tony Moore and members of the Dance Palace Art Committee. Gradients of deep blue in the mural’s sky are a nod to the blue ceiling in the center’s concert hall. Ms. Sawyer said the mural is open to interpretation. “I wanted something that young and old could relate to,” she said. In the center, smoke curls contain words outlining the center’s mission: celebration, community, education, culture, friendship and environment. Executive Director Bonnie Guttman said those values came out of a strategic adaptation plan conducted with public input. The mural is the “art part” of the plan, said Carlos Porrata, chair of the art committee, whose request for proposals outlined a wider vision of community symbolized by multicultural inclusion, connection to community and the land, and the dynamic nature of the region. “When we saw Laurie’s proposal, we all said, ‘That’s it!’” he said. “There are young people, older people, a person in a wheelchair, brown people, white people, and we want to push that diversity and connection to the community.” The Dance Palace will officially unveil the mural during the 50th anniversary gala weekend from May 13 to 15.