By Rosalind Russell – The Royal Canadian Mint is honouring an artist’s work who originally hailed from Manitoulin Island.
According to the release, the Mint states the new Daphne Odjig commemorative $2 coin is the first Canadian circulation coin to honour the life and work of a woman visual artist. An adaptation of her original artwork, Folk Singer, is featured on the coin and is an exceptional representation of the bold line and colour work that characterized much of her art.
Born on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, Odjig was known for her highly stylized monumental representations of major themes in First Nations culture and history, and tender renderings of love, family, and community.
Accented by flowing lines and curving contours learned from her grandfather Jonas Odjig, a talented carver, Odjig’s portfolio ranges from minimalist fine-line sketches to massive paintings blazed with bold colour.
And now, in 2025, one of her original artworks is featured on a Canadian circulation coin, which has been put into circulation.
Folk Singer: The reverse design is based on Odjig’s Folk Singer (1977). Featuring a cropped view of the female figure holding a drum, the colourized version of the coin is brought to life by a selective application of colour. It is an exceptional representation of the bold line and colour work that characterized much of Odjig’s art. “Folk Singer was the precursor [to] a series […] called Pow Wow. Folk Singer captures one of those moments of someone singing to the community.”
Fisher: The outer ring includes Odjig’s drawing of a fisher as it appears above her signature on her 1978 masterpiece The Indian in Transition (originally commissioned by and currently on display at the Canadian Museum of History). It serves as a visual representation of her surname (the anglicized version of “Odjig” is “Fisher”) – [the fisher] is an homage. Daphne was revisiting and reclaiming this Ojibwe history of her own.
PHOTO: According to the Royal Canadian Mint states the new Daphne Odjig commemorative $2 coin is the first Canadian circulation coin to honour the life and work of a woman visual artist. Photo provided by the Royal Canadian Mint.
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