Indigenous·NewThe coin featuring a central design based on her artwork The Folk Singer begins circulating Thursday.Colourful coin’s design based on her painting The Folk SingerLouise BigEagle · CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2025 6:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 23 minutes agoGov-Gen. Michaelle Jean congratulates Daphne Odjig after receiving the Governor General’s award in visual and media arts at a ceremony in Ottawa, March 23, 2007. Odjig’s artwork now appears on a $2 coin. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)Daphne Odjig’s artwork is displayed in galleries and homes all over Canada; now her work will be featured on a Canadian coin.The $2 coin features a central design based on her 1977 artwork The Folk Singer, with an adaptation of her drawing of a fisher from The Indian in Transition (1978) on the outer ring. The coin begins circulating Thursday.According to the Royal Canadian Mint, Odjig is the first female visual artist to have her life and work honoured on a commemorative circulation coin.Her brother Gordie Odjig said he first saw how talented she truly was when she did a portrait of her father many years ago.The $2 coin commemorating artist Daphne Odjig. Three million coins will be made, of which 2 million will be in colour. (Royal Canadian Mint (RCM))He said when he first heard his sister was being honoured with her artwork on the coin, he and his family couldn’t believe she was chosen, they were so happy.”It makes me really proud. We are amazed our family did that and Daphne made that happen,” said Gordie Odjig.Daphne Odjig was born in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island in Ontario in 1919. Her father Dominic just got back from the First World War with his British war bride.There they raised four children together until Daphne’s mom died of a sudden illness. Her dad remarried and there were 17 siblings in total; Daphne was the third oldest.Gordie said Daphne often spent time with her father and grandfather Jonas Odjig, who was the reason she got into painting as he himself was a carver. Her art style was often of her own First Nations culture and history, often using fine lines and colourful paints to express her work.While Gordie was growing up in Wiikwemkoong, his sister lived in cities like Winnipeg and Toronto to chase her dreams of being an artist.Gordie said while living in Winnipeg, his sister started a gallery which included well known artists like Alex Janvier and Norval Morrisseau.ABOUT THE AUTHORLouise has been a journalist with CBC since September 2022. She is Nakota/Cree from Ocean Man First Nation. She holds a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Regina. Louise can be reached at louise.bigeagle@cbc.ca.
Wiikwemkoong artist Daphne Odjig celebrated with commemorative $2 coin
