Behind the Design: Daphne Odjig Commemorative $2 Circulation Coin
- Sep 04, 2025
- History
- 2 minute read
Our newest $2 commemorative circulation coin celebrates Daphne Odjig, an exceptional artist and advocate who changed the perception of Indigenous art in Canada.
Born on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, 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.
Our newest $2 commemorative circulation coin celebrates Daphne Odjig, an exceptional artist and advocate who changed the perception of Indigenous art in Canada.
Born on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, 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.
"Developing a commemorative circulation coin is a delicate exercise in national storytelling,” says Tami Brioux, Product Manager. “Every choice—from simplifying a vivid palette to carefully cropping a powerful image—is made to preserve the essence of a story while ensuring it can be faithfully and beautifully painted and struck in metal. These coins are not just currency; they are invitations for Canadians to feel pride, be curious, and connect to our shared heritage."
Keep reading to discover more about the Daphne Odjig coin design, as well as additional details about the artwork and motifs featured on the coin as told to us by Kristine McCorkell, curator of Indigenous Art at the Canadian Museum of History.
- 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”). “I think [the fisher] is an homage. Daphne was revisiting and reclaiming this Ojibwe history of her own.”
- Name: A first for Canadian circulation, Daphne Odjig is the first woman visual artist to have her life and work honoured on a commemorative circulation coin. “She was really one of the first women to put Indigenous art on the map.”
A Voice Without Limits
Celebrate the artist whose talents and advocacy reshaped the perception of Indigenous art with the new commemorative $2 circulation coin—minted in honour of the undeniably original Daphne Odjig.