Daphne Odjig
A Voice Without Limits
Celebrating Daphne Odjig
An exceptional artist and advocate, Daphne Odjig (1919‑2016) changed the perception of Indigenous art in Canada. Her decades-spanning career and immense body of work showcase her uniquely self-taught talent; from minimalist fine-line sketches to massive paintings blazed with bold colour, Odjig’s art continues to inspire and move those who experience it today.
Now, Daphne Odjig’s life and legacy are celebrated on the 2025 commemorative $2 circulation coin—a tribute to an artist whose captivating work is supported by her efforts to elevate Indigenous art in Canada.
“If my work as an artist has somehow helped to open doors between our people and the non-native community, then I am glad.”
– Daphne Odjig
Behind the Design
Daphne Odjig Commemorative Circulation Coin
The first Canadian circulation coin to honour the life and work of a woman visual artist, the $2 commemorative coin pays homage to Daphne Odjig’s legacy as an artist, advocate, and creative force for change. Learn more about the art and motifs featured on the coin.
Painted from the Heart
The Art and Life of Daphne Odjig
Known for her highly stylized representations of major themes in First Nations culture and history, as well as tender renderings of love, family, and community, Daphne Odjig’s artwork is a vividly original rendering of the way she saw the world, in a style that is uniquely her own.
Born on September 11, 1919, on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Odjig spent her formative years surrounded by artistic influence. Her father sketched, her mother stitched, and her grandfather was a stone-carver—each playing a fundamental role in her creative development.
With her artistic foundation set, the ambitious Odjig spent her early adulthood further honing her talents and learning all she could about art. From her time spent roaming Toronto art galleries and teaching herself how to paint, to her move to British Columbia where she experimented with portraying natural landscapes, to discovering modern influences with which she identified, Odjig began to discover her own artistic approach.
Discover Odjig’s journey and see how her art evolved as a reflection of her lived experiences.
1960 – 1962: Odjig learns from library books and visits to the Vancouver Art Gallery, while also tending to her farm and caring for her sons after the death of her husband. Odjig’s painting, Theatre Queue, is entered into a competition by her sister. Thanks to its success, Odjig is elected a Member of the British Columbia Federation of Artists—establishing herself as a professional artist. The painting is later gifted to the National Gallery of Canada.
Theatre Queue, 1962
1964: While early experiences with racism make a deep impression on Odjig, her attendance at the very first pow wow of her life—the newly reinstated Wiikwemkoong Pow Wow—marks a personal and artistic turning point. She is inspired to reclaim her Indigenous name and culture, and capture fundamental traditions such as the old Nanabush tales in her paintings.
Nanabush and the Beavers, 1969
1966: After remarrying and moving to Manitoba, Odjig’s husband is assigned to work in Easterville with the Chemawawin Cree Nation, who had been displaced due to the development of the Grand Rapids dam. She captures the community’s experiences through her detailed pen and ink drawings.
1003 Chemahawin Cabin, Series of the North, 1967
1970: Odjig’s Earth Mother is exhibited at the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. Around this time, she establishes Odjig Indian Prints of Canada and opens a small craft store in Winnipeg where she sells reproductions of her Series of the North ink drawings, as well as works by other Indigenous artists.
Earth Mother, 1969
1971 - 1972: Odjig learns to scale up her drawings and creates her first mural, The Great Flood. She then paints The Creation of the World, a mural commissioned by the Manitoba Museum for the Manitoba Centennial.
The Creation of the World, 1972
1973 - 1974: Odjig and six other Indigenous artists found Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. (PNIAI), and she converts her Winnipeg shop into the New Warehouse Gallery—one of the first Indigenous-owned art galleries in Canada. She creates From Mother Earth Flows the River of Life for the Royal Ontario Museum.
From Mother Earth Flows the River of Life, 1973
1983 – 1984: Odjig learns monoprint-making from fellow Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. member Joseph Sánchez in Arizona. Her painting Spiritual Renewal is commissioned by the Laurentian University Museum and Art Centre.
Spiritual Renewal, 1984
1985-1986: Odjig’s first retrospective exhibition is held at the Thunder Bay National Exhibition Centre and Centre for Indian Art, showing a collection of her work from 1946 to 1985. The following year, she is selected to paint an homage for the Picasso Museum in Antibes, France.
And Some Watched The Sunset, 1985
1987-2016: Odjig continues to teach and lend her expertise to the art community. In 2009, she becomes the first First Nations woman whose work was the focus of a solo show at the National Gallery of Canada. The show catalogue is also published in Ojibwe—a first for the National Gallery.
My Patchwork Quilt, 1998
Inspired by Turtle Island: The Places that Helped Shape Daphne Odjig’s Artwork
From the serenity of Manitoulin Island to the deep forests of coastal British Columbia, Daphne Odjig was deeply influenced by the places she called home. Discover the locations that had the biggest impact on Odjig and explore how her art skillfully blends elements of her environment with representations of love, family, community, culture, and history.
Shades of Strength: Daphne Odjig’s Impact on Indigenous Art and Culture
By remaining true to herself and honouring her heritage, Daphne Odjig consciously sought to break barriers. Through her own art and advocacy, including work with Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., Odjig changed the prevailing views of Indigenous art and culture, clearing a path for Indigenous artists.
Find the Daphne Odjig $2 Coin
Now, our change will honour Daphne Odjig, whose advocacy elevated Indigenous art to a celebrated status in Canada and beyond.
The Indian in Transition, 1978 | Acrylic on canvas, 2.74 x 8.23 m | Collection of the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, Quebec
“The rebirth of Indian consciousness created emotions that made the subject matter of my art more spontaneous. I was no longer preoccupied with the mechanical aspects of art, or with personal survival. My work was empowered by the joys, sorrows, and survival of my people in transition.”
– Daphne Odjig
A Monumental Masterpiece
Learn more about Daphne Odjig’s The Indian in Transition as told to us by Kristine McCorkell, curator of Indigenous Art at the Canadian Museum of History.
Exceptional Art, Exceptional Artist
Daphne Odjig Awards and Accolades
The recipient of many high honours, Daphne Odjig participated in over 30 solo and over 50 group exhibitions over the course of her career, and earned seven honorary doctorates from universities and colleges across Canada. Some of her other most notable awards and accolades include:
Rooted in Tradition
An Undeniable Original
On her journey of self-discovery, Daphne Odjig found an artistic style that was uniquely her own, and one that inspired other Indigenous artists to forge their own creative paths while challenging conventions through their work.
Now, after a lifetime of personal, artistic, and cultural achievements, 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.
Find the Daphne Odjig commemorative $2 circulation coin in your change today.
The Daphne Odjig Collection
2025 Commemorative Collector Keepsake Card – Celebrating the Life and Art of Daphne Odjig
Folk Singer by Daphne Odjig – 1-oz. Fine Silver Coin
2025 $2 Celebrating the Life and Art of Daphne Odjig Colourized Special Wrap Roll
2025 $2 Celebrating the Life and Art of Daphne Odjig Non-colourized Special Wrap Roll
2025 $2 Celebrating the Life and Art of Daphne Odjig Special Wrap Roll Box Set
The 2025 Special Wrap Roll Commemorative Collection
Thank You
Folk Singer and the fisher as it appears in The Indian in Transition are adapted with permission from Stan Somerville.
Folk Singer, 1977, Daphne Odjig | Canadian Museum of History, III-M-22 i, S82‑862
The Indian in Transition (fisher detail), 1978, Daphne Odjig | Canadian Museum of History, III‑M‑15, IMG2008‑0624‑0001Dm
Photo: Barbara Woodley / Labatt Breweries of Canada / Library and Archives Canada / e010955979