by
Richmond, British Columbia
Our country is unlike anywhere else on Earth. The new 2017 $2 coin, Dance of the Spirits, celebrates the wonders of Canada with a design featuring the spectacular Aurora Borealis. Dance of the Spirits depicts paddlers gliding across a placid lake under the shimmering curtain of the Northern Lights — which the Cree peoples called “the dance of the spirits”.
Dance of the Spirits is a historic issue created especially for Canada's 150th anniversary. It's part of the My Canada, My Inspiration 2017 coin collection designed by Canadians for Canadians.
The tie that binds these coins is the Canada 150 logo, whose mosaic of 13 triangular shapes --one for each province and territory --evokes memories of the 1967 emblem.
“Traditional Cree philosophy attributes the Northern Lights to a special moment when the Spirits manifest themselves, dancing, to the human eyes and minds below.”
Growing up, Timothy Hsia's family home was adorned with prints of artworks by Canadian painters including Robert Bateman and Ted Harrison. Today as a family physician in British Columbia, Hsia continues to look at nature with a painter's eye — as evident in his contribution to the My Canada, My Inspiration 150th anniversary coin collection, Dance of the Spirits. Challenging himself to render the ever-shifting movement of the Northern Lights in a single, still image, he blended hand-drawn elements and computer design to bring the aurora borealis to life for all Canadians to share.