PHOTO BY MICHAELA RODRIGUE
The other side of the coin: Russian picks new quarter design
Russian immigrant Emmanouil Kats nominated a print by Kenojuak Ashevak for use on Canada's new Nunavut quarter.
MICHAELA RODRIGUE
Nunatsiaq News
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Or that his idea would help commemorate Canada's changing Arctic.
The Russian immigrant nominated the work of one of Canada's most prominent Inuit artists to appear on one of a series of new quarters designed to mark the new millennium.
At an unveiling at Nanook School in Apex, Kats and famed Cape Dorset artist Kenojuak Ashevak were honoured for the coin.
The new 25-cent piece features an owl and a bear adapted from Ashevak's famous piece the "Red Owl." The Red Owl was originally drawn more than 30 years ago.
Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Kats only became aware of aboriginal art after he came to Canada. He decided to submit Ashevak's work because "I realized that in the art work of Kenojuak Ashevak I found the truly Canadian art form that couldn't be found anywhere else," Kats, who speaks Russian, said through his son and interpreter Roman.
The fact Kats has managed to leave his mark on Canadian money after only three years in his new home shows "it's a beautiful country," Kats said through his son.
For Ashevak the coin is the latest award in a career filled with accomplishments.
Her work has been displayed at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan and has been commissioned by Via Rail Canada and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. One of her most famous pieces, Enchanted Owl, was used on a stamp commemorating the centennial of the Northwest Territories.
Ashevak's life has been the subject of both a National Film Board film and a book on Inuit art. She has also received the Order of Canada.
But when Ashevak was told last winter her work was to be placed on a coin her reaction was "Why me? My prints aren't very good," she said through an interpreter.
However, the new medium of currency doesn't phase her. "I've been working and working and I'm very happy that one of my (pieces of) work is being made into a quarter," Ashevak said, adding she plans to continue her work.
The unveiling allowed Kats, who now lives in Toronto, a chance to see Canada's Arctic first-hand and meet his artistic hero.
After Kats and Ashevak were presented with framed oversized coin, the pair exchanged autographs and Kats proclaimed he would mount the piece on the most prominent wall in his home.
The new coin is one of 24 quarters that the Mint is releasing to mark the new millennium. People are encouraged to submit designs by June 30.
Submissions are judged by a panel of 12 art design students There was no attempt to ensure native art was among the designs chosen, said Louise de Jourdan, director of the millennium coin program for the Royal Canadian Mint.
But "They (the judges) themselves felt the importance of paying tribute simply because they were looking at the last thousand years. Obviously the native Canadians has a lot more to contribute, they were here for a lot longer," de Jourdan said.
The mint will place 15 million of the April quarters into circulation. The quarters are expected to stay in circulation for at least 20 years.
That means Ashevak's work will be on display in the pockets and change purses of Canadians across the country for at least a generation.