About 2015 $500 Fine Silver Coin The Dance Screen (The Scream Too) [148273]

The Dance Screen (The Scream Too) is a monumental sculpture of red cedar wood that stands three metres tall, five metres across, and weighs about 1,360 kg. The ambitious project was completed by Haida master carver and Eagle Clan Chief James Hart, and represents the dance screens that were traditionally used as backdrops during Haida ceremonial dances.

It is the only dance screen of its kind, and has an urgent story to tell—the diminishing wild salmon population and the critical role it plays in the ecosystem. Various figures from Haida stories, particularly those who depend upon the salmon for their survival, have been brought together in this design—a beaver, raven, eagle, frogs, orcas, salmon, salmon people and a shaman, with Mother Bear at the design’s centre. Together, they are shouting at the viewer to awaken to the salmon’s plight and to honour its importance to life along the Pacific Northwest Coast.

This masterpiece will be the talk of your collection for years to come! Order yours today!

Special features:

A MASTERPIECE CRAFTED IN FIVE KILOGRAMS OF FINE SILVER! Our fourth 5-kg silver coin at 99.99% purity.

A REMARKABLE FEAT IN MINTING! This exquisite work of art that is a unique marriage of ancestral carving and modern minting techniques.

Each coin is fashioned from a single pour of pure molten silver that weighs an astounding 5 kg. It took approximately four weeks to produce the dies from a three-dimensional digital rendering of Hart’s original sculpture. This was followed by 100 hours of milling, and another two weeks of polishing and texturizing to prepare the die for a succession of eight strikes in order to achieve the coin’s exceptionally detailed relief and engraving—a remarkable feat in minting!

Expertly crafted with multiple finishes that bring exceptional detail, dimension and shine to this unique design.

By renowned Haida master carver and Eagle Clan Chief James Hart (7idansuu), this astonishing sculpture is truly one-of-a-kind, both in the context of Haida art and in the broader context of art production—making it an especially apt subject for a unique large-format coin.

WORLDWIDE MINTAGE OF 100: Hand polished to perfection, made-to-order with a very limited mintage of 100 worldwide.

Your coin is encased in an acrylic box and—along with a serialized certificate in a book format—presented in an elegant collector’s box made of

Canadian walnut wood and branded the Royal Canadian Mint. For secure shipping, the collector’s box is placed inside a watertight, crushproof, and dustproof Pelican Case 1550.

Your coin is GST/HST exempt.

About the Design:

The Dance Screen (The Scream Too) is devoted to the Wild Salmon of the Pacific NorthWest Coast whose numbers have diminished significantly in recent years. The work brings together key figures of the Haida, all of whom depend on the Salmon for their survival. These characters blend together in a single whole, shouting for viewers to consider the plight and importance of the wild salmon.

Beaver and Raven

Haida story tells of Raven stealing a lake filled with salmon, this venerable fish, from the Beaver People who were hoarding them. On Hart’s piece, the Beaver’s hollering face emerges from the left side of the image as the wily Raven peeks across the screen at him from a safe distance.

Mother Bear and Cubs

The screen centers on the large Mother Bear whose life depends so distinctly on the Salmon. Just beneath her large open mouth, her two cubs flank the doorway of the screen; they have taken on human form—a common Haida motif. Their open mouths shout about the plight of the Salmon, amplified by raised hands.

Eagle and Frogs

Above the Mother Bear, with claws emerging through her ears, is an Eagle with Frogs in its ears. Eagle with outstretched wings has the ability to fly so high as to reach the upperworld. Frogs symbolize both good fortune and the ability to cross between our world and the underworld.

Orcas

A male and a female Orca are positioned on the outside of each Bear Cub, their tall dorsal fins rising along each side of the Mother Bear’s face. From a face in their blowholes, which represent the spirit of the whale, they shout about the fate of the Salmon.

Salmon and Salmon People

The entire work is framed by the Salmon itself in both its human and animal forms. Carved directly into the perimeter are the faces of twelve Salmon People, each outlined with a frame of shimmering abalone shell inlay. Between each of these faces are two blue glittering carved salmons.

The Shaman

The Shaman presides before the piece to maintain order, to heal, and to perform rituals that ensure continuity. This Shaman ensures that the Salmon shall return. He is also a figure of the Artist himself, informing people about the Salmon’s fate.

James Hart was commissioned by a private collector to create this large-scale sculpture. In 2010, he began work on the vast carved dance screen in a greenhouse at his home studio on Haida Gwaii. The work was transferred to the Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver, B.C. so he could work in the public eye for a while, then it was transferred to Hart’s studio in Musqueam. In 2012, the work was transferred again, this time to the Vancouver Art Gallery where, in an open gallery, Hart and his crew completed the monumental Dance Screen in view of the public. Hart speaks highly of this unique experience, which not only gave the public a rare opportunity to watch an artist and his team at work but also gave Hart the chance to trade ideas with other artists and art lovers.

The final sculpture of red cedar measures five metres (16′) wide by three metres (11′) high and weighs about 1,360 kilograms. It was carved in seven sections from charred red cedar trees. A huge forest fire swept across Haida Gwaii, Hart’s homeland, in the 1880s. It took several years for Hart to accumulate enough wood with the precise qualities and size he was looking for in this piece.

In the tradition of the Haida dance screen, the piece is unique and unusual for its size and its detail. Otherwise, it draws on the highly consistent grammar of the Haida’s ancient visual language. Like all Haida work, the sculpture uses a specific vocabulary of shapes to tell its story. The S-curves, ovoids, U-form shapes, and formlines of this oeuvre are used according to strict rules of composition that are passed down generationally. These rules apply regardless of the finished product’s size and medium.

About the Artist:

Renowned Haida master carver and Eagle Clan Chief James Hart (7idansuu) applies his artistic talent to express the vitality of his culture, bringing ancestral teachings and practices into the present day. Hart inherited his artistic talent and his leadership status from his mother’s ancestral line. Her great-grandfather was famed carver and Chief Charles Edenshaw, whose work from the early twentieth century is present in many museum collections.

Although he had been exposed to carving from early childhood, Hart turned seriously to the art form in the late 1970s, when he began studying under famed Northwest Coast artists Robert Davidson and Bill Reid.

Today, Hart’s sought-after work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally. His career highlights include productions of the Respect to Bill Reid Memorial Pole for the Museum of Anthropology and the University of British Columbia; the creation of the bronze sculpture, The Three Watchmen, installed at the National Art Gallery of Canada; supervision of the construction of the Haida House in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization (now Canadian Museum of History); and the restoration of an ancient Haida Totem Pole for the Smithsonian Institution in New York City. Hart was made a member of the Order of British Columbia in 2003.

Packaging:

Your coin is encased in an acrylic box and—along with a serialized certificate in a book format—presented in an elegant collector’s box made of Canadian walnut wood and branded the Royal Canadian Mint. For secure shipping, the collector’s box is placed inside a watertight, crushproof, and dustproof Pelican Case 1550.

Order your coin today!