Design Details – Artist Valentine De Landro
- Feb 22, 2024
- Contenu canadien
- 3 minute read
This year’s Commemorating Black History coin depicts an often-overlooked story from Canada’s immigration history: Amber Valley, one of the largest all-Black settlements in western Canada during the early 20th century.
Designed by Canadian artist Valentine De Landro, the coin honours the Black pioneers who persevered through hardships and hostility, facing down discrimination and building up a foundation for future generations. Below, we hear from De Landro about his artistic background, the coin’s design details, and his hopes for those who encounter his artwork. Read on to learn more!
This year’s Commemorating Black History coin depicts an often-overlooked story from Canada’s immigration history: Amber Valley, one of the largest all-Black settlements in western Canada during the early 20th century.
Designed by Canadian artist Valentine De Landro, the coin honours the Black pioneers who persevered through hardships and hostility, facing down discrimination and building up a foundation for future generations. Below, we hear from De Landro about his artistic background, the coin’s design details, and his hopes for those who encounter his artwork. Read on to learn more!
The Artist
Valentine De Landro is an illustrator, comic book artist, and designer. If you’re familiar with popular comic book publishers such as DC and Marvel, you may have already come across his work—in particular, he’s best known for Marvel Knights: 4 and X-Factor. He’s also the co-creator of his very own comic book series.
“I’ve been fortunate to apply my artwork to many different storytelling mediums. I’ve worked in advertising and publishing both in an artistic and production role. But I consider myself a full-time comic book artist now, which gives me the opportunity to explore sequential art for fiction and non-fiction mediums,” says De Landro.
One of those aforementioned storytelling mediums is the reverse of a coin. While Amber Valley isn’t the first coin De Landro has designed for us—he designed our Second World War Battlefront: The Invasion of Sicily (2018) as well as the 2022 Celebrating Oscar Peterson suite—it is the first time his art has graced a Commemorating Black History series coin.
“The Amber Valley story showed me an incredible part of our history that I wasn’t aware of before I took on this project. On a level of personal growth and for inspiring me to seek out other historically significant moments of our past, I feel indebted to the Mint in some ways.”
The Design
One of the most uniquely challenging aspects of creating a design for a coin is accurately depicting who or what is being commemorated on such a small canvas. This coin was no different, as there are so many layers to the story behind Amber Valley.
“For the design, I needed to distill the sense of community and family into a singular image and shape to focus on. There’s a lot of story, but a limited amount of space, so what’s left out of the design is almost as important as what’s included,” says De Landro. “Understanding and navigating the size and space of the [coin] canvas is still part of the challenge, but it helps to focus my thought process in how to handle the composition.”
De Landro’s design is centred on a family portrait that represents the spiritual heart of the story: the Black homesteaders who founded Amber Valley (formerly Pine Creek) in Alberta in 1909 and built a thriving community.
“The pioneering imagery was essential to communicating the spirit of Amber Valley, crossing through harsh terrain to reach a virtually unknown destination and to begin a legacy centred on the goal of a better life for their family; that idea is reflected in the posture and presence of the figures at the core of this design,” says De Landro. “I added the flourish in the corner to represent the sponsored literature that was sent to prospective settlers in the south; the covers of the Canada Post magazines typically featured that leafy, ornate border.”
A coin filled with heart and history, De Landro has a hope for those who come across his Amber Valley design: “If the coin brings people to wonder what’s behind the story of this community, I’ll consider that a good takeaway.”
Our annual Commemorating Black History series honours the enormous contributions that Black Canadians have made—and continue to make—to Canada’s story. It is a celebration of resilience, innovation, and determination. The sixth coin in this collection, designed by Valentine De Landro, honours Amber Valley’s place in Canadian history. Order yours today.