Call it cultural currency.
“Change The Bill” is an effort by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) and agency partner Taxi to reimagine what bank notes would look like with Indigenous women.
While Indigenous men have graced Canadian banknotes, an Indigenous woman never has. “Change The Bill” is an effort to promote “reconciliation through art” by commissioning several Indigenous artists to make $20 bills with women they consider to be personal heroes, such as Anishinaabe activist Autumn Peltier (pictured, above) and Mi’kmaw poet Rita Joe (featured in the print ad, below).
The campaign is using out-of-home, print (including a full-page advertisement in the Toronto Star), digital and social to drive more Canadians to call for change, as well as to support the artists themselves. Wavemaker is supporting on media efforts.
“We don’t want to just make an ad, we want to make history,” says Graham Lang, Taxi’s CCO, who says print is an interesting medium to tell more in-depth, important stories like this one, of the people whose faces grace the currency. “A full page ad can still stop you in your tracks.”
“A big part of [Taxi’s] culture is to push initiatives that drive our agenda of DE&I forward,” Lang says, citing Black Taxi. The team shared its idea with NWAC and helped execute the plan, but Lang stresses Taxi is taking a back seat to the organization.
Originally launched at DesignTO, Canada’s biggest art and design festival, NWAC and Taxi have bigger plans.
“The idea is for this gallery to travel,” Lang says, telling strategy that the Bank of Canada Museum is interested in showcasing the collection. It’s about democratizing the accessibility of the artwork, he notes.
Sales of the art go directly to the artist, which has created a platform for Indigenous creatives to showcase their talents while also being compensated.
“The campaign is ever-going, and we are going to continue to receive artist submissions, and hopefully a revenue driving opportunity for the artists,” says Emma Toth, president of Taxi.
In addition to calling on all Canadians to support the representation of Indigenous women through purchasing art, NWAC has gained lots of momentum through an online Change.org petition, which has nearly reached its target of 15,000 signatories.
Toth tells strategy the petition signatures reflect a broad interest in making change. With clients connected through lobbyists, she says she expects to have some real resonance politically and that it’s already striking a chord with the general public. It’s about turning conversations into action, and further ways to keep traction going.