What if...? Studios: Canada's February 1990 Millenium Quarter Press Release

Press Release - Lonnie Springer Wins Royal Canadian Mint Contest!

Lonnie Springer is about to put his design - and his initials - on more than 12 million shiny new Canadian quarters.

Mr. Springer is one of twelve 1999 contest winners from a field of 33,000 in a Royal Canadian Mint Contest. A new quarter will be introduced each month through 1999. The challenge was to create a design portraying an important event, discovery or achievement that captures Canada's past millennium (for more information visit their web site at www.rcmint.ca)

Mr. Springer's design depicts three petroglyphs (rock carvings) from Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park in southern Alberta near the U.S. Montana border. The human figure, the horse and the shielded warrior, which will appear on the February 1999 millennium quarter, provide a vivid glimpse into native history and spiritual life. The aboriginal peoples of western Canada have been attracted to the bizarre rock formations at Writing-On-Stone for over 3,500 years. By carving and painting on the soft, golden-sandstone cliffs, they recorded important events and communicated with the spirit world.

"The human figure with outstretched arms is a very spiritual image, embracing the new millennium." Springer says. "I also included the petroglyph of the horse because its arrival in western Canada, around the early 1700's, had enormous and almost instantaneous impact upon native life. The horse improved existing hunting strategies and introduced new ones; it provided easier transportation and altered the nature of tribal warfare. More importantly, the horse helped to expand and open new trade routes. Before the horse, the natives on the western plains of Canada were a nomadic people who traveled by foot in small bands, using dogs to drag their travois. By the time the first Europeans met the Blackfoot tribes in late 1700's, they had become one of the great equestrian cultures of the world."

"The final petroglyph to be illustrated on the coin, the shield-bearing warrior," Springer says, "is much older than the other two and dates around A. D. 1300. The shield is decorated with a traditional spoke pattern, which has often been used by many cultures to adorn utilitarian objects and works of art. In addition, this geometric pattern reminded me of native medicine wheels, which are among the most complex and intriguing relics to be discovered on the plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan."

"There was no monetary prize for the winning design," says Springer, "but having my initials on a quarter is better than winning a million dollars. Soon my design will be in circulation throughout Canada and the world. People will be carrying my creation in their pockets and my initials, LS, will be on that coin. Like the Writing-On-Stone petroglyphs that have long outlasted their story-tellers, this coin will outlive me. Canadians for generations to come will use my coin and be reminded of this unique place in Alberta, which provides a vivid glimpse of native history and spiritual life."

Mr. Springer graduated from St. Mary's High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1965. He received a B.F.A from the University of Colorado in 1969, a professional teaching diploma from the University of Alberta (1972) and a Master of Education degree (1982) from the University of Calgary.

Lonnie Springer is an artist, teacher, administrator and an outdoor enthusiast. Currently, he is the supervisor of the Instructional Materials Centre for the Calgary Catholic School District, the third largest publicly funded school board in Alberta (42,000 students). His department is responsible for selecting, evaluating, distributing, developing and producing a variety of media resources for teachers and students. In addition, Mr. Springer is responsible for all school library programs and the integration of computer technology into the curriculum. A major part of this latter initiative involves providing computer training courses for the school board's 3,000+ employees.

Mr. Springer serves on Alberta Education's School Technology Advisory Council, a former president of the Alberta Teachers' Association Computer Council and a 26 year member of the Alpine Club of Canada.

Mr. Springer is president and CEO of "What if …? Studios", an innovative graphic arts company specializing in the development of unique computer clipart called Digital Clay. (www.whatifstudios.com)

Mr. Springer has had exhibitions of his art at the Glenbow Art Gallery and Muttart Art Gallery in Calgary and the Peter Whyte Gallery in Banff, Alberta.

Mr. Springer's outdoor activities include mountain climbing, back packing, hiking, cross country skiing, canoeing and snow caving.

Lonnie's Coin Journal