Vancouver 2010 Olympic Medals
October 19, 2009
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Olympic Games, particularly the Winter Games. The twenty-first Winter Olympic Games will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia in February 2010. (I grew up in the Northwest United States, an area that I absolutely love; we had thought about going to Vancouver for the Games, but decided it was a little too much for us to handle right now.) Information about the design for the medals was posted to the Vancouver 2010 web site this week, a photo gallery and a video describing the design. The medals are based on abstract artwork by a Canadian designer of Tlingit heritage: the artwork is in the same style as the carved totem poles from that region with which many people will be familiar. (Check out my article on totem poles for more information.) I plan to write about these medals — particularly the use of Raven in the medals for the Paralympic Games — for the next issue of my online myth magazine Journey to the Sea.
