In 2019, a group of Indigenous artists embraced the idea of celebrating the Lunar New Year tradition in the form of Coastal Lunar Lanterns, a collaborative project between LunarFest Vancouver and Tourism Vancouver that aims to make Vancouver the top North American destination for Lunar New Year celebrations. Musqueam artist Thomas Cannell had been involved in both 2019 and 2020 editions of the Coastal Lunar Lanterns; his mother, the renowned Susan Point, will lead her family of artists including Thomas, Kelly Cannell (daughter) and Summer Cannell (granddaughter) to be presented in an unprecedented artistic and cultural dialogue with the Pavavaljung family of artists from the Paiwan tribe in Taiwan.  Eight lanterns with designs from two Indigenous families originating from two ends of the Pacific Ocean will be part of the Coastal Lunar Lanterns – “Family Ties” in 2021. For Indigenous families in Canada and Taiwan, family is an extremely integral part of their societies and the same value is also shared in the Lunar New Year tradition.  Only in the Lantern City Vancouver can these lanterns be presented with the stunning backdrop of mountains and waters of British Columbia; it’s the coming together of nature, history, people and tradition.

Co-organized by The Society of We Are Canadians Too