Jenny Kay Dupuis was recently in a Winners store, when a senior asked for help finding certain sizes of an orange shirt on display.
The older woman was on her way to visit her grandchildren in the United States and wanted to bring them each the artistic shirt with "Every Child Matters," the phrase synonymous with Orange Shirt Day.
She explained that she wanted to share with the kids the meaning of the shirt and the movement to recognize and honour residential school survivors and those who never made it home.
The woman didn't know she was speaking with the Anishinaabe artist who designed the shirt hanging on the rack.
"When I think of what that lady was doing in passing on that story to her grandchildren and also talking about the different lessons they may learn through it, it's a really good feeling," said Dupuis.
Dupuis was tapped by Winners and Marshalls Canada to design the T-shirt for Orange Shirt Day, with proceeds going to the non-profit Orange Shirt Society.
Other retailers, including Canadian fashion brands Aritzia and Joe Fresh, are also working with Indigenous artists on their shirt campaigns.
Orange Shirt Day, which takes place every Sept. 30, was established in 2013.
It was started to honour the story of Phyllis Webstad, who was forced to attend residential school when she was six and had her new orange shirt from her grandmother taken away.
In 2023, Ottawa declared it National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, making it a statutory holiday for federal government employees. Some provinces and territories followed suit.
Non-Indigenous corporations and companies have also collaborated with Indigenous artists to develop T-shirts for the day, with proceeds going to Indigenous organizations.
It's the second year Dupuis has worked with Winners and Marshalls Canada.
The artist, a member of Nipissing First Nation in Ontario who lives in Toronto, has worked with the retailers before to create back-to-school pieces and other apparel with her artwork.
This year, she titled her design "Hearts in Harmony."
It features the moon, referred to as "Grandmother Moon" in some First Nations cultures, watching over a group of children. A crane, turtle and fish represent truth, resilience and intergenerational connection. Forget-me-not flowers on a bear's head honour the children taken from their families and forced into residential schools.
The images speak to remembering and revitalizing Indigenous cultures.
"There was an intent through those policies that existed that forced so many to go to residential school and didn't allow them to practise their culture or language," said Dupuis, whose grandmother attended one of the schools.
"We're at a time and space right now where we're listening to those voices of the residential school survivors, their families and communities."
When Brooklyn Rudolph answered a call-out for Orange Shirt Day designs from Indigenous Proud, a program created by Naut'sa mawt Tribal Council in British Columbia, she didn't expect her winning artwork would be in stores across the country.
"I was under the impression it was going to be like small, local, still impactful ... finding out that it was with Walmarts across the country was a really big surprise," Rudolph said.
"My family was so excited and so proud to hear that I got this opportunity."
Proceeds from sales of her shirt through Walmart Canada's campaign go to the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
The artist, who is from Winnipeg and a member of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, said she was inspired by her grandparents who attended the Guy Hill Residential School in The Pas, Man.
Her design features two children holding hands, representing unity and resilience, she said. A star, called Keewatin in Cree, means going home star. An eagle flying over symbolizes love.
"If there's one thing that my grandpa always told my family was to share love. So I really wanted to include that teaching."
Rudolph said her interest in art began as a way of reclaiming the Indigenous identity stripped away from her grandparents. Through art, she has been on her own journey of healing and has reconnected with her community.
She has also found ways to support and give back to Indigenous groups, while acting as a bridge-builder with non-Indigenous groups.
"It's bringing truth and reconciliation to people far and wide and allowing them to stand with us on our healing journeys."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
