When Jenny Kay Dupuis walked through a Winners store recently, she was approached by a senior woman searching for the right sizes of an orange shirt. The woman explained she was bringing the shirts to her grandchildren in the United States to teach them about the importance of Orange Shirt Day and the phrase “Every Child Matters.” She didn’t realize the person helping her was the Anishinaabe artist who had designed the very shirt she was holding. For Dupuis, that moment captured the power of storytelling and intergenerational teaching.
Dupuis, a member of Nipissing First Nation who lives in Toronto, was commissioned by Winners and Marshalls Canada to design this year’s shirt, with proceeds supporting the Orange Shirt Society. Her 2025 design, titled Hearts in Harmony, incorporates Grandmother Moon watching over children, a crane, turtle, and fish symbolizing truth and resilience, and forget-me-not flowers honouring those taken from their families. “We’re at a time and space right now where we’re listening to the voices of residential school survivors, their families, and communities,” Dupuis said, reflecting on her own grandmother’s experience in residential school.
Orange Shirt Day, observed every September 30 since 2013, was inspired by Phyllis Webstad’s story of having her new orange shirt taken from her on her first day at residential school. In 2023, it was declared the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday for federal workers and adopted by several provinces. Over time, the day has grown into a movement, with major Canadian retailers collaborating with Indigenous artists to produce meaningful designs and raise funds for Indigenous-led organizations.
For Brooklyn Rudolph, a young artist from Winnipeg and member of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, the opportunity came as a surprise. Her design, chosen through Indigenous Proud, a program of the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council, was picked up by Walmart Canada and now hangs on racks nationwide. The artwork depicts two children holding hands beneath the “Keewatin” star—known in Cree as the going-home star—while an eagle soars overhead symbolizing love. Proceeds go to the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
Rudolph, whose grandparents attended Guy Hill Residential School, said her inspiration came from their resilience and her grandfather’s teachings about sharing love. For her, art has become a way to reclaim the Indigenous identity stripped from her family, while also serving as a bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. “It’s bringing truth and reconciliation to people far and wide and allowing them to stand with us on our healing journeys,” she said.
From powerful designs on store shelves to deeply personal stories, this year’s Orange Shirt Day demonstrates how Indigenous art is carrying forward both healing and awareness—inviting Canadians everywhere to remember, reflect, and stand together.