RRC Polytech is honoured and excited to embark on a meaningful journey to update its Indigenous visual identity.

This project reflects our deep commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, Indigenous student success and our Strategic Plan priorities.

A key component to the RRC Polytech brand, the updated Indigenous visual identity will serve as a guiding resource for how our College visually represents Indigenous cultures (Inuit, Métis, Status and Non-Status First Nations), stories and relationships across formal communications such as marketing materials, business cards, advertising, signage and presentations.

It will complement our corporate visual identity while highlighting and celebrating Indigenous knowledge, innovation and leadership at RRC Polytech.

To lead this work, we have partnered with Narratives Inc., a creative agency specializing in culturally grounded consultation and design, who is supporting us with an Indigenous-led team

Narratives is working with a Steering Committee, representing areas from across the College, and alongside the Knowledge Keepers Council, to ensure this work is led with care, integrity and Indigenous ways of knowing. Together, we will undertake a collaborative process with input from students, staff, and community partners.

Why This Matters

Indigenous peoples represent the fastest-growing population in Manitoba, yet many continue to face significant barriers to accessing and succeeding in post-secondary education due to enduring and existing impacts of colonial systems. To support reconciliation and create meaningful opportunities, it is essential that our College environment not only welcomes Indigenous students but actively reflects and affirms our identities, histories and cultures.

While fostering a visible identity for Indigenous students and partners is an important step, it is only one of many actions needed to address systemic inequities meaningfully. By creating and sustaining a space that prioritizes safety, respect and cultural relevance, we can begin to build necessary trust, foster meaningful connections with partners, and support Indigenous students in their educational journeys.

How You Can Participate

Your voice is essential to this process. We encourage you to reflect on how this project can contribute to our shared journey toward Truth and Reconciliation and inspire meaningful connections for generations to come. Join one of the many in-person engagement sessions hosted by Narratives on RRC Polytech campuses, and share your perspectives, stories and reflections through the online survey.

This is an opportunity to help shape an identity that will resonate deeply with Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences alike and represent the values that are important to our community.

RRC Polytech welcomed Manitobans to the Notre Dame Campus today, as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of its Research Partnerships & Innovation (RPI) enterprise.

A gateway to applied research since its establishment in 2004, RPI connects industry and community partners with RRC Polytech’s comprehensive array of facilities, technology and expertise in collaborative projects that bring innovative ideas to life.

As part of the event, guests toured RRC Polytech’s research labs and areas, saw demonstrations of its leading-edge technology and engaged with faculty, professional research staff and students to learn how applied research projects connect all areas of the College and are driving our province into the future.

“As Manitoba’s polytechnic, RRC Polytech is committed to creating change through innovation and using the knowledge and tools that we offer to benefit our communities and the industries that our graduates will soon be leading,” says Fred Meier, RRC Polytech’s President and CEO.

“Applied research projects drive progress while providing students with invaluable experience through work-integrated learning. We’re eager to build on the incredible success stories we’ve shared with our partners over the last 20 years and to explore new opportunities to find solutions for real-world challenges.”

With 135 researchers and more than 600 students directly involved annually, along with applied research training enabled by research infrastructure in more than 60 courses, RRC Polytech is consistently named a top research college in Canada.

The College’s three NSERC-funded Technology Access Centres (TACs) and other various research facilities and resources are focal points for advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration and accelerating commercialization — with thousands of square feet of space to develop, test and create solutions to support small, medium and large enterprises and communities.

“We are proud to support RRC Polytech’s wide range of critical applied research projects because their creative collaborations with industry and community build on the strengths of the region and further diversify Manitoba’s economy to create opportunities for everyone,” says Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and PrairiesCan.

“Polytechnics not only train the workforce of tomorrow but also support businesses with access to state-of-art facilities and by providing guidance on the research and development of new processes and products in various stages of technology readiness levels. Twenty years is a tremendous milestone, and we look forward to their future successes.”

Projects range from the development of the world’s first all-electric tundra buggies for Frontiers North Adventures in Churchill and the testing of cold spray technology to repair aircrafts with StandardAero to supporting CancerCare Manitoba during the COVID-19 Pandemic and studying the Abecedarian Approach in child care to partnering with Opaskwayak Cree Nation to develop food products for their community, just to name a few.

In its 20 years of existence, RPI has driven Manitoba forward economically, environmentally, socially and culturally – positioning the province for success in a globally competitive environment.

“RRC Polytech’s two decades of helping small- and medium-sized enterprises in Manitoba grow and evolve through applied research that spurs innovation is cause for celebration,” says Hon. Mike Moroz, Minister of Innovation and New Technology.

“As a former educator, I also commend how the College includes students in research activities — while they learn. Technology and innovation shape all facets of our society and economy; we need workforces and communities that are fluent and confident in this environment and that learning begins in the classroom.”

The applied research administered by RPI and conducted across all programs is foundational to RRC Polytech’s identity — a polytechnic is defined as an institution that fuels business innovation with applied research expertise. Applied research projects drive economic growth by helping to effectively and affordably solve problems for industry and communities, across all disciplines and sectors, as new products and processes are created.

To date, RPI has completed thousands of projects for clients and continues to expand its areas of specialization to:
• Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics
• Cleantech with focus on EV and building efficiency
• Health, nutrition and social sciences with focus on culinary research and food innovation
• Early childhood development research
• Enabling adoption of digital technologies including AI and automation

“The emerging technology we’re helping to develop amplifies the growing interconnectivity between all sectors, so the future of applied research is dependent on taking a multidisciplinary approach,” says Dr. Jolen Galaugher, Director, Research Partnerships & Innovation at RRC Polytech.

“RPI is uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in strengthening Manitoba’s research innovation ecosystem through its strategic partnerships and by cooperating with other post-secondaries, regional and national research labs, government departments, and industry associations.”

RRC Polytech is the only post-secondary in Canada to deliberately group Research with Indigenous Strategy and Business Development (ISRBD) into one portfolio.

This ensures that our commitment to embed Truth and Reconciliation is always a priority and establishes that all applied research respects the principles of OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access and Possession) when working with and in First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. It also creates natural overlaps that accelerate the ability to maximize Indigenous growth opportunities across the province.

“RRC Polytech has been demonstrating what is possible in Manitoba for 20 years. We want to thank our generous funders and supporters, and of course, all of our partners for trusting us to help achieve their goals by transforming their ideas into reality,” says Galaugher. “We look forward to building on those relationships as together, we’ll create a prosperous, sustainable and inclusive future for all.”

Last month, the first cohort of students in Hollow Water (Waanibiigaaw) First Nation’s Educational Assistant program gathered alongside their instructor and family members to celebrate their graduation with a ceremony and feast.

The community-centred celebration allowed the grads to share their accomplishments with loved ones and community members. They were gifted materials from their community to create their own ribbon skirts to wear to the ceremony.

Instructor Patricia Stouffer says it was important to the grads to take part in a ceremony, not just for themselves but so young people could see the accomplishments possible for them in their community.

Hollow Water First Nation is a tightknit, welcoming community located on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, over 200 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Stouffer says her students’ ability to remain close to home while studying was crucial to their success in the program.

“One of the biggest things is having support from home and not experiencing culture shock,” she explains. “It’s hard enough to transition into education, and having this opportunity right in the community opened doors for the students who were a part of this program.

“Being in their community allowed them to keep their values and connection to family alive and well throughout their education and get the support that only being close to home can provide.”

Chloe Seymour is one of the eight graduating students and is already working right in her community at Wanipigow School. She says it felt nice to be recognized at the ceremony and for her community members to see how hard she’d worked — echoing Stouffer’s sentiment that close proximity to educational opportunities is crucial.

Seymour held two part-time jobs while in the program — jobs she would’ve had to give up if she’d been required to travel to another part of the province to complete the program. It was also important to her that she could set an example for kids in Hollow Water.

“I’m glad I got to show the youth in my community that they don’t have to leave their home to continue their education, and that they can be successful, just like I was,” she says.

Making programs and other resources available to students in Hollow Water is one way that RRC Polytech addresses the needs of the communities it serves, while also delivering on its commitments to Truth and Reconciliation.

The Educational Assistant program is also a step towards ensuring equitable opportunities exist for students throughout Manitoba, particular those who would have otherwise barriers accessing educations outside of their community.

By providing communities with access to post-secondary options, the College aims to close gaps in the province’s educational system and create a more equitable environment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

RRC Polytech has become the first post-secondary in Manitoba to the sign the SDG Accord, committing to embed the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its education, research, leadership, operations, administration and engagement activities.

The 17 SDGs represent an ambitious call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. They align with the values in RRC Polytech’s strategic plan and directly support the College’s commitments.

“Our primary objective is training the workforce of today and tomorrow, so we are uniquely positioned to lead transformative change and build a more sustainable future — and the SDGs are a valuable tool to help us focus our efforts,” says RRC Polytech President Fred Meier.

“Sustainability is a journey without a final destination, so we’re prepared and excited to build on the current initiatives led by our Environmental Stewardship and Campus Renewal team and broaden our approach to include research, academics and all areas of College operations.”

The SDGs are a global blueprint for all people around the world to improve health and education, reduce inequality, spur economic growth and tackle climate change. They aim to achieve peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. While each goal has its own separate objective, they are indivisibly linked and interdependent.

“We can’t have good health and well-being without clean water, and we can’t have sustainable, inclusive communities without reducing inequality,” says Sustainability Specialist Stephanie Fulford. “So while the goals are ambitious, they reflect the scope of our global challenges, give us real targets to strive toward and a pathway to achieve them.”

“We also recognize that to achieve these goals will require all of us, in every sector of society, to work together — which is why formally signing the accord is so important.”

The SDG Accord is a commitment that learning institutions are making to one another to do more to deliver the goals, to annually report on progress, and to do so in ways that share learning between institutions, both nationally and internationally.

It is a worldwide partnership, representing 361 institutions and 85 countries, designed to inspire, celebrate and advance the critical role that education has in delivering the goals and the value they bring to governments, business and wider society.

In signing the accord, RRC Polytech pledges to:
• Align all major efforts with the SDGs, targets and indicators.
• Aim to involve members from all key stakeholder groups in this endeavor, including students, academics, professional staff, local communities and other external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with other signatory institutions as part of a collective international response.
• Share its learning.
• Annually report on its progress toward the SDGs by answering the questions “how does my institution contribute to the SDGs and what more can we do?”

To demonstrate the SDGs’ impact in the classroom and in the community, Ginger Arnold, Indigenous Education instructor, presented the course material she’s developed based on the global blueprint.

Arnold teaches Social Innovation and Community Development at the College, and after joining an internal panel exploring the interconnected nature of the SDGs at RED Forum — a staff and faculty professional development day — last spring, she identified them as an excellent opportunity to connect with her students, many of whom attended the on-campus signing ceremony last week.

“We can naturally braid Truth and Reconciliation with the Sustainable Development Goals because each of the goals have environmental, economic or social benefits that can be aligned within the six categories outlined in the 94 Calls to Action: child welfare, education, language and culture, health, justice, and reconciliation,” Arnold says.

“Having a better understanding of these relationships will help our graduates drive change in their communities as they work to plan alternative tomorrows with hope.”

Sustainability is much more complex than just overcoming environmental challenges. It also means continuously adapting resource use for maximum efficiency with minimal environmental impact and collaborating to expand the reach of the College through connection and communication.

See the full list of signatories.

Tattoo and multimedia artist Shayre Curé says her art is often specifically created for the enjoyment of clients and customers, whether it’s displayed in their houses or on their skin.

This year, Curé partnered with RRC Polytech to create an original Red Shirt design to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S) and to support the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award for Indigenous students.

“As a Métis artist, my goal is to create art that brings awareness to this important issue,” says Curé. “I want my art to not only reflect cultural heritage, but to inspire future generations to continue the fight for justice, equality, and empowerment.”

The new design portrays a woman with the emblematic handprint over her mouth representing the “No More Stolen Sisters” movement, which was launched to express the outrage and grief over the loss of so many women, girls and Two Spirit people that — in many cases — could have been prevented. Curé worked in collaboration with a committee of Indigenous staff at the College to come up with the concept.

Her relationship with RRC Polytech first began earlier this year, when the Indigenous Student Support Centre purchased a piece from her entitled “The Silent Genocide on Turtle Island.”

It was a piece that took her years to complete. In 2018, she’d hand-drawn the concept after her best friend Kayla was killed in a hit-and-run. The death of her best friend was devastating, though grief was not unfamiliar to Curé, as Kayla’s brother had also been murdered eight years prior in 2010.

She’s also known many people whose friends and family have gone missing or were killed over the years, and says it’s humbling to be able to honour them through her art and bring light to their stories.

Curé returned to the concept last October, when previously undisclosed details of Kayla’s case were revealed. To deal with the emotion that bubbled to the surface, the pain of injustice, and the reminder of loss, she transformed the original hand-drawn concept into a multimedia painting using acrylic paint and beads.

The emotional and powerful expression of grief and hope captured in the painting moved RRC Polytech to approach Curé with another opportunity to collaborate — this time on a new Red Shirt design to bring more awareness to MMIWG2S, and to support Indigenous students through the proceeds from sales.

“Since settlers set foot on Turtle Island, a silent genocide has been perpetuated against Indigenous women … (who) are 12 times more likely to be murdered or to go missing than non-Indigenous women in Canada,” says Curé, who’s been tattooing at Tattoos by Rodriguez for the past five years and regularly creates art on skin and canvas alike.

“Through the design of this shirt, along with the acrylic painting I created for the Indigenous Student Support Centre, I pay tribute to my best friend Kayla Arkinson — her life was tragically taken on June 23, 2018, in Sagkeeng First Nation.”

Curé’s Red Shirts can be purchased at the College’s Campus Stores, with all proceeds going to the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award. Every Red Shirt is produced and supplied by Red Rebel Armour, owned and operated by Indigenous RRC Polytech graduate Sean Rayland-Boubar.

“Working with Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs to represent Indigenous ideas and movements is integral to the societal change we aim for,” says Carla Kematch, the College’s Director of Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement.

“Initiatives like the Orange and Red Shirts are not only a strong way to raise awareness of truth and Indigenous history, but it’s also an opportunity for Indigenous people to participate in their own stories. Curé’s story is unique but many people know it well from their own experience, which makes it all the more powerful.”

RRC Polytech has partnered with Graphic Design graduate Leticia Spence — an Ininew artist and entrepreneur from Pimicikamak in Treaty 5 Territory — to create an original design for Orange Shirt Day and Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is tomorrow, Sept. 30.

“Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters is a solemn day where we recognize and honour residential school survivors and those who never made it back to their families,” says Carla Kematch, Director, Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement at RRC Polytech.

“It’s a day where we take action and raise awareness of the efforts that Indigenous communities and advocates make to find Indigenous children and bring them home. The world needs to know what happened at residential schools and why this work is important. Expressing our message through Indigenous art, teachings and symbolism is how we can heal.

“We’re so honoured to have worked with artist and alumna Leticia Spence. She shared her knowledge and skill to help convey this message of justice and created such a striking and meaningful representation of Every Child Matters.”

Spence graduated from the College in 2019 and has done work for Indigenous Tourism of Canada, the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, among many other organizations. She created the new Orange Shirt design in consultation with a committee of Indigenous staff members at RRC Polytech.

Spence’s design is intricate and intentional. As with the beadwork she observed family members creating while she was growing up, she wanted to ensure that the Orange Shirt design incorporated the intended energy represented by the Every Child Matters movement.

“I want whoever is wearing this t-shirt to feel a sense of hope and strength as they honour those who are currently being found, while also knowing that it’s okay to create space to honour themselves, as either direct residential school survivors or intergenerational survivors,” says Spence.

The design features a tree made up of florals, medicines and roots. Hummingbirds flank the tree, surrounded by rosehips, rosebuds and berries. First Nations, the Métis Nation, and the Inuit Nation are represented by symbols deeply intertwined with each nation: the cardinal directions, a wild rose forming an infinity, and fireweed flowers.

Every stroke and line forms a deliberate connection to Indigenous People — even the physical linework reflects Ininiwak beadwork, a traditional artform passed down through the generations. Every purchase of the shirt includes an artist’s statement, written by Spence, outlining the many representations present in the design.

This year, RRC Polytech also partnered with Red Rebel Armour — owned and operated by Indigenous Social Entrepreneurship graduate Sean Rayland-Boubar, of Peguis First Nation — to produce the shirts.

“My Brothers’ and Sisters’ voices were silenced for too long,” says Rayland-Boubar. “To me, Orange Shirt Day means giving a voice to all the children who were robbed of their culture, family, strength and song. A song that never had a chance to be heard, a drum that never found its rhythm.

“A celebration of spirit that should have had a lifetime to flow with the rivers, run with the wind, connect their spirit in ceremony and follow the path that Creator had laid out. It’s about Reconciliation, bringing the darkness to light and talking about the truth.”

Shirts are available for purchase at the RRC Polytech Campus Stores, with all proceeds going to support the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award when applications open in January 2024.

Mínwastánikéwin is a Cree word meaning to set it right; the award, valued at $1,000, is intended to alleviate some of the financial burden Indigenous students may experience each year.

In 2022, artist Peatr Thomas created the first RRC Polytech Orange Shirt, the proceeds of which, along with a $1,000 donation from the RRC Polytech Students’ Association, allowed for two students to receive the award in February 2023.

This year marks the fifth annual Truth and Reconciliation Week at RRC Polytech. Events span over two weeks, including nearly 20 student-, staff- and community-led sessions and self-guided resources aimed at educating the College community about the many different facets and responsibilities of Truth and Reconciliation.

This year, nearly 90 volunteers from all areas of the College joined the TRC Week Planning Committee to help organize events, activities and learning opportunities.

RRC Polytech is hosting its fifth annual Truth and Reconciliation Week to mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, on Sat., Sept. 30.

The week begins Monday, Sept. 25, with the Fall Equinox celebration at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, and will span over two weeks of student-, staff- and community-led sessions aimed at educating participants about the many different facets and responsibilities of Truth and Reconciliation.

“When RRC Polytech held its first Truth and Reconciliation Week five years ago, two people were leading the charge,” says Jamie Wilson, Vice-President, Indigenous Strategy, Business Development and Research.

“Today, Truth and Reconciliation Week is supported by almost 90 volunteers across all campuses, allowing the College community to come together to learn from and engage with Indigenous People.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls on post-secondary institutions to create a more equitable and inclusive society by closing gaps in social, health and economic outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and people.

RRC Polytech’s second strategic commitment is to “commit to Truth and Reconciliation, and pursue equity, diversity and inclusion in everything we do.”

Truth and Reconciliation is not just about providing equal opportunities to Indigenous learners — it is also about educating the publics RRC Polytech serves of the true histories that have often been neglected by western textbooks and reconciling potential dissonance with facts as related by Indigenous scholars, historians and Knowledge Keepers.

Truth and Reconciliation is a year-round commitment for RRC Polytech, but the focal point of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation allows employees and students to immerse themselves in Indigenous teachings, storytelling and experiences.

Opportunities to cultivate understandings of the true history and current issues impacting Indigenous people, and reconciliation efforts by society as a whole, contribute to a stronger, more unified community that benefits all members.

“Truth and Reconciliation is a small phrase that encompasses many larger and intricate meanings,” says Carla Kematch, Director of Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement.

“It’s also an ongoing process of learning and integrating new information, disentangling ourselves from misinformation and unlearning what we think we know, and opening ourselves to truths that might surprise or challenge us. This work is part of a lifelong journey that we encourage staff and students to commit to today, tomorrow and everyday into the future as we work towards building a better, brighter future for all.”

Truth and Reconciliation Week includes events and activities exploring Residential Schools and the experiences of Survivors; Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters; Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People; and colonization and its effects on a global scale.

It will include events centred on Indigenous values and ways, like the power of a thoughtful and collaborative land acknowledgement, engaging with Elders and learning traditional teachings, and integrating Indigenous perspectives into research to obtain stronger, more holistic data.

Staff and students across the College have come together to organize a wide range of sessions, many of which feature special guests who’ll offer their expertise.

See the full event schedule here.

The art of RRC Polytech grad Leticia Spence is featured in media across Canada and the globe; closer to home, you’ve likely seen it worn proudly by fans and players at Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose games.

For her latest work, Spence — a Graphic Design grad from 2019 — partnered with the College to create this year’s Orange Shirt Day illustration in support of Truth and Reconciliation and the Every Child Matters movement.

Spence’s concept for the shirt came through collaboration with Indigenous staff members at the College, who felt her design provided a beautiful and harmonious representation of all Indigenous Nations.

She grounded the design in Cree floral beadwork and integrated symbols from the Inuit and Métis Nations: fireweed flowers, wild roses, rosebuds and berries. The focus on nature represents the Peoples’ roots in the land, Spence says, while the foundational beadwork carries energy and transfers the art’s intention spiritually.

“I want whoever is wearing this t-shirt to feel a sense of hope and strength as they honour those who are currently being found while knowing that it’s okay to create space to honour themselves as either direct residential school survivors or intergenerational residential school survivors,” says Spence in an artist’s statement that will accompany each shirt sold.

“In difficult times, hope is the one thing we can grasp onto — not only to survive, but to drive us to fight for a world in which we no longer have to cry out for justice, and to reinforce that we deserve to exist.”

Spence credits her mom with recognizing her talents and encouraging her to pursue art from an early age. To nurture her creativity, her mom would occasionally buy her pencils, paints and sketchbooks — items Spence says she treasured due to the unpredictability of their circumstances.

Between living on reserve and in downtown Winnipeg, Spence found stability hard to come by in many aspects of her childhood. Her anxiety, compounded by her environment, inclined her to withdraw, especially in high school. Sometimes she’d go days without speaking to another student.

Spence was a shy kid and says that art was her rock — the thing that anchored her and helped her to get out of her head. It was an escape as much as it was a home — how she expressed herself when she couldn’t find the words. She recalls often staying up until 3:00am drawing to forget about the things happening around her.

In her last year of high school, Spence began considering a career in the arts, inspired by a brochure commission from the Rainbow Resource Centre, the first time she’d been paid for her art. She was later invited to the organization’s graphic design studio, where she witnessed the behind-the-scenes creation of art for commercial use.

At the time, though, Spence was too busy with schoolwork, and later — despite prompting from a teacher who encouraged her to consider college courses to develop her skills — opted instead for university. Three years of school (and one language exchange program in Japan) later, she found she was spending too much time on theory, writing and waiting, and not enough time creating.

She revisited her teacher’s recommendation and applied to RRC Polytech in 2017.

“My career is truly like capturing a flash in a bottle,” says Spence. “I didn’t anticipate much, but all the opportunities I’ve taken, they’re more than what I thought I could achieve. Growing up in Winnipeg and experiencing racism and poverty can make it hard to see your value at first.”

Of the many projects Spence participated in throughout her career, she says her proudest accomplishments are those where she could authentically express her identity as an Ininew person.

In 2022, Spence collaborated with Inuit artist Jason Sikoak and Métis artist JD Hawk on the Truth and Reconciliation Keepsake for the Royal Canadian Mint and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. She says it was the first project she put into the universe that wholly represented her identity, and that gave her the space to demonstrate her Cree values and knowledge without restraint.

This year’s Orange Shirt Day collaboration with RRC Polytech is one of the first projects she’s worked on since taking time off after experiencing burnout. Focusing too much on keeping up with production left her emotionally and financially drained.

“My work comes from a spiritual place, but if I can’t nurture that because of all this other stuff going on — you know, making deadlines, meeting expectations, paying bills — it really impacts the quality,” she says. “I took a break this spring for some much-needed rest, then when RRC Polytech came knocking with this design proposal, it was a really exciting and welcome opportunity.”

Spence’s shirts — which commemorate both Truth and Reconciliation Week and Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters (on Sept. 30) — mark the last project she’ll complete in Manitoba before making an exciting move to Quebec, where she looks forward to new career opportunities, reconnecting with family, and exploring the province’s diverse music scene.

Produced by Red Rebel Armour, an Indigenous streetwear outlet owned and operated by RRC Polytech grad Sean Rayland-Boubar, the shirts can be purchased through the College’s Campus Stores.

All proceeds go to the College’s Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award, which aims to alleviate financial burden for Indigenous students. Last year, two students received the award thanks to support from the College community and the RRC Polytech Students’ Association.

Artist’s Statement

As an Ininew person, I wanted to create something utilizing Cree florals because beadwork is something that I grew up watching my family members do. Beadwork carries energy. I’ve been taught to put good intentions into my beads and that’s what I wanted to achieve through this t-shirt design.

I want whoever is wearing this t-shirt to feel a sense of hope and strength as they honour those who are currently being found, while knowing that it’s okay to create space to honour themselves as Residential School Survivors or Intergenerational Residential School Survivors.

In difficult times, hope is the one thing we can grasp onto — not only to survive, but to drive us to fight for a world in which we no longer have to cry out for justice, and to reinforce that we deserve to exist.

I wanted to create a tree with florals because of the medicine and protection they gift us, to represent our connection to this land and how we’re rooted here.

On the outer perimeter of the tree, sunflowers with seven petals represent the seven Grandfather Teachings and thirteen strawberries for the thirteen moon cycles.
Starting from the top, just below the strawberries, is a fireweed flower for the Inuit Nation.

The floral with the four cardinal directions in the middle represents First Nations.
The wild rose with two rosebuds creating the infinity symbol represents the Métis Nation.

Flanking the tree on each side are two hummingbirds feeding from the nectar of the flowers in the middle. I chose hummingbirds for their ability to see things from multiple perspectives. The hummingbirds, along with the vines branching out from the trunk of the tree, build out two faces to represent our ancestors that walk with us on our journeys.

I chose to branch out rosehips, rosebuds and berries from the bottom of the tree because they’re common motifs in Cree beadwork.