![A close up of a hand holding an orange circular wooden pin with a white shirt cut out in the middle that is outlined with black beads and a black and orange beaded flower in the middle.](/sites/default/files/styles/large_1/public/2023-08/CSTM-Orange-Shirt_0.jpg.webp?itok=gEaDm_BT)
Learn how to make ancestral Indigenous beadwork. Create a simple beaded pin or zipper pull using the orange-shirt design, guided by Ojibway artist Kelly Nahwegahbow Marsolais. Participants are also invited to reflect upon the poignant significance of this design in light of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
This is an ongoing activity, and participants are welcome to stay as long as they need. Beginners and beaders of all skill levels are welcome. Parents/guardians must remain with their child. Please be aware that this activity uses needles and small items that may not be suitable for very young children.
About the Artist
Kelly Nahwegahbow Marsolais, Ojibway — Wolf Clan
Kelly is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist, and a member of the Whitefish River First Nation, Birch Island, Ontario. Kelly is a storyteller, metalworker, entrepreneur, avid beadworker, and regalia maker. Her artistic and career interests became a reality when she launched her jewellery company, The Beading Drum Jewelry Originals, with her Mom in 1996.
Kelly and her Mom are an exceptional beading team. Their work can be found locally and internationally and, over the years, they have been commissioned to create moccasins for The Toronto Raptors, stunning beadwork for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s prima ballerinas, and much more.
Kelly continues to produce stunning creations for everyone to enjoy. Through the collective effort of sharing traditional knowledge, history and culture, Kelly has greatly enhanced cross-cultural understanding.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30, 2024 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. The day honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Orange Shirt Day is inspired by the story of residential school survivor Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, and wearing orange on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is done as a means of remembrance, teaching and healing. Public commemoration and conversation about the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.