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Eyes On Artist Jessica Winters: Compassion in Reconciliation

Inuk artist Jessica Winters reflects on reconciliation through her design of this year’s orange shirt for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Inspired by her family’s legacy and northern roots, Jessica’s work embodies compassion, unity, and the ongoing journey toward understanding and healing.
Jessica winters

Jessica Winters

As September 30 rolls around, eyes turn towards the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day honouring the children, families, and communities that endured the impacts of residential schools. But for many, their gaze has never left; thousands have carried the painful legacy of residential schools for decades, with the ripples transcending generations.

For a century and a half, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children were taken from their families to attend schools far from their communities and homelands. The goal? To systematically dismantle their culture and assimilate them into society. By publicly commemorating this history, we can begin to both face the truth of what occurred and begin to reconcile the past, honouring survivors along with those who never came home. Wearing an orange shirt on September 30 is a way to collectively say that every child matters.

This year Jessica Winters, an acclaimed Inuk artist, designed an orange shirt for us in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Hailing from the community of Makkovik in Nunatsiavut, Jessica has a background in biology, ecology, and conservation. Merging her passion for both science and art, she has carved an incredible career that allows her the freedom to create as she wishes. This freedom is something she is highly aware of, a privilege now that didn’t exist for her family in the past. In many ways, her work speaks for itself, advocating for the preservation of Inuit culture. Her upbringing shapes her art, painting, and creating around the things she knows, stripped back to the basics.

Orange shirt by jessica winters

© Adventure Canada

Jessica’s orange shirt design incorporates symbols that reflect unity and the ongoing journey toward reconciliation.

Growing up in Nunatsiavut, she was surrounded by talented artists in her family and her community. In particular, Jessica’s grandmother, Nellie Winters, is a great artist whose influence has manifested in her art. Her mother, Blanch Winters, is also a skilled artist. Attending residential schools growing up, Nellie has chosen to focus on the good from her personal experience. A great English speaker, this ability made adapting to her circumstances easier. Being able to flip this painful narrative into a glass half full mindset reveals that even in these dark moments, some can find hope. But it’s important to remember that everyone’s experiences are different and are theirs alone.

For those of us removed from this history, an inclination to feel guilty is common. A huge part of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is to listen to these stories and to create a better understanding of what over 150,000 people have endured.

For Jessica, this day means all of us seeing, hearing, and understanding this history along with learning to be more compassionate to other people. It’s a day of common ground, a day that can educate people on circumstances that still impact Indigenous peoples today. Ultimately it boils down to wanting to be understood and offered compassion.

In contrast, the forced relocation was something Jessica’s grandmother had a harder time accepting. Born in the North, Nutak/Okak Bay will always be home for her, even though they were displaced and moved to Makkovik. She spoke a lot of this when she was growing up, sharing this feeling of displacement. Contemplating her grandmother’s own story has made Jessica realize how different her life could have been. Home anchors us all, and being able to listen, understand, and reflect with empathy towards others is a huge step towards reconciling the past.

Adventure canada expediton team members wearing orange shirts

© Liz Carlson

(Left to right) Adventure Canada staff Liz Carlson, Keara Maynard, Allison Silvaggio, and MJ Swan wear Jessica's orange shirts, honouring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as they sail through Nunatsiavut.

When it came to designing an orange shirt for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Jessica leaned into her own experience and understanding of what this day means to her, crafting layers of meaning into her design. The maple leaf represents Canada, our home. The two hands shaking, one belonging to an Inuk, represents finding common ground and solutions together. The caribou herd in the background is a nod to the North, where many of us journey on our expeditions with Adventure Canada. Having worked with us as an Inuit cultural ambassador and joined us on board, Jessica reveals the caribou also represents migration in the sense of moving forward collectively.

Having received great praise and recognition for her work, we couldn't help but ask what Jessica is currently working on. After spending two years on her iconic lichen series, she is now preparing for upcoming exhibitions. In Vancouver, she showcased seven paintings at the Marion Scott Gallery on September 28. Later in October, two more of her paintings will be featured during Art Toronto (Canada’s Art Fair) at the Feheley Fine Art Gallery.

You can follow Jessica Winters on her website here as well as on Instagram.

About the Author

Liz Carlson

Liz Carlson

Expedition Team

Liz runs one of the biggest travel blogs in the world, Young Adventuress. She is American but has been based in the mountains of Wānaka, New Zealand for the past decade. She is a writer and photographer, focusing on solo female travel, wildlife, and our connection to nature.