For Shonta Kishiqweb (Campbell), art is more than expression. It’s a way to remember and honour.

That she does with her Orange Shirt Day t-shirt design.

Using Coastal formline, it is a portrait of her late grandfather, David Martin. It tells his harrowing and inspiring story of escape from his residential school in Alert Bay and back home in Bella Bella that left a lasting impression on her.

“He hiked for days escaping until he found a canoe and just started paddling,” says Shonta. “That canoe saved his life, bringing him back home to our family and homelands.

The figure’s chest shows an abalone copper shield pendant, representative of the necklace that Shonta always wore, a gift from her dad. She describes it as a symbol of a new start.

Completing the t-shirt design are the words “Every Child Matters” underneath and a total of ten hands, five on top and five on the bottom.

“I really like to do hands in my art,” explains Shonta. “It’s almost like you’re being held by community.”

Along with hands, eyes are also prominent in her art.

She explains eyes are what you see when you speak with someone and make eye contact, sparking a connection that’s only possible between people that care for each other.

Shonta adds, “Just thinking about him by himself in that canoe and just paddling by himself, and the strength he had to do that and the trauma that he carried from residential school. But he fought, and he survived, and he lived a good life after that.”

That’s why the day is deeply personal to Shonta.

Truth and reconciliation

Shonta partnered with the Orange Shirt Day Society and TransLink to print her design on a t-shirt for Orange Shirt Day. You can buy it online from the TransLink Store in adult and youth sizes, with proceeds supporting the society’s initiatives.

Orange Shirt Day raises awareness on the impacts of the residential school system and the truth that every child matters.

The day coincides with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation commemorating the history and legacy of Canada’s residential school system.

“I think that day for me is just to be with community and be with your family and take that day to relax if you can,” says Shonta. “Try to reflect and gather each other and ourselves.”

Last year, Shonta created an art wrap that adorned a pair of SkyTrain cars in recognition of the day, featuring the same figure on a larger canvas.

Building on her grandfather’s legacy

Shonta’s patriarchal roots trace back to Bella Bella in British Columbia, and Ebb and Flow First Nation in Manitoba, while her matriarchal family hails from Lac des Milles Lacs in Ontario and Minnesota. Shonta has deep familial ties to the Anishinaabe, Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk), and Wuikinuxv Nations.

She grew up around a host of talented Indigenous artists including rappers, dancers, singers, and carvers.

Her grandfather, David, was an important mentor for Shonta in her art journey. He was an accomplished artist in coastal formline, carving, and painting.

Coastal formline is an Indigenous art style that originated among First Nations communities along the northwest coast of North America. It’s characterized by its use of flowing, curvilinear lines and specific shapes such as ovoids, U-forms, and S-forms to create stylized representations of animals, spirits, and clan symbols.

With mentorship from her grandfather and opportunities to hone her skills at the art-focussed Britannia Secondary School and Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Shonta created her first art piece on her Samsung Galaxy S8 phone drawing with just her finger.

David had encouraged Shonta to pursue coastal formline art as a way to support herself in the future. That she did, carrying on her grandfather’s legacy and story in her art.

Since then, Shonta has become a skilled coastal formline artist in her right, creating art on an iPad Pro.

Building on her work with TransLink, she’s now working on more large-scale art intallations with Squamish Nation, the Portland Housing Society, and Eastside Arts Society.

As the saying goes, you don’t need the best tools to begin but just the boldness to start.