Updated September 2026: Marcy Friesen has revised some of her responses to reflect how she thinks about her work today.
Artist Marcy Friesen comes from a long line of traditional master beaders and creative family members. In 2021, she collaborated with the Art & Design Store at Remai Modern on a set of beaded pins to mark Orange Shirt Day, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Saskatoon Residential School Survivors Circle. We chatted with Friesen about the works and her practice.
Purchase the 2026 Orange Shirt Day Pin
Why was it important for you to create works for Orange Shirt Day?
Orange Shirt Day for me is about learning, feeling, growing and remembering daily. Beading these pins was therapeutic for me. Each pin started with me praying and thinking about how to design and create them. My mind, heart and hands created these pins together trying to figure out what people thought to have had something like [residential schools] happen. It makes me angry, sad and motivates me to be a better person. This is one way I can help.
Describe what your process was like for creating the Orange Shirt Day pins. Were there any unexpected challenges?
My challenge was, how can I make these different than the ones I had made in the past. I prayed about them and wanted them to be special. Each pin has a title and two of them are beaded with blue background representing tears. They are definitely heartwork.
What kinds of themes are you exploring in your work right now?
Right now I’m pulling memories and stories from my past and creating based on what is currently happening in the world around me. The early themes of my work have been revolving around my struggles with my own mental health and lived experiences with racism. My current work has been made to honour different family members and to see the beauty in everyday life. I also create based on one of the main thoughts rolling around my head. It is that no one is better than anyone and also no one is lesser than anyone. We are all created the same and until we recognize this we will continue to have the same struggles. Equity.
How do you find inspiration for your work? Are there any artists inspiring you right now?
I am constantly praying for new ideas and have been beyond blessed in my life. I find inspiration from the land that I live on – Treaty 6 land is full of beauty and the freedom for me to create, different life experiences, conversations, travel, and everyday interactions.
I am blessed to have had Ruth Cuthand mentor me and be a good friend today. I have so many other wonderful friends that I keep in touch with and am so proud of the work that they are all doing.
In addition to Friesen’s original beaded works, the Art & Design Store also created enamel Orange Shirt Day pins inspired by her work. A new design was introduced in 2026. You can see all items online here. A portion of the proceeds from these pins will also be donated to the Saskatoon Residential School Survivors Circle.
About Marcy Friesen
Marcy Friesen (b. 1974, Nipawin, Saskatchewan) is of Swampy Cree and Welsh ancestry and currently resides on a mixed farm with her family near Carrot River, SK. She comes from a long line of traditional master beaders and talented creative family members. Friesen has always felt the need to create, and started her career with her small business, Trapline Creations, making utilitarian objects such as mitts, moccasins and more. After visiting the Remai Modern in Saskatoon, she changed her practice to experimenting with an artisanal craftsmanship that exists outside the traditional spectrum of beauty and utility. Threading through beads, leather, and furs, Friesen draws the viewer into an intimate experience using her honed skills and intuitive sensibilities toward material, colour, and presentation. In Friesen’s practice, the natural and synthetic come together in ways that are inclusive of the contemporary condition, transforming ways of understanding and expectations of cultural production. Her work has been included in the Contemporary Native Art Biennial (BACA) in Montreal, the Whyte Museum in Banff, the Remai Modern in Saskatoon, and the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina. In June 2021, Friesen had her first solo exhibition at Fazakas Gallery in Vancouver, BC., to name a few.
Website: marcyfriesen.ca
Instagram: @beadartistthoughtsmarcyfriesen
Gallery: Latiesha Fazakas – Fazakas Gallery