Are you the artist who will create this year’s Convocation art for Brandon University?

Brandon University is looking for an artist to create a special memento for the coming year’s graduates. The university’s Convocation 2025 artwork will be presented to all graduates at Convocation in the spring, continuing a tradition that has become cherished in its first five years.

Today, Brandon University issued an official Open Call for artists interested in the challenge of creating an original work that is in some ways reflective of the academic year. A print of the year’s art, at approximately 8”x10”, is included in each graduate’s parchment package, and is intended to be a frame-worthy memento of their time at BU. Interested artists have until end of day Sunday, Dec. 15 to put their names forward, and the university will make its selection early in the new year.

“Every student knows that your university years are filled with wonderful memories of the faces and places that make the BU campus a true community,” said BU Registrar Andrea McDaniel, whose office oversees Convocation. “Art can help us preserve those memories, and I am always impressed by different artists’ unique ways of conveying genuine feeling through these pieces.”

Originally sparked by BU’s need to reinvent Convocations through virtual means in 2020 and 2021, the artwork has quickly become a highlight of the annual graduation ceremony. Contributing artists have included established artists like Weiming Zhao and Curt Shoultz, as well as emerging artists like Grace Buitenhuis and Kaelin Grill.

Last year’s artwork, by Jessie Jannuska, broke the mold for BU by including three-dimensional elements like beadwork, which required careful photography and multiple printing experiments to best reproduce.

“We’ve had incredibly imaginative submissions, and we’re eager to hear what people have in mind for this year,” McDaniel said. “We’re committed to working with the selected artist to fulfill a shared vision that showcases the best of BU, kindles fond memories for our graduates, and excites the artist creatively,

The call is open to all artists, who are asked to submit some brief information about themselves and their experience, as well as their initial vision for the art. Special consideration will be given to artists who have a connection to Brandon University or the regions where BU operates, as well as to artists who identify with underrepresented or marginalized groups. The commission awards a total of $1,000 to develop the final piece.

Prints of the art will be reproduced at about 8”x10” and will include “Class of 2025” or similar on them. They are intended to deliver for graduates a lasting and treasured keepsake that is suitable for proudly framing and displaying at home, at work, or in public.

For more information and to submit a proposal, see the open call for 2025 Convocation Art.

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