‘Under the Northern Lights’ for BU graduates with this year’s Convocation art

Brandon University has unveiled its official 2026 Convocation artwork, a luminous and deeply personal piece by Manitoba artist Betty Sawatzky that captures the iconic Clark Hall beneath a vivid display of northern lights.

The artwork, titled Under the Northern Lights, Crowning over a Century of Discovery, was created using alcohol inks on ceramic tile, which is a medium known for producing flowing, dreamlike textures and intensely vibrant colour. Sawatzky used those qualities to striking effect, portraying Brandon University’s historic campus glowing beneath swirling aurora borealis in shades of magenta, teal, violet, and blue.

Prints of the artwork will be presented to every graduate during Brandon University’s Convocation ceremonies later this month, continuing a tradition that began in 2020 and has since become a cherished keepsake for graduates.

“This piece immediately stopped us in our tracks,” said Brandon University Registrar Andrea McDaniel, whose office oversees Convocation. “There’s an extraordinary warmth and wonder to it. Betty has captured not just the beauty of Clark Hall, but the emotional experience of arriving at Brandon University, with the sense that something important begins here.”

McDaniel said the artwork stands out for both its new approach and emotional resonance.

“The colour palette is unlike anything we’ve seen in the Convocation series so far,” she said. “The northern lights create a feeling of movement and possibility above a building that represents tradition, scholarship, and community. It feels both timeless and alive, which is exactly what Convocation celebrates.”

Sawatzky said her inspiration stretches back more than four decades, to her very first visit to Brandon University in 1984.

“The first time I saw Brandon University, I was overtaken by the majesty of the main building that welcomes you to campus,” Sawatzky said. “It was thrilling to walk through those hallways, knowing there were generations upon generations of people who had walked those same steps before me.

“That same feeling fills me each time I drive up to and walk into Brandon University — even now, more than 40 years later.”

Sawatzky describes the piece as a tribute not only to the physical campus, but to the enduring importance of higher learning itself.

“This artwork captures Brandon University standing quietly beneath a winter sky alive with the Northern Lights,” she said. “Emphasizing the interplay between light and dark, stillness and movement, tradition and discovery, this is a tribute to Brandon University not only as a physical place, but as an idea: that higher learning matters, that inquiry shapes communities, and that even on the quietest winter night, knowledge continues to inspire us to greater heights of understanding.”

Sawatzky said the aurora borealis also symbolizes the mystery and wonder that accompany education.

“The northern lights speak to a different kind of learning — one that is full of wonder and intrigue,” she said. “They remind us that education does not exist in isolation, but together as a shared human experience. Learning, like the aurora, is a dance between what we see, what we know, and what is still waiting to be discovered.”

McDaniel said the annual Convocation art tradition has become one of the most meaningful additions to Brandon University’s graduation ceremonies in recent years.

“Graduation is about memory as much as achievement,” McDaniel said. “These prints become lasting reminders of a transformative time in our graduates’ lives. Betty’s artwork feels especially meaningful because it captures both the grandeur of the university and the sense of wonder that education can inspire.”

This year marks the seventh commissioned Convocation artwork since the tradition began during the pandemic-era virtual convocations of 2020 and 2021. Previous contributing artists have included Weiming Zhao, Jessie Jannuska, Curt Shoultz, Katy Martin, and others.

Brandon University is also preparing to launch a permanent Convocation Art gallery, which will showcase all original commissioned pieces from the series. The gallery is expected to be unveiled during BU Homecoming celebrations this fall.

“This growing collection tells the story of Brandon University through many different artistic voices and perspectives,” McDaniel said. “Displaying them together will help us share that story a little bit every day, with students, faculty and staff, and visitors to campus.

Sawatzky said she hopes graduates will see something of their own experience reflected in this year’s piece.

“I’m truly honoured to present this artwork to the faculty, staff, and graduates of Brandon University,” she said. “I hope graduates will look at it years from now and remember not only the beauty of the campus, but the feeling of possibility that came with their time here.”

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