Northern lights illuminate BU’s 2026 convocation artwork

Brandon University has unveiled its official 2026 convocation artwork, a deeply personal creation by Manitoba artist Betty Sawatzky that captures the iconic Clark Hall glowing beneath sweeping northern lights.

Titled “Under the Northern Lights, Crowning over a Century of Discovery,” the piece was created using alcohol inks on ceramic tile, a medium known for its fluid textures and luminous colours. The artwork portrays Brandon University’s historic Clark Hall illuminated beneath an aurora-filled winter sky painted in vivid shades of magenta, teal, violet and blue.

Prints of the artwork will be presented to every graduate during convocation ceremonies later this month, continuing a tradition that began during the university’s virtual convocations in 2020.

“I am thrilled to have been chosen to create this year’s convocation art piece for the 2025–26 graduation class,” Sawatzky told the Sun. “To be included as the seventh artist in this developing art gallery at Brandon U has been a true honour.”

Sawatzky said the inspiration for the piece dates back more than four decades to her first visit to the university.

“I still remember the first time I drove up to Brandon University back in 1984,” she said. “When I drove up to BU, I had never seen such a grand building up close like this. I tried to capture that sense of awe and wonder, and excitement in my art piece — not just of the school itself but of all the incredible learning and research that takes place inside those walls.”

The northern lights became a central symbol in the artwork, representing both discovery and the mystery that accompanies education.

“When we think about the school year of 2025–26 we can’t help but think of those amazing nights when the northern lights danced across the night sky,” Sawatzky said. “Having Clark Hall set against the northern lights brought that wonder and awe of discovering new ideas, new concepts … things that we can’t possibly understand, completely to light.”

The artist said she intentionally chose alcohol inks to create a winter scene unlike previous convocation pieces.

“I wanted to wow the students with the colours, the motion and movement of the skies, and then the solid grandiose feeling of Clark Hall,” she said. “And of course, to add the winter snow, which many students may have experienced for the first time here in Manitoba.”

Brandon University Registrar Andrea McDaniel said the artwork immediately stood out.

“There’s an extraordinary warmth and wonder to it,” McDaniel said in a press release. “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 that the annual convocation art series has become one of the university’s most meaningful traditions.

“Graduation is about memory as much as achievement,” she said. “These prints become lasting reminders of a transformative time in our graduates’ lives.”

This year marks the seventh commissioned convocation artwork since the tradition began. Previous contributing artists have included Weiming Zhao, Jessie Jannuska, Curt Shoultz and Katy Martin.

The university is also preparing to launch a permanent convocation art gallery during homecoming celebrations this fall, showcasing all commissioned pieces from the series.

Sawatzky said she hopes graduates will see their own journeys reflected in the artwork for years to come.

“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,” she said.

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