Dr. Ralph Nilson removed curls of shaved cedar from his suit pocket and placed them on the podium. They were collected during visits to the carving shed of Arthur Vickers, without the artist’s knowledge, Nilson joked. They normally sit in a bowl on his desk at Vancouver Island University; an attachment to the reclaimed old growth cedar Vickers used to create a convocation suite, with 24-karat gold leaf designs, for the graduates of the school. A masterpiece, said the VIU president, which will inspire for generations.
The convocation suite was unveiled at a ceremony at the Nanaimo campus on May 27. It is made up of a Chancellor’s chair, the Keeper of Knowledge and Wisdom, a President’s & Vice-Chancellor’s chair, the Keeper of Knowledge, and a Huupukwanum (bentwood box), out of which the university’s graduates will receive their parchments.
As they receive their degrees and diplomas, graduates will touch the underside of the lid of the Huupukwanum, left unfinished, and each will leave a bit of their DNA with the box, a legacy of their time at the institution.
Dignitaries at the ceremony included Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon, whose own desk at Government House is a bentwood box created by Vickers. She was excited to see what mysteries of the wood had been exposed to the artist.
Also in attendance was Wayne Berg, chief commercial officer of Coast Capital Savings, which financed the suite’s creation. It was a gift, not only to the school, but to the students.
“We know that encouraging people to pursue their educational dreams is a powerful way to build stronger communities, here in B.C. or wherever VIU graduates’ lives take them,” Berg said. “Now, when VIU graduates walk across the stage and see this beautiful suite built to celebrate them and their significant accomplishment, I hope they will feel tremendously—and rightfully—proud of what they’ve achieved.
He remarked on the birth of VIU’s new tradition for their graduates, calling the pieces together awe-inspiring.
“It’s our hope that these inspiring symbols will also make them realize they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and that they will go on to inspire other young people to pursue their own educational goals.”
Louise Mandell remarked that she would be the first chancellor to have the honor to sit in the seat of Knowledge and Wisdom.
“We live in a world of continuing relationships, linked by a higher vision of what it means to be human. To Coast Capital Savings, the VIU community, Arthur Vickers, and all those who participated in this dream of creative partnership, I honor you. This transmuted spirit of creation will mold the mindset of all subsequent generations.”
The cedar, many hundreds of years old, was collected from different parts of Vancouver Island. Before work began on the suite, the artist visited VIU and sat among the students, unbeknownst to them, in classes and where they gathered, to listen to them speak, gathering information on what the school meant to them, and how an education would transform their lives, said Nilson. And he came up with a design for the suite that told the story of that experience.
“This has been an amazing journey,” said Vickers. He said he has extreme reverence for the ancient sentinels. The old growth trees have now found their new purpose, he said.
He took time to think about education and what it was all about for him. He thought about his grandfather who was a big influence in his life.
“We become who we are through the teachings of our ancestors,” said Vickers. “The ancient wood, which has been recovered from Vancouver Island, has seen so many world events and through its growth rings it tells the story of our past and our history.”
The suite is infused with layer upon layer of meaning through the creative spirit of one of our most gifted artists, said VIU’s president.
On the chair of Knowledge and Wisdom, Vickers has placed a design representing an ancient old being that understands everything passed down from all cultures from grandparent to parent to child over the generations. In that design is the front of the university, the claws of an eagle within the design hold firmly to the base of the chair.
In the chair of Wisdom is the design of a teacher holding her arms aloft, giving her students the best opportunity to achieve their goals.
At the ends of the Huupukwanum are designs representing students walking up to receive their parchments. The front of the box represents the joy of students on receiving their degrees. These are just some of the designs on the suite. From the back the graduates will see other designs representing their journeys. The artist created 22 original images referencing students, teachers, the natural and spirit worlds, and the architecture of VIU.
