Processional Banners Faculty of Arts and Science The processional banner of the Faculty of Arts and Science of Wilfrid Laurier University presents the arts and the sciences not as two parallel and opposing traditions, but as twin branches nurtured by a common root, reaching from earth to sky, that is, from microcosm to macrocosm. This Tree of Knowledge bears many leaves, to suggest the gathering together of many scholars. The blossoms borne by this Tree signify the Seven Liberal Arts of the medieval curriculum, from which our Arts and Sciences have sprung. These are: the threefold way or Trivium of method--Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric; and the fourfold way or Quadrivium of subject--Music, Arithmetic, Geometry, and Astronomy. These images are presented in the colours assigned to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences--Purple and Gold--which are both traditional symbols of excellence, accompanied by Black and White, the twin constituents of light, symbolic of wisdom, and Green, the colour that in our culture most potently symbolizes life. The banner was designed by Nancy-Lou Patterson and made by Isobel R. King. School of Business and Economics The processional banner for the School of Business and Economics (SBE) is visually abstract in style, relying on simple geometric shapes, in solid colours, to convey its meaning. The symbolic dualisms of the banner's colour and design are a reflection of the pairings of aims and attributes describing the School: business-economics, research-teaching, community-society, students-staff-faculty, old values--new perspectives, think internationally--act locally. The geometric shapes of the design and the layered construction of the banner pay homage to the quilting culture in the local community. The bold, blue/green letters, SBE, contrast in colour and value with the background and are easily read, even in low light. The background is evenly divided between Laurier's official colours, purple and gold, and the two colour areas are blended from one to the other in a scattering of small squares over the surface. The super-imposed squares shift in colour from purple to blue, and from gold to white, representing the colours associated with Business and Economics. This method of blending two contrasting colours together is drawn directly from computer technology using a graphics software program that assigns one of two colours to each pixel according to an appropriate algorithm. This results in a smooth blend overall, while retaining interesting unevenness in detail. Variations in surface texture and lustre in the fabrics cause light to reflect from the surface of the banner in different ways, further adding to the overall effect. The banner was designed and made by Ellen Adams. Faculty of Music The banner for the Faculty of Music was designed and executed by Ralph Beney, who teaches Design for Textile at Laurier. The pinks and reds in the banner reflect the academic colour of music, which was originally scarlet but changed to pink several centuries ago. The bells are universal musical instruments. As rhythm is an essential characteristic of music, the design is rhythmic, lively. Just as most music is basically abstract, in the sense that it does not represent other objects, the design of the banner is basically abstract. Still, just as we can hear references to birds and storms and other things in music, we can imagine that the panels of the banner represent the keys found on French horns and keyboard instruments, and that the circles represent cymbals or drums, and possibly references to musical notational symbols. The important representation, however, is of the rhythmic vitality of music. Faculty of Social Work Designed by Ralph Beney in 1994 for the Faculty of Social Work, whose academic colour is yellow, the representational banner conveys an interconnecting relationship between individuals and their communities, constituting our dynamic and complex society. The Faculty of Social Work's caring and warm environment is conveyed by means of an on-going, forward moving open system, centred on people and their needs. Faculty of Graduate Studies The Faculty of Graduate Studies encourages interactive and collegial learning by fostering independent thinking and self-creation in a mentoring environment. The banner, designed and created by Ralph Beney, includes the colours in the hoods and gowns worn by graduate students at Convocation. Arranged in an upwardly, forward-looking and dynamic "pyramid of learning," the interaction of the colours represents the potential for inter-disciplinary study at the graduate level. The pyramid symbolizes graduate studies as the capstone of the formal learning process. Waterloo Lutheran Seminary The Waterloo Lutheran Seminary processional banner presents a "cosmic christology" in visual form. By Word and Wisdom, God creates the cosmos, makes a covenant with humankind as conscious members of that cosmos, and redeems creation in fulfillment of that covenant. The theme of the banner is the biblical affirmation "The just shall live by faith," which parallels the Seminary motto, "By faith we walk." The banner was designed by Nancy-Lou Patterson and quilted by Helen Weber. The border consists of alternating blocks signifying Justification and Faith. Using the Seminary's school colours, the blocks signifying Justification combine a gold cross and a maroon ground. Faith is signified by blocks in rainbow colours, recalling the promise of God in Genesis 9:17: "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on earth." The interlocking relationship between creator and creation is symbolized by the cross which links the earth to the cosmos. God makes contact with humankind through the Word, Christ, and through the sacraments which are signified by the stream of blue water flowing from the cross (baptism), and by the stream of red blood also flowing from the cross (holy communion). This is placed on a field of twelve stars symbolizing holy Wisdom.