Recently over 30 Durham College (DC) students and employees from the School of Media, Art and Design (MAD) hosted a filmmaking demonstration at the Docville Movie Set in partnership with the second annual Durham Regional Film Festival.

For over two hours, students shot footage on five movie sets consisting of a cabin, general store, saloon, jail and mine using 10 60D cameras (two at each set). The demonstration was attended by more than 75 people who were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at how a film is made. Audience members also participated by acting out the script that was written by DC Advanced Filmmaking students under the guidance of professor Kevin D. Fraser. After four hours of editing, a five-minute film was screened on the same day.

“Filmmaking is a way to change the way people think about the world,” said Greg Murphy, executive dean, MAD. “To get your voice, your story out there, whether it’s about you, or somebody else, or something you have completely imagined, it’s a way of telling stories. We are helping people to do that and really preparing the next generation of content creators for Canadian media.”

Students were mentored by DC faculty and staff including Kris Felstead, Phil Raby, Jennifer Bedford, Kevin Fraser, Colin Burwell, Jim Ferr, Oliver Fernandez, Keir Broadfoot and Margret Campkin, as well as Carla Sinclair, chair of DC’s Media Fundamentals program advisory committee.

Additionally a ‘making of’ photomontage of the filmmaking demonstration was shot by MAD Photography students under the guidance of faculty members Al Fournier, Tim McGhie and Brian Stephens.

A mural design created by Allanah Larsen, a graduate of Durham College’s (DC) School of Media, Art & Design (MAD) in the Fine Arts – Advanced program, was recently installed at Oshawa City Hall.

Located on the retaining wall facing Centre Street outside City Hall, the city’s newest piece of public art features a stained-glass-like pattern that shows detailed glimpses of Oshawa and its main attractions within an evolving colour scheme.

A timeline of abstract art, the mural was produced by Allanah and her fellow students from MAD’s Community Collaboration class, including Alex Duffy, Stephanie Galanis, Shawn Robinson Gray, Maria McGarny, Vincent S. F. Neal, Kristen Sali, Schott Shepel and Kristie Yuill.

As part of the Civic Square community mural project, a partnership between the City of Oshawa and DC, students were asked to develop mural concepts based on feedback from Oshawa community members about their aspirations for the city. Three finalists were selected by the City of Oshawa and guest adjudicator Linda Jansma, senior curator, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. Community members were then asked to vote for their favourite entry to determine the winning design.

The City of Oshawa and DC are both pleased with the collaborative efforts behind the community-inspired mural, which now serves as a new focal point within Oshawa’s Civic Square and is playing a large role in the revitalization of the space.

“This has been such a fabulous experience for the school,” said Greg Murphy, executive dean, MAD, DC. “We need partners to give us an opportunity to make a contribution to the cultural landscape of Oshawa, and the city has been a great partner. I’m grateful for the effort and expertise that a lot of generous people gave, but especially for the wonderful leadership of this project from MAD faculty Dani Crosby and Sean McQuay”.

Traditionally, harvest time is a time for community celebration. That was certainly the case at Durham College (DC) on September 22 as students, faculty and more than 130 community members came together for the second annual Harvest Dinner in celebration of the amazing work being done at the college’s Centre for Food (CFF) at the Whitby campus.

The sold-out event brought DC’s field-to-fork vision to life and marked the culmination of countless hours spent in the fields, labs, classrooms and kitchens as students and faculty from the culinary, horticulture, hospitality and events programs worked side-by-side to plan and execute an evening that guests won’t soon forget.

“Watching our students in action at all stages of the planning and execution of this event filled me with immense pride,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “The Harvest Dinner is both an incredible opportunity and an immense undertaking for everyone at the CFF and I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone, and our students and employees in particular, who helped make the evening a resounding success.”

CFF ambassador and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy was also in attendance to show his support and greet guests. The multi-course, family-style meal was served under the stars, surrounded by the CFF’s fields and greenhouses, and featured recipes inspired by and featuring food planted, picked and prepared by DC students.

“It’s extremely meaningful to have so many members of the community joining us tonight to celebrate our students’ achievements,” said Kevin Baker, dean, CFF. “Tonight’s dinner embodies what field-to-fork is all about and this experience of working together to put it into action is one our students will draw on throughout their careers.”

The evening’s delicacies started with sweet corn cakes with cranberry caviar, and baba ghanouj served on a beet chip passed during the cocktail hour. Next, the meal was presented in three rounds that featured a wide range of flavours and ingredients, including a pickled-and-cured platter of vegetables and venison-pork salami; pan-seared trout with lemon geranium and chili; a Caprese salad made with DC-produced mozzarella; smoked Ontario turkey with braised fennel and cranberries; and roasted Ontario pork loin with red cabbage and apples, among numerous other dishes.

“To be in the gardens harvesting produce this morning and then see our guests enjoying the fruits of that labour this evening is a special experience,” said Ryan Cullen, a second-year student in the Horticulture – Food and Farming program and student governor with the college. “It’s wonderful to see all the programs working together and students applying what we’re learning to one convivial harvest experience.”

Anyone who missed out on the Harvest Dinner is still in luck. CFF produce and other local ingredients will continue to inspire the dishes being served at Bistro ’67, the CFF’s full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant, which recently received a prestigious Feast ON designation for its use and support of locally sourced products. Garden Fresh Wednesdays will continue at Bistro ’67 until the end of November and upcoming Jamie Kennedy Thursdays special dining experiences are scheduled for Thursday, November 17 and Thursday, December 15. There will also be a celebration of Bistro ‘67’s new Feast ON designation with a 100-mile dinner on Thursday, October 20. Food lovers can also enjoy pre-packaged meals and daily lunch specials from Pantry, the CFF’s unique retail store for student-created goods, or expand their own culinary skills and knowledge through the CFF’s cooking experience classes and demonstrations.

For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca/cff. 

It’s been a long journey, but Kerri-Ann Williams, a recent graduate from the Biomedical Engineering Technology program at Durham College (DC), has found success in her new role as field service engineer, Technical Leadership at General Electric Healthcare (GE Healthcare).

Her new job began with a rigorous training program that gives new employees the opportunity to work with a wide range of medical equipment and maintain and install medical devices such as ultrasounds and X-rays. Once her training is complete, Williams will be a full-fledged field service engineer with key responsibilities including device installation, servicing, repairs, training clinical staff and providing excellent customer service.

A native of Jamaica, Williams moved to Canada in 2011 and began her academic journey with DC in 2013. She credits the college for its excellent learning environment that supported her education and gave her the confidence to participate within the school.

“The program had a strong focus on developing the technical aptitude and hands-on skills required in the field of biomedical engineering technology,” said Williams. “One of the key things I noticed during my placement was that I was very familiar with the procedures and jargon used by the various healthcare workers that I had to interact with.”

Academic success wasn’t the only thing Williams pursued while at the college; she held a number of positions outside the classroom including DC Experience team member, co-chair on a fundraising committee for the Alumni Association and a work study student for two years with the Strategic Enrolment Services office.

The opportunities within the school helped Williams demonstrate her strengths in the field and build her confidence, which led to receiving excellent references for her job search. As a new graduate, Williams offers a piece of advice to future DC students: “I want to encourage new students, especially new immigrants, to step out of their comfort zone and put themselves out there. Get to know your new home and the wonderful people.”

Durham College (DC) launched a unique partnership with the Whitby In Bloom (WIB) Committee for this year’s Garden Tour, which was held on July 16.

DC students from the Horticulture Technician and Horticulture – Food and Farming programs and faculty and Master Gardeners from the college’s Science & Engineering Technology Program Advisory Committee participated in the event, which gave the public the opportunity to tour many spectacular gardens in both Whitby and Brooklin.

The Garden Tour featured the Centre for Food’s (CFF) planting fields and greenhouse as one of 10 touring sites. At the CFF, participants explored the pollinator garden where students learn to identify types of plants, the hoop house which is used for fall and winter gardening, and the 200-tree orchard featuring five different types of apple trees.

“Our students and employees really enjoyed being part of the Whitby In Bloom event because it gave them a chance to meet with members of the local community and to explain the unique facilities we have at the Centre for Food,” said Susan Todd, dean of the School and Science & Engineering Technology. “We know that thousands of people pass by our Whitby campus every week and may often have been tempted in the past to stop by and learn more about the Centre for Food and our programs. This event was a great opportunity to let them learn what we’re all about.”​

In lieu of admission fees, committee members asked attendees to donate non-perishable food items for local food banks to drop-off boxes provided at each tour location. In addition to tours, WIB offered free garden seminars by industry professionals at Brooklin United Church in Brooklin. These included:

• Mark Cullen, gardening guru and television star, who spoke about the ever-changing methods of gardening
• Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaten director of Horticulture at Toronto Botanical Garden, who discussed gardening in small spaces
• Vicki Taylor-Scott, expert garden designer, who explored the endless possibilities of container gardening

DC is proud to showcase the college’s sustainable living initiatives through programs promoting environmental responsibility, such as WIB, and would like to thank all those who volunteered and participated.

Durham College (DC) Board of Governor Nneka Bowen joined other distinguished and remarkable individuals honoured during the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women gala ceremony at The Brighton Convention and Event Centre on June 16. One hundred women from across Canada were celebrated for their social, educational, political and professional accomplishments.

Her nomination for the award reads like a world-class resumé, highlighting her tireless commitment to education through a position on DC’s Board of Governors, among a number of other impressive achievements. Namely her leadership as vice-president, Commercial Banking at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) of Durham Region, helping local businesses grow; her contributions to the development of students through hiring and mentoring summer co-op students and creating RBC projects for UOIT capstone students; and her involvement with a number of other local organizations.

“My sons are my greatest inspirations,” Bowen said. “Having grown up with nothing but a dream for what I wanted my future to look like, I am driven every day and with every breath to give them the life I didn’t have growing up; to live as an example for them to follow and aspire to achieve and contribute even greater than my most ambitious dreams.”

Bowen’s motivation stems from those who came before her, like former federal Liberal cabinet minister Jean Augustine and the mentors and managers she had at RBC. She credits the support and encouragement she received from both of her teams at RBC and DC as the source of her leadership and mentorship philosophy, with inclusivity as a major cornerstone.

Asked about her secret to success, Bowen offered a piece of wisdom she gives her children: “Never feel entitled; work towards your definition of success, earn it, achieve it, do not apologize for it, and pay it forward.”

Even with all her tremendous achievements, Bowen sees the award as a call-to-action to do more to help others live up to their full potential; something she’s perfectly positioned for on DC’s Board, her team at RBC, and the surrounding communities.