Durham College Photography and Video Production program partners with Robert McLaughlin Gallery for student exhibition

Durham College’s (DC) Photography and Video Production programs have partnered with the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) to produce a student-led exhibition of visual images captured throughout Durham Region. Currently on display at the RMG in the Thomas Bouckley Corridor, the collection is the cumulative work of 32 first-year students who were carefully selected from a pool of 79 submissions.

Spearheaded by K. Jennifer Bedford, professor, School of Media, Art and Design, planning for this partnership and resulting exhibition first began three years ago, well before the pandemic started.

“Images are such powerful communication tools that can help challenge our way of thinking and engage in emotional, meaningful conversations,” says Bedford. “I am so proud of what the students accomplished and how they applied their technical knowledge to create photographs that explore a personal connection to the community.”

In this work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunity, students were asked to explore photovoice, a process in which participants capture their lived experience to share perspectives with others. The results displayed similar shared themes, such as dealing with the effects of COVID, empty streets and paths, and the perspectives of newcomers to Durham Region.

“Our school went into the partnership with the Robert McLaughlin Gallery hoping the experience would teach our students new skills that would help them tell their stories,” says Greg Murphy, dean, School of Media, Art and Design. “When you look at the collection, it’s clear that this exercise has developed the students’ personal photography styles and helped them become leaders as future Canadian artists.”

Congratulations to the following DC student photographers whose work was included in the curated exhibition on display.

Jayde Duhn	Michael Mlynarczyk
Stuart Foster	Erik Smith
Jacqueline Woods	Emilie Maltais
Kayleigh Algar	Brooke Warner
Jaden Howson-Visser	Natasha Miles
Bryanna Fudge	Aaron McInnes
Jacey Boyer	Norbert Turoczi
Kyle Mercieca	Jay Kruetzmann
Rebecca Otto	Ekansh Yakhmi
Taylor Will	Montana Budd-Haynes
Jacobin Mathews	Sartaj Singh
Logan James	Patrick Chayer
Robyn McGrenere	Aaron Lagler
Jonathan Miller	David Dixon
Cameron McNeely	Eva Modica
Liam McManus	Dejah Wocker

 

DC would like to thank the RMG for its ongoing support of our aspiring artists, with special thanks to Sonya Jones, curator of collections, RMG, who helped bring the partnership to fruition. With community partners like the RMG, DC students are afforded every opportunity to flourish and grow into the leaders of tomorrow.

Please visit the onsite student display at the RMG, available for viewing until June 12. You are also welcome to view the exhibition online. It features photographs from all 79 students who participated in the project.