CONESTOGA COLLEGE
Mural project fosters student collaboration and practical experience

A portion of the mural that was added to the walls of the college's IT network labs.

"The inspiration behind the project was to provide an environment that was more motivational to our students," said Jim Dickson, chair, ACSIT.

"The network labs, like their real-world counterparts, are quite industrial. The hope was to provide something that would distract from the technology and spark the imagination."  

Dickson contacted Bachelor of Design faculty, who were receptive to the idea. A site visit was organized for design students to consult with IT students and brainstorm concepts for the mural.  

"We were talking to the students and asking what things they wanted to have in the space because it's very small and hot and cramped, and they were all saying that they really liked video games. So, we based the idea on that. And since there was such a small space, we decided to do portals going into other dimensions with either video games, or video game-like realities," said Bachelor of Design student Amaiya Copeman.

The mural was completed as a final graded project and end-of-year highlight for first-year students in the Drawing II course at the end of their winter 2024 semester, creating an opportunity for students to gain practical experience.

"Providing real-world experience to our students is something we always strive for and collaborating with the Bachelor of Design program to have their students produce that motivational element for the lab turned out to be a perfect fit," added Dickson.

Design students pitched their ideas during the last week of classes to a panel that included Dickson and his team. The mural was printed and installed at the end of August.

"It was a bit of an endeavour, honestly, because it took everybody in our course to collaborate and come up with a single idea that worked together with everyone's requests. Picking a colour palette, a theme and style and making sure it was very cohesive when the final came into piece," said Bachelor of Design student Richard Clark.

Drawing II professor Jessica Massard elaborated on the specific experiences the students gained through the process of developing the mural.

"There were challenges with getting the concepts that were developed aimed in the same direction, but the students worked well to collaborate, offer feedback and adjust plans as we worked towards the final goal. And it also crossed different spaces where they worked traditionally, with drawing and painting by hand. Then those works were scanned and brought into the digital space."

According to Massard, the aim is to make this an annual project for Drawing II students, continuing the partnership between the two schools and building on the existing mural through the lab, which still offers many white walls as a canvas.

"Seeing our work come to life and actually be used somewhere rather than just being graded in class is really nice because it makes us feel as feel like we're actually accomplishing something in the real world, and we're making people feel happy about their space that they're already in," added Copeman.

Conestoga's Bachelor of Design program is a four-year degree in visual design with a complement of courses in entrepreneurship, marketing and management. It is unique in Ontario, offering students an interprofessional perspective that blends visual design, entrepreneurship, and liberal studies courses with co-op opportunities, enhanced studio space, and access to advanced technology.

The program is part of the college's School of Creative Industries, which offers dynamic programs spanning all aspects of media, communication and design.