Community Partnerships
The Wolfson Speaker Series
This upcoming spring, Bristol Community College is proud to introduce the Wolfson Speaker Series, an annual event that will host prominent speakers from across the globe to gather and engage our community around significant and relevant issues.
The inaugural Wolfson Speaker Series event will feature best-selling author, speaker and freelance photographer, Pete Souza. Souza, who was born in New Bedford and grew up in South Dartmouth, served as Chief Official White House Photographer for President Obama for all eight years and an Official White House Photographer for President Reagan.
He has won numerous photojournalism awards, had solo exhibits at galleries around the country and reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The college awarded Souza an Honorary Degree of Associate in Humane Letters in 2023. The event will take place on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in the Margaret Jackson Arts Center Theatre on the Fall River Campus. Tickets are free.
The Wolfson Speaker Series is in honor of Richard Wolfson, a longtime member of the Bristol Community College Foundation Board of Directors and supporter of the college. Wolfson requested that a speaker series offering the community access to high-profile speakers be created to provide an enriching opportunity at no cost.
FABRIC Arts Festival Takes the Stage
Bristol’s partnership with the FABRIC Arts Festival embodied the essence of our community and paid tribute to its vibrant diversity and rich cultural heritage. Organized by Casa dos Açores de Nova Inglaterra (CANI), under the leadership of Michael Benevides of Portugalia Marketplace in Fall River, Portugal-based curator Jesse James and a production team on both continents, FABRIC brought an array of cultural experiences to Fall River, New Bedford and Providence, from October 5 through October 14, 2023.
It culminated at Bristol’s Fall River Campus, with “Repose,” a public art exhibition by international artist and Somerset native Allyson Vieira, and a concert by internationally acclaimed contemporary fado singer Gisela João. The college’s Grimshaw-Gudewicz Art Gallery was also a popular stop on the open studios tour.
Airing Now! 'Bristol Community Cooking'
Bristol’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality program launched an exciting new project in Fall 2023 in collaboration with Fall River Community Media (FRCMedia) and Viva Fall River. “Bristol Community Cooking” is a 30-minute show highlighting the South Coast region’s restaurants, chefs and owners.
“Bristol Community Cooking” airs on FRCMedia Channel 95 in Fall River on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and is available on FRCMedia’s YouTube Channel. The first three Fall River restaurants featured on the show are The Path Restaurant & Lounge, Origen Bar & Grill and Europa Pastries & Coffee Shop.
The program features hands-on demonstrations by chefs and owners preparing their restaurant’s signature dishes in the college’s teaching kitchen, with assistance from Bristol’s Culinary Arts students. It also includes interviews focusing on area restaurant owners’ entrepreneurial journeys and backgrounds.
“We are delighted for this opportunity to strengthen Bristol Community College’s community partnerships with our region’s innovative businesses and entrepreneurs, while providing the college’s Culinary Arts students with valuable hands-on experience and professional insight,” said Vinnie Rege, Dean, Business and Experiential Education.
Bristol’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality program is designed to meet the needs of today’s competitive foodservice industry. The program provides students with the sought-after knowledge and work ethic that employers value. Students in the program also participate in a term of valuable industry experience through functions, events and an enriching internship.
Bristol Honored as Business of the Year
