I lived in Canfield for all four years of my time at Bennington and loved every minute. During my freshman year, I snuck in a stray mutt I named Window and built a plank outside of my first floor window for him to come and go as he pleased. It was a corner room, and in the fall the light was golden, in winter a dewey gray-green, and in spring purple with the glow of lilacs that scented the entire house. I wrote, dreamt, made deep friendships, found my first boyfriend, planned adventures in Canfield, and never wanted to leave. It was at Bennington that I was happy for the first time and, in my senior year, I clearly remember looking down the gravel path from Canfield to Commons, wishing that I could stay another full four years.
Canfield was built in 1933 and named after Dorothy Canfield Fisher, an American author.
Dorothy was a founder and early professor at Bennington. She was the only woman to speak at the groundbreaking (despite Bennington being a women’s college). In her speech she stated that Bennington’s “educational exploration” would be directed by “wisdom and inventiveness, and characterized by proportion and balance as well as by enthusiasm and courage.”
Dorothy Canfield was born in Kansas but spent most of her adult life in Vermont. She was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early decades of the 20th century. Her best known work is probably Understood Betsy, which takes place in Vermont. She presided over the country’s first adult education program.
In 1904 she became one of the few women in her generation to receive a doctoral degree. Eleanor Roosevelt named her one of the ten most influential women in the United States. At Bennington, she taught creative writing and assisted ‘gifted students’ as “artist-tutor.”.
Facts and Myths:
- Canfield was home to two alumni actors: Peter Dinklage ’91 and Joel Marsh Garland ’97.
Two Alumni are Changing the Game of American Casinos
Bennington prides itself on its self-directed education and multidisciplinary approach to learning. It should be no surprise then that many of our alumni have utilized this entrepreneurial nature of a Bennington education to start their own business. In fact, so many alumni are entrepreneurs that last year, Forbes rated Bennington one of America’s top Entrepreneurial Colleges.
Blaine Graboyes ’95 and Cinnamon Booth ’93 are two of these entrepreneurial and business-minded alumni. From producing DVDs to directing nationally televised esports competitions, Graboyes and Booth have worked in game production for over twenty years. The two friends have watched (and helped) video games become the largest entertainment business and in Booth’s words “more prevalent as a social construct.”
Their most recent venture has been the founding of GameCo Inc, a new company that is revolutionizing gambling machines. Graboyes and Booth have created VGM™, the “world’s first skill-based video game gambling machine.” Created for a younger audience of gamers, VGM™ offers an array of first-person video games, including racing, shooting, and classic first-person games. The machines work by using a “proprietary, patent pending math model” that allow skill —rather than luck—to determine the results in 30–90 second experiences. 1 2 3
The idea for VGM™ came from their past producing e-sports, professional video game competitions and events. When he brought e-sports events to casinos Graboyes would always be asked if there was a way to bring e-sports to the casino, GameCo is the result. The plan is for VGM™ to replace slot machines, which have been stagnating for decades. Graboyes says that “more than 97% of households play video games. Gamers are the largest underserved audience!” While GameCo’s ‘arcade-style cabinets’ tap into this underserved audience of gamers, the system balances video games with traditional slot machines; the games maintain the same house return as current machines.
In September, GameCo, Inc. announced that it had raised both Seed and Series A financing “totaling $8.25 million.” 4 Graboyes and Booth also recently attended and presented at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas and the first VGMs are going to New Jersey casinos this year. 5
Game production is a field that is “highly collaborative” and requires drawing on multiple fields. Graboyes says that Bennington gave him the tools needed to work on such a multidisciplinary field:
“Bennington College was the single most influential experience and opportunity of my life’s work. . . I’ve made my career combining my passion and skill in creative, business, and technical aspects of my work. The same multidisciplinary experience I loved at Bennington has been the cornerstone of each of my businesses and all of my professional consulting.”
Booth puts the College’s influence in term of business; at Bennington she learned that life a process and “being an entrepreneur means that you get to define that process yourself.”
“Every artist is an entrepreneur,” says Graboyes, “Breaking down the barriers between art and business is one of the most unique potentials for Bennington!” It is clear that breaking down barriers are what Graboyes and Booth do best.
-Arden Jordan ’16
Game Co. Press Release:
Bennington College graduates, Cinnamon Booth and Blaine Graboyes, co-founded the revolutionary new company, GameCo Inc. After meeting in college, Booth and Graboyes have remained lifelong friends. Sharing the same interests and passions, Booth and Graboyes combined their talents and developed GameCo, a company poised to transform casino floors by attracting the next generation of gamers with an engaging opportunity to gamble playing video games at casinos.
GameCo has created the world’s first skill-based video game gambling machine (VGM™). GameCo’s VGM is an innovative arcade-style platform that balances player skill with game design to deliver the same return to players as traditional slot machines. Licensed from top publishers, games offered on the VGM are familiar titles played in 30-90 second experiences featuring various genres and themes including first person action, sports, racing, fighting games, platformers, puzzle games and more. The launch of GameCo’s VGMs will be supported by esports events, tournaments and game publisher marketing that will benefit casino partners in attracting a new audience of Gen X and Millennial gamers. GameCo’s VGMs will hit casino floors in New Jersey later this year.
This Wednesday there will be two Bennington alumni on campus. Keha McIlwaine ’05 and Xela Herridge-Meyer ’05 are founders of XyZ Cooperative, a cooperative that connects ‘makers’ in Oaxaca Mexico with American buyers.
Keha and Xela met while in the dance department at Bennington have remained close friends. Through traveling and family connections, Xela met Mariana selling her rugs in the main church square in Oaxaca and she invited her back to her village, Santa Ana de Valle. Xela and her sister Zannah decided to from XyZ Cooperative and find “creative ways to market the rugs and support the Santa Ana weavers.” Since 2010 they’ve been working with five families of Zapotec rug weavers in the area. The two women pictured above are Ernestine and Mariana, two of the weavers. The XyZ Cooperative organize seasonal popups in New York City and also go on road trips around the country selling their wares. This fall, they’re making a trip around New England and stopping here at Bennington.
Keha, Xela and Zannah hope that “XyZ can encourage conversations about commerce, how things are made, who makes them, why they cost what they cost, and that these conversations can lead to a greater awareness of how what we buy has an impact on others, the environment, and ultimately back on ourselves.”
For more information, visit their website or stop by Down Commons on October 19th!
Hillary Harvey ’99, her husband Owen Harvey ’96 and their kids spent last weekend at the Alumni Davis House. She shared with us her beautiful reflection and photos. Enjoy!
The Bennington community's thoughts are with the Nepalese people after the earthquake devastation on Saturday. The families of the five current students are safe, and we have heard from the following alumni who live in Nepal that they and their immediate families have escaped harm:
Niranjan Kunwar '04
Karina Lundahl '05
Ravi Rauniyar '00
Ibha Shrestha '13
Ujwal Thapa '00 (via Sourya Shrestha '01)
Sabina Shrestha '09
If you have had contact with others, please write to [email protected] to share news.
The alumni and students have recommended relief efforts that are particularly meaningful to them, listed below. And, if you live locally, attend Sunfest which will include fundraising activities that are detailed at the bottom of this post.
Please consider giving your support:
Sabina Shrestha and her family in Nepal have been distributing packaged food to their neighborhood and effected families. If you would like to support Sabina’s efforts please email her.
Bibeksheel Nepali & Lead Nepal
A grassroots “network” of the youth in Nepal focused on bringing about socio-political change. The group is currently focused on coordinating the various relief efforts and volunteers. The effort is being led by Bennington alum, Ujwal Thapa ’00.
The America Nepal Medical Foundation
They are now focusing on Sindhulpachowk, one of the hardest hit and most neglected areas in Nepal. They will send blankets, water, food, ORT and water purifier ASAP and will set up a medical camp to serve victims.
Dzi Foundation
Dzi Foundation is mobilizing to rebuild homes, schools, and local infrastructure in remote areas of Eastern Nepal struck by the earthquake. They have been working with communities in the region since 1998.
Educate the Children International (ETC)
Educate the Children International (ETC) has set up an earthquake fund to provide relief to communities effected by the earthquake in Dolakha district of Nepal, a remote district especially hard-hit by aftershocks. This is an area that ETC has worked in for over a decade.
Teaching and Bir Hospitals in Kathmandu
A fundraiser led by Ravi Rauniyar '00 to assist the two public hospitals in Kathmandu. 100% of the donations will go directly the the Teaching and Bit Hospitals in Kathmandu.
Society of Ex Budhanilkantha Students
Implementing an ‘Earthquake Relief Action Plan’, a long term rehabilitation project to benefit Sindhupalchowk, one of the most severely affected areas. The funds will provide immediate relief while also supporting the reconstruction of the village.
You Caring, Relief for Nepal Earthquake Victims
100% of the contributions to this platform will go towards purchasing tarps, medical equipment, food supplies, and organizing distribution groups to hand out the materials.
Help Nepal
The Help Nepal Network team has organized 30-40 volunteers, distributed 200 tents, various medical supplies, and truck loads to food to regions such as Gorkha, Sankhu, and Bhotechaur. Support for Help Nepal will allow their efforts to continue at a larger scale and assist with long-term support.
Nepal Earthquake Support
Donations will go to International Medical Corps, an emergency response team that delivers critical medical care. International Medical Corps is distributing water purification tablets and hygiene kits in addition to their medical support.
Unicef Nepal Earthquake Support
Support for UNICEF efforts on the ground in Nepal providing critical aid to children and families.
ON CAMPUS
Friday, May 1, 2015:
The college community will be holding a gathering at 7pm in the Student Center to commemorate the deceased and show support for all of the survivors and volunteers.
Saturday, May 2, 2015:
From 1-5pm on Commons Lawn, Bennington Connects and other students organizations will be raising funds to help relief efforts. The students additionally recommend paying a visit to any of the following links to donate to the cause:
A message to alumni from BeWell, an student group focused on wellness:
Hello!
Bennington Wellness (BeWell), at the behest of President Silver, has been planning a weekend of programming to herald the introduction of Bennington's new consent policy. Our goals include highlighting the importance of consent to the entire campus, but also to provide information and materials to support students in applying consent to their sexual lifestyles, as they see fit. In going through this process, our team has continually found that the most effective methods in our own consent education were anecdotal. We would like to make available the same kind of resources that best illustrated the concept of consent to us, and if there is any experience that Bennington college students take stock of, it is that of alumni. If any of you are interested, we would like to develop a collection of 1-3 minutes videos (Skype quality) of alumni speaking about a time when consent was important to them. This could include any time when consent, or even simple communication, made an experience safer, more exciting, less ambiguous, etc. If you would like to contribute, please email your video [email protected]. Thank you all so much!
Throwback to when Helen Frankenthaler ’49 spent her days painting on Bennington’s campus. We’re gearing up for the ceremony to name the visual arts portion of VAPA after Helen on April 12th. Read the full naming announcement along with information on Helen’s illustrious career here!
