Katie Houghton
Special to Niagara Now/The Lake Report

On Friday, April 11, the Willowbank School of Restoration Arts proudly celebrated the graduation of the class of 2025, marking an inspiring milestone for seven students now launching careers across Canada and the U.S. in the heritage conservation field.

The celebration extended beyond the ceremony, as Willowbank also welcomed back alumni and faculty for a meaningful homecoming on campus.

The reunion featured opportunities to reconnect and share stories, culminating in a thoughtful lecture by board chair Julian Smith, who reflected on the themes of order and disorder in heritage practice.

The graduation ceremony opened and closed with a moving Indigenous welcome and reflection by Indigenous community connector and Willowbank board secretary, Marie-Louise Bowering, whose poignant and grounding messages set a powerful tone for the day.

Graduates invited Willowbank faculty who have played meaningful roles in their education and career paths to address the room, including Tatum Taylor-Chaubal, senior heritage planner at the City of Toronto, and Philip Hoad, a leading consultant in historic building conservation.

Taylor-Chaubal added, “This year’s graduation celebrated not only the accomplishments and exceptional promise of the class of 2025, but also Willowbank’s role at the vanguard of the heritage field. It was a reminder that the ideas and skills our program cultivates will go on to support paces far beyond our beloved campus.”

Hoad added how he was passing the torch along, after nearly 40 years in Canada doing what he has loved to do, stating, “I am indeed confident and proud that Willowbank students will perform their part with professionalism, care and passion.”

The keynote address was delivered by Michael McClelland, founding principal of ERA Architects Inc., an award-winning architecture and planning firm focused on conservation through reactivation.

McClelland is a long-time supporter of the program who continues to generously lend faculty support and provide meaningful opportunities for students entering the field.

He spoke to the Willowbank philosophy of thinking and acting independently, adding that Willowbank graduates have a unique disposition in the working world.

Local history advocates John Crumb and Dave Bennison, both members of Historical Niagara, added a special touch to the celebration — Crumb with his soulful and atmospheric piano performances and Bennison with his passion for sharing the region’s stories.

Class valedictorian Mattia Fritse Ondine Thillaye-Kerr addressed the audience with a heartfelt reflection, sharing how her time at Willowbank became a turning point in her life — a place where learning, restoration and belonging came together.

During a presentation the day prior, she echoed the spirit of Gaston Bachelard’s “The Poetics of Space,” describing Willowbank as a “house that protects the dreamer,” capturing the deep connection between place and possibility.

For Thillaye-Kerr, Willowbank was more than a school — it was a space that held her aspirations and gave them room to grow.

Reflecting on her experience, she said, “I am so glad that a place like this, perfect in its imperfection, defying the odds, exists. It’s opened doors for people like the ones in this graduating class for almost a quarter of a century, and the education it offers has never been more important.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Graduates from the class of 2025 are already contributing to the heritage and design sector in diverse and significant ways:

• Launching their own business specializing in window restoration and carpentry;
• Pursuing a career in residential interior design with a focus on heritage-informed
  spaces;
• Working as a decorative painter at the Salt Lake Temple in Utah;
• Restoring a historic Lord & Burnham greenhouse from the Rand Estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake;
• Pursuing a career in fine arts restoration;
• Supporting heritage research and designation in the planning department at the Town of Grimsby, and;
• Contributing to conservation and adaptive reuse projects with ERA Architects

Executive director Katie Houghton, added, “The day was a wonderful celebration of the tremendous accomplishments that the class of 2025 have achieved in their time as Willowbank students.”

“These graduates represent the best of what this field can offer—skilled hands, thoughtful minds, and a deep appreciation and connection to history and community. We are immensely proud of their growth and can’t wait to see what they do next.”

The graduation lunch was generously donated by Willowbank’s event partner, 124 on Queen Hotel. Special thanks to Oast House Brewers for donating beverages for the graduation and homecoming events, and to Peller Estates Winery for supplying wine for the occasion.