ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Rooms opened three exhibitions on Friday, March 27 to mark its 20th Anniversary this year. Two of the exhibitions feature all the big names in Newfoundland and Labrador visual art and is a celebration of the imagery of place. Artists that inspired generations of young artists and heralded the renaissance of Newfoundland and Labrador culture, along with writers, musicians and actors, in the 1970s.
The other, a young emerging artist carrying on the legacy with a contemporary vision focused on recovering discarded histories.
All a reflection of the eyes of generations of visual artists that defined a unique sense of place that is Newfoundland and Labrador in various media and styles.
A Place of History and Art
The Rooms, designed by architect Philip Pratt, sits on a prominent position on the St John’s skyline slightly overshadowing the Basilica of St John The Baptist. The once dominate historic building overlooking the city. It also sits atop historic Fort Townsend. A historic site and ongoing archeological works, the star shaped citadel began construction 1775 by the British garrison to defend the city from the French and Americans. Needless to say, the building was met with some derision at the time.
Pratt is also a member of a family that is ubiquitous in Newfoundland art so it comes full circle.
The term rooms comes from fishing rooms. Simple buildings erected on wharfs and along shores for storing fishing gear and drying salt fish. They could be small or large and the style can be easily seen in the preserved buildings of the Ryan Premises National Historic Site in Bonavista.
You can see Pratt’s touch stone in his modern revision of the theme.
At the entrance to the exhibition you can see Pratt’s drawings and conceptual work including an early sketch of The Rooms on a napkin by Pratt from 1999.
Earlier the week a presentation by Pratt used Grounding, the exhibition, to explore Pratt’s design and its ties to Newfoundland and Labrador’s landscapes, history, and culture. It highlighted treasured works from the collection and offered new insights into the intersection of art, architecture, and place.
Under One Red Roof
When The Rooms opened in 2005 it combined and replaced an aging museum and an art gallery and provincial archives that was bursting at the seems. Now all under one roof The Rooms has hosted hundreds of exhibitions, over 1,000 educational and public programs and more than 1 million visitors.
The art collection includes over 11,000 works, ranging from historical to contemporary, from international art to local crafts and folk art. While the focus is primarily on Newfoundland and Labrador artists, it also houses significant Canadian works.
The Exhibitions
Grounding
Marking The Rooms 20th anniversary, the ideas behind this building’s architecture act as touchstones for exploring artistic expression in this province.
Bringing together some of the most beloved artworks from The Rooms’ collections, this exhibition considers how our surroundings and structures shape what has been valued, preserved, and shared by our communities.
Artists include Dinah Andersen, David Blackwood, Grant Boland, Vessela Brakalova, Maurice Cullen, Jerry Evans, A.Y. Jackson, Philippa Jones, Michael Massie, Mary Ann Penashue, Barbara Pratt, Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt, Ned Pratt, Helen Parsons Shepherd, Gerald Squires, Jessica Winters, and many others.
To Launch Forth into the Deep: A Legacy of Supporting the Arts at Memorial University
This exhibition, part of Memorial’s 100th-anniversary celebrations, offers a glimpse into its extraordinary collection of over 4,000 artworks. By empowering artists to thrive at home, Memorial transformed Newfoundland and Labrador’s cultural landscape, enriching local life, and elevating the province’s voice on the national stage.
Artists: Anne Meredith Barry, Peter Bell, Jerry Evans, Gilbert Hay, Frank Lapointe, Heidi Oberheide, Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt, Helen Parsons Shepherd, Reginald Shepherd, Gerald Squires, and Don Wright.
Amber-Lynn Thorne: Because of the Sea
In her work, Amber-Lynn Thorne weaves together ceramics and written reflections. She transforms the ocean into a place where discarded histories are lovingly reclaimed—a boundless reservoir of memory. Her art invites us to witness the quiet power of the hand: to hold, to mend, and to connect the tangible with the deeply emotional.
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