The Rooms
9 Bonaventure Avenue A1C 5P9 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, NL, Canada

We’ve never had a better opportunity to reconnect with the stories that surround us. The tales that define us and show us where we’ve been and the dreams of where we could go. It’s time to come together. It’s time to reconnect. #StayHomeYear2020 #RoomtoReconnect

The Elbow Room Artist-in-Residence Program deadline extended to December 15! The Elbow Room Artist-in-Residence Program provides visual artists at the beginning of their career that are currently living in Newfoundland and Labrador with an opportunity to expand their boundaries and develop new methods and directions. Apply here: http://ow.ly/PRV350CmM8r

Next up for #AskAConservatorDay is preserving photographs. Photographs should be also be kept in protective enclosure. Generally, the choices are paper or plastic where paper enclosures typically consist of envelopes or folders and plastic are in the form of sleeves. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. While paper enclosures protect photos from light and are generally provide more physical support, they require removal for viewing and requires increased handling... of the photo. Conversely, plastic enclosures allow for easy viewing while limiting the need for handling the photograph but they do not alone provide protection from light exposure. So which type of enclosure you choose will depend on how often you think the photographs will be viewed and where they will be stored. Preventively, the use of reproductions whether paper copies or digital images would limit the need for handling originals entirely. Understandably though many people prefer to see and experience original photographs. If this is your choice, remember to ask yourself what could possibly go wrong? and take actions to prevent them from happening for example, avoid touching the images with bare hands, eating or drinking around your collection of photographs, avoid using permanent markers and pens, and try not to leave them out unattended with your pets around! Did you know that cats like to lick the emulsion of various types of photographs? E 77-17; Berrypickers, Church Cove, Torbay, NF

It's #AskaConservatorDay and our conservator, Miki Lee, is sharing some tips for preserving some commonly asked about items. First up: Christening Gowns. Long and delicate, the preservation issue with this type of textile typically pertains to how to store it. Folding isn’t ideal - you may have seen in your own wardrobe items that have heavy creases from being folded for so long - but flat storage might take up too much space. There’s the option of hanging it then. However, ...very likely you have also seen the shoulders of your shirts distorted from being hung on wire or thin plastic hangers. So how to store these garments without folding or hanging or taking up limited storage space? Good news is that either approach can be modified so as to minimize damage. If the gown cannot be stored completely flat, it can be folded over itself with added padding to make the fold gentle and rounded out. Clean, white pillowcases and bedsheets are great reusable and usually readily available, materials that can be rolled and placed in at the fold. Hanging too is an option as long as the hanger is also padded out such that the weight is distributed and no pressure is placed at any one point. And of course, whatever option is chosen, having the item in an enclosure (or garment bag) is an added level of protection. Contact us for more information or visit: http://ow.ly/3XSY50CnU0k

Don't miss this week's Coffee & Culture with Malin Enström, as she discusses her current exhibition "Inversion" and delves into other areas of her artistic practice.

Mark your calendars! The Rooms Gift Shop annual sale is November 27 - 29. 20% off all regular priced merchandise! #ShopLocal

Weve never had a better opportunity to reconnect with the stories that surround us. The tales that define us and show us where weve been and the dreams of where we could go. Its time to come together. Its time to reconnect. #StayHomeYear2020 #RoomtoReconnect

A new message from the CEO: http://ow.ly/qcKI50BzeAM

Outdoor installation: Shelley Miller’s Trade Day 4: Starting to see some decay. For more information on this piece and process: http://ow.ly/sRmq50ClH7f ... #RoomtoReconnect #Art #OutdoorInstallation

Today marks the start of International Week of the Deaf. This occasion is celebrated by Deaf communities around the world - individuals who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing, and who share a common visual language. In Canada, that language is American Sign Language. The Rooms provides ASL/English Interpreting Services, through NL Association of the Deaf, at no charge for both our Engaging Evenings and Coffee and Culture programs (these two programs start up again in October). Requests for ASL Services can be requested by email at [email protected], by phone 709-757-8090, or in person. #IWDeaf #RoomtoReconnect Image: "The Rooms" in ASL.

Participants of todays Fine Art Workshop: Drawing Landscapes enjoyed a successful and safe afternoon at The Rooms. Thanks for joining us! #RoomtoReconnect #Art #Workshop

Michelle MacKinnon (Corner Brook, NL) is the first artist in our Present Tense series, Michelle MacKinnon: Pandemic Portraits, which opened September 1st, 2020 on level 2.5. Over the course of the pandemic, she has been creating watercolour portraits of members of the provincial art community accompanied by the description of a simple event. Mireille Eagan, our Curator of Contemporary Art, reached out to MacKinnon to learn more about her series: http://ow.ly/ldKn50BuXCa #RoomtoReconnect

This #ThrowbackThursday image shows spectators watching a motorcade in honour of the Duke of Kents visit to St. Johns, September 1941. E 21-20 #TBT #CrowdsPreCovid #Archives #ExploreNL #RoomtoReconnect

Mireille Eagan, Curator of Contemporary Art, answers some #AskACurator questions! #AskACuratorDay Who is your favourite artist? Mary Pratt. I suppose that isnt a big surprise, as I had the honour of working closely with her for several years. But she is often overlooked as a painter of beautiful things when, in fact, her work was both generous and political. The beauty and importance of Mary Pratts work is that it reminds us to look closely at what is right in front of us. She made art that revealed the beauty of simple things (and, to be frank, what is often considered the realm of women and therefore dismissed) whether making a meal, the light through glass, or washing a baby. This is what art should do.

It's #AskACurator day! What questions do you have for our curators? Comment, message or tweet us at @TheRooms_NL and we will answer as many questions as we can!

Part of our rug hooking exhibition, Loops to Live By, is coming down on September 28 to make room for a new show. Come by and take in the engaging and unique works by Larry Weyand and Hannah Epstein featured in the Natural Light Gallery on Level 4 before they are gone. #RoomtoReconnect http://ow.ly/wWba50BrggF

Dr. Potter's diary has reached it's last entry. Pop over to Battle Harbour Historic Trust to read it and scroll back through all the entries over the summer.

Wednesday, September 16 is #AskaCurator Day! We're excited to help you get to know our curators better and figure out just what it is they do at The Rooms. Send us your questions by tagging us or send us a direct msg. We'll be posting answers all day Wednesday! #RoomtoReconnect

Well done Jessica Winters Art! Jessica Winters' work "Untitled (Nunatsiavut Breathing Hole)" is on display in our exhibition "Of Myths and Mountains", closing September 27. Come see it before it's gone! #RoomtoReconnect http://ow.ly/oJ4650Bou3N

Back to school looks a little different this year but we hope all the students enjoy their day to the fullest! This archival image of Memorial University College on Parade Street from 1923 also looks a little different today. #BacktoSchool #Memorial #RoomtoReconnect A 3-62

On #InternationalLiteracyDay we are sharing an archival image from 1943 of the library at the Newfoundlanders' Camp. What book are you currently reading? #LiteracyDay #Books #Learning #RoomtoReconnect C 1-27

We're sharing this activity to honour all Former Students of Labrador and Newfoundland Residential Schools. It is intended for adults and children to further understand and participate in reconciliation, spread awareness and education about residential schools in the province and to foster acknowledgement and understanding towards those who attended the schools and their families. Children can sometimes be surprised or sad by some of the facts of our history. Share your thoughts together and let them know that by learning about this sad part of our past, we are helping to have a better future. Activity instructions: www.therooms.ca/healing-and-commemoration

We are open today from 12 pm - 5 pm on this holiday Monday! Drop by for a visit. #RoomtoReconnect #Open #explorenl

Two days of afternoon tea a week! Starting September 7, The Rooms Café is offering Afternoon Tea every Wednesday AND Friday from 3 - 6 pm. Reservations are recommended, call (709) 757-8097 to book your tea time! #RoomtoReconnect #Tea #Afternoontea #ExploreNL

As the first project in the Present Tense exhibition series, Michelle MacKinnons Pandemic Portraits is a sensitive rendering of peoples personal pandemic experiences. On now at The Rooms, Level 2.5, until November 1. #RoomtoReconnect #Art #ExploreNL http://ow.ly/sl1y50BhdFP

This is the last weekend to see Bushra Junaid's ground-breaking exhibition What Carries Us, Newfoundland and Labrador in the Black Atlantic, closing Monday, September 7. This video describes Shelley Miller's sugar mural, Trade, which was commissioned for the exhibition. Come see it in person before it's installed outside of The Rooms, where it will decay over time, as part of the artists practice. Artwork: Shelley Miller, Trade, 2020, Powdered icing sugar, gelatin and edible pigments, Commissioned by The Rooms

This evening is FREE admission from 6 - 9 pm! We have plenty of space to enjoy. #RoomtoReconnect #FreeAdmission Dont forget, we offer free admission the first Wednesday of every month from 6- 9 pm.

Today, The Rooms launched the Healing and Commemoration Collections Online Portal. Developed under the leadership of former students, this permanent collection... commemorates the experiences of former students who attended the Nain, St. Anthony, Lockwood, Makkovik and Yale residential schools. The collection will preserve their stories and the history of Newfoundland and Labrador residential schools for future generations: https://www.therooms.ca/healing-and-commemoration. Statement by Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister: ow.ly/6ACn102lCES See more

The Healing and Commemoration Collection launched today on The Rooms website to provide former students of Labrador and Newfoundland residential schools the opportunity to add their voices to the National conversation of Truth and Reconciliation. Guided by former students and in partnership with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, their stories told in their own words have been made available in audio, video and written format so that everyone can access a...nd hear them to learn and to start moving towards healing and reconciliation. For more information and to access the collection: http://ow.ly/q5z350BeZ5L The Rooms Provincial Archives Division, IGA 14-247, Three girls writing at a table, Cartwright, 1959 / Joan P. Bathelt, International Grenfell Association photograph collection Advisory: Contains strong language and mature subject matter

Looking for a good memoir to read on #WeLoveMemoirsDay ? Head over to Battle Harbour Historic Trust Inc. Facebook page and follow along as they share Dr Craig Potter's diary, from The Rooms, detailing his time spent in Labrador 100 years ago. #RoomtoReconnect #ExploreNL http://ow.ly/Qz7s50BdtlT

The Rooms would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has visited our building since our reopening on June 29th. We are pleased to report that our safety protocols have been followed successfully. Thanks to your ongoing cooperation, as of September 1, we are able to move from timed ticketing back to our regular admission system. Admission can still be purchased online, but your admission will now be valid for any time The Rooms is open. We are still requiring physical distancing and now mandatory masks, as per recommended government protocols. For more information, or to purchase admission tickets, please visit: https://www.therooms.ca/visit-us

Reminder: Sep. 1 is the deadline for artists to submit applications to the Provincial Art Bank program. Artworks that are part of this collection may be exhibited at The Rooms, and are also installed in gov. offices and public buildings across NL. http://ow.ly/UnvP50BbAYp

Closing SOON! We exist in the age of Photoshop, image filters and deepfake videos. Yet, most photography is considered factual. Jon Sasaki reveals that editing photographs is almost as old as the medium itself. Drawing upon research in The Rooms collections, Jon Sasaki examines how edits made to early photography can inform our contemporary relationship to the physical world and our constructions of national identity. Only three days left to visit Sasaki's exhibition Jon Sas...aki: A Day Becomes a Sunrise on level 2.5, closing on August 30. Jon Sasaki. Examination of Harbour, St. John's, Nfld. [before 1904]. Photograph and of St. John's from Battery, entrance to St. John's [before 1904]. Lantern slide. International Grenfell photograph collection. (2020). Courtesy of the artist.