The Culture Rooms
Date: Aug 21
10:00 am
- 9:00 pm
Where: Level 2 & 3 Atrium
Experience what makes the people and this place so unique. MUSIC: When we are not talking, we are singing. And dancing. And having a time. Learn why music runs in our veins and try out an instrument or two yourself. Have you ever played an ugly stick? LANGUAGE: Did you know we have our own dictionary? Become acquainted with local authors. Learn some new words, like sleeveen or callibogus. And discover place names that will make you giggle, such as Come By Chance or Blow Me Down Provincial Park. NATURE: Mother Nature is highly respected here. Her high winds, dense fog, deep snow and horizontal rain have made us a hearty bunch and have defined our fashion sense. Learn about our spectacular hiking trails. Touch a piece of iceberg. And find out what capelin weather is all about. HISTORY: Come find out what brought people to these shores hundreds of years ago and what has made us such a resilient and creative lot. Try your hand at splitting a cod or bring a turn of water. Learn about resettlement and the salt cod trade. GENEALOGY: Many visitors have "roots" in this province. Some come with a clear understanding of where their families came from, while others only know that somewhere in their past there was a generation that started here. This kiosk shows you how to begin!
Events & Programs
Get to know the artifacts and material culture from The Rooms Collections better through drawing. This new weekly series is designed for creatives who want to sketch independently and draw from a unique collection of artifacts and objects from our 6 vaults.
Each session of Drawing from Our Collections will feature a new curated selection of artifacts and material culture from our extensive archives, art gallery, and museum vaults. It will be a rare opportunity to observe and draw from items that are not usually accessible to the public. Prepare to gain valuable knowledge about our collections along with others who are keen to draw, sketch and learn.
This series is for those comfortable with drawing independently in a supportive and engaging environment. Bring your sketchbook and pencils and join us for a creative adventure that will deepen your connection to art and history.
4 sessions: October 1, 8, 15, and 22 from 2 – 4 pm
Cost: $80 plus HST for 4 sessions. 10% discount for Rooms members. Must be purchased as a block of 4.
Spaces are limited, so be sure to register early to secure your spot. Suitable ages for 15 and up. Register online or by calling (709) 757-8090.
Prefer an evening time slot? There is also a 6:30 – 8:30 pm session offered every Wednesday in October.
Join archaeologist Blair Temple to hear what archaeologists found during excavations that took place during the 2018–2023 Water Street Infrastructure Improvement (WSII) project: fishery artifacts dating to the 1600s, evidence of multiple fires in the 1800s… Learn more about the amazing archaeology happening right in our city!
Tickets: $12 plus HST. Free for Rooms members. Get your tickets online or by calling (709) 757-8090.
Toby Rabinowitz, a St. John’s artist whose work radiates warmth and vitality, shares her inspirations and process behind her new exhibition, “A World Within a World.” Toby depicts a lively community of creatures, places, and stories, which reflect her lifelong creative journey.
Toby works across drawing, painting, photography, embroidery, and clay, and finds endless inspiration in the natural world. Her artworks are shaped by curiosity, kindness, and a belief in the everyday magic that surrounds us all.
Cost: $12 plus HST. 10% discount for Rooms members. Get your tickets online or by calling (709) 757-8090.
About the artist:
Toby Rabinowitz (b. 1969, Seattle, Washington, US) is a multidisciplinary artist based in St. John’s, NL. Raised on a farm in Portugal Cove – St. Philip’s, NL, she has been a pillar of the province’s arts community for more than 30 years.
Rabinowitz studied art at Maharishi International University (Fairfield, Iowa, US), Avalon Community College (St. John’s, NL), and Stephenville’s Western Community College (now College of the North Atlantic, Bay St. George, NL).
She refined her practice under mentors including Kathleen Knowling, Gerald Squires, Luben Boykov, and Valerie Hodder, among others. She recently completed a Parks Canada AiR residency at Gros Morne National Park and showed work in the 2025 Bonavista Biennale. Held in private and public collections nationwide, Rabinowitz’s art is represented by The Leyton Gallery of Fine Art, St. John’s, NL.
Have you ever been told your hair looks like a birch broom in the fits?
Join father-daughter duo Richard and Michelle Park to make your own mini birch broom! Birch broom making, the process of “running” a broom from one continuous piece of birch, was listed as Endangered in the 2024 Craft at Risk List.
Cost: $40 plus HST. 10% discount for Rooms members. All materials included. Register online!
About the presenters:
Richard Park is a retired teacher who was first exposed to the birch broom in 1957 while teaching in the community of Fox Roost-Margaree. Later, in 1979 in Francois, he learned the skills to make birch brooms from a fisherman in the community. He has been making birch brooms since, including many as gifts.
Michelle Park is a retired history teacher with an interest in local history and folklore. Since the age of 10, she has watched her father make birch brooms as gifts for family and friends, as well as for the family’s own use. Michelle worked with Richard as part of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program. The pair also offered a Build Your Own Birch Broom (BYOBB) program at the Gillams Historical Society Museum on Wednesdays in August 2022.
Presented in partnership with Heritage NL.