Left to Die by Gary Collins
Date: Apr 11
2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm
Where: Theatre
Coffee & Culture
2024 marks the 110th Anniversary of the historic convergence of ice, seals, and men in late March 1914 and the grim reminder of the dangers of the hunt.
Join award-winning author, Gary Collins as he shares his personal connection to the dramatic stories of men, both young and old, from all over the province that year to pursue the annual seal hunt. Among the vessels that took them to the ice was the S.S. Newfoundland, a wooden-walled steamship captained by Westbury Kean. With no wireless aboard the ship, the stage was set for seventy-eight of the men who went over the side and their fates sealed.
Tickets: $12 (plus HST). Free for Rooms Members. Get your tickets online or by calling (709) 757-8090. Includes admission to the exhibitions and a coffee from The Rooms Café.
About the Author:
Gary Collins was born in Hare Bay, Bonavista North. He spent fifty years in the logging and sawmilling business with his father, Theophilus, and son, Clint. Gary was once Newfoundland’s youngest fisheries guardian. He managed log drives down spring rivers for years, spent seven seasons driving tractor-trailers over ice roads and the Beaufort Sea of Canada’s Western Arctic, and has been involved in the crab, lobster, and cod commercial fisheries. In 2016, he joined the Canadian Rangers.
Gary has written numerous books, including the award-winning children’s illustrated book; What Color is the Ocean, which he co-wrote with his granddaughter, Maggie Rose Parsons.
Gary’s first novel, The Last Beothuk, won the inaugural NL Reads literary competition, administered by the CBC, and was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award.
Gary’s latest work, Away from My Island: The True Story of Eliza Gill is a story of family, heroism, and ultimate sacrifice
Today's Events & Programs
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Join Collections Manager Wade Greeley for an exclusive members-only tour of the collections vault.
Step beyond the public galleries and unearth the untold stories behind ceramics in The Rooms collection. From the ornate to the beautifully ordinary, explore the fascinating history of objects that bridge the gap between art and utility.
Don’t miss your chance to explore seldom seen tools that have shaped daily life for centuries.
This program includes a complimentary coffee or tea from The Rooms Café following the tour.
Cost: $20 plus HST (Members Only). Ticket sales open Friday, January 9 at 10:00 am. Please call 709-757-8090 to reserve your ticket.
Image: Ceramics fused during the Great Fire of 1892, St. John’s, NL.
Join Collections Manager Wade Greeley for an exclusive members-only tour of the collections vault.
Step beyond the public galleries and unearth the untold stories behind ceramics in The Rooms collection. From the ornate to the beautifully ordinary, explore the fascinating history of objects that bridge the gap between art and utility.
Don’t miss your chance to explore seldom seen tools that have shaped daily life for centuries.
This program includes a complimentary coffee or tea from The Rooms Café following the tour.
Cost: $20 plus HST (Members Only). Ticket sales open Friday, January 9 at 10:00 am. Please call 709-757-8090 to reserve your ticket.
Image: Ceramics fused during the Great Fire of 1892, St. John’s, NL.
Your Friday’s Just Got Creative
Whether you’re a confident sketcher looking for community and inspiration, or someone who’s always wanted to try drawing but never felt brave enough—this is your chance!
Join us in a welcoming, relaxed environment where creativity flows and everyone belongs. Each week, we explore a new theme while building our skills and own drawing style. From investigating the intricate details of our natural history collection to learning and drawing from our gallery exhibitions.
What to Expect:
• A supportive space to learn, share, and enjoy art together
• Guided exercises with an experienced instructor
• Tips and techniques for all skill levels
• Quality drawing supplies provided (or bring your favorite sketchbook!)
No pressure, just possibilities. Come for the art, stay for the conversation.
Cost: $25 per session plus HST. 10% discount for members. Reserve your spot today online or by calling (709) 757-8090
Let’s draw together at The Rooms!
What fills the void when a species disappears?
Legends from the past and lessons for the future.
Step into our Connections Gallery and hear the stories of the Great Auk, the Newfoundland Wolf, and endangered whales as they echo across the ages through their body and bones.
Commiserate with the extinct, heed the calls of the endangered, and get hands on with remarkable specimens. Then, stand in awe before The Earth, Our Mother, Billy Gauthier’s breathtaking sculpture carved from the skull of a fin whale.
Join us for an unforgettable experience where science meets storytelling and leave inspired, with a deeper love for the rich natural history of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Included in the cost of admission. This tour is suitable for all ages and includes unique specimens not currently on display.
Peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador
Stroll across land and sea, and through time, to meet the peoples who have made Newfoundland and Labrador home for the past 9,000 years.
Each tour is approximately 30 – 40 minutes and is included in the cost of admission. Free for Rooms members.
Your Friday’s Just Got Creative
Whether you’re a confident sketcher looking for community and inspiration, or someone who’s always wanted to try drawing but never felt brave enough—this is your chance!
Join us in a welcoming, relaxed environment where creativity flows and everyone belongs. Each week, we explore a new theme while building our skills and own drawing style. From investigating the intricate details of our natural history collection to learning and drawing from our gallery exhibitions.
What to Expect:
• A supportive space to learn, share, and enjoy art together
• Guided exercises with an experienced instructor
• Tips and techniques for all skill levels
• Quality drawing supplies provided (or bring your favorite sketchbook!)
No pressure, just possibilities. Come for the art, stay for the conversation.
Cost: $25 per session plus HST. 10% discount for members. Reserve your spot today online or by calling (709) 757-8090
Let’s draw together at The Rooms!
Join us for an exclusive screening of Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) by award-winning Canadian Inuit Director, Zacharias Kunuk, starring Theresia Kappianaq, Haiden Angutimarik, Leah Panimera, Mark Taqqaugaq, and Dion Amarualik.
The film recently won the Best Canadian Feature Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Best known for his 2001 feature film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, winner of the 2001 Camera d’Or and voted Canada’s Best Film of all-time by the Toronto International Film Festival Film Critic poll in 2015, Kunuk is considered one of the pioneers of Indigenous cinema, having directed five feature films and over 40 documentaries, all in Inuktitut.
Inspired by traditional Inuit stories and legends, Uiksaringitara: Wrong Husband is set in 2000 BCE, when Inuit lived semi-nomadically in small groups, moving to follow the seasons and animals. Society was guided by Shamanism, a complex spiritual system of taboos where each object or life form has a spirit that must be respected, and the lines between the “real” world and the “spirit” world blurred.
Kaujak (Theresia Kappianaq) and Sapa (Haiden Angutimarik) were promised to each other at birth. After the sudden death of Kaujak’s father, her mother marries a man from another camp tearing the young lovers apart. The promise of a better life quickly turns to a nightmare, with aggressive suitors backed by an evil shaman vying to win Kaujak’s hand. But Kaujak resists, holding on to hope that Sapa will one day make things right.
Running time: 100 minutes
Shot on location in Igloolik, Nunavut
Cost: $12 plus HST. 10% discount for Rooms members. Get your tickets online or by calling 709-757-8090.