The Paper Trail: To the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act
Date: May 29
7:00 pm
- 8:00 pm
Where: Theatre
This talk will introduce the Chinese Canadian Museum (Vancouver), the first cultural institution in Canada devoted to Chinese Canadian culture and lived histories, and The Paper Trail, a feature exhibition on the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.
Exhibition Curator, Catherine Clement will be in conversation with Chinese Canadian Museum CEO, Dr. Melissa Lee in introducing the feature museum exhibition on the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the generational trauma that resulted in the separation of Chinese Canadian families in the 20th century.
Tickets: $12 plus HST. Free for Rooms Members. Get your tickets online or by calling (709)757-8090.
About the Presenters:
Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee is an arts and culture leader with research interests in public art and social practice. She currently holds the appointment of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Chinese Canadian Museum, in British Columbia, Vancouver which was successfully opened on July 1st, 2023, showcasing 3 inaugural exhibitions in a 27,000 square foot space in the heart of Vancouver Chinatown. From 2019-2022, she was the Director of Education and Public Programs at the Vancouver Art Gallery. From 2016-2019 she was on the founding team to open Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Art, Hong Kong serving as the Education and Public Programs Curator. From 2008-2015, she was on faculty as Senior Lecturer at the English Department of Chinese University of Hong Kong. She holds degrees from McGill, Canterbury and Lancaster Universities.
Catherine Clement is an award-winning community historian, curator, and author based in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Her practice focuses on finding and telling the lesser-known or forgotten stories of the Chinese Canadian experience.
Catherine’s projects have been acclaimed for the extensive crowdsourcing she undertakes to discover lost photographs, documents and stories. She uses these unearthed materials to create a major exhibition and leave a legacy: the establishment of new community archives in public institutions.
Before developing The Paper Trail project, Catherine spent 10 years uncovering the hidden works of Vancouver's first and most prolific Chinese photographer. The project “Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow” resulted in an exhibition, an award-winning book and a digital archive of over 600 photos that is now housed at the City of Vancouver.
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.