In Conversation: Marlene Creates and Anne Pickard


Date: Sep 19
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Where: Theatre

In Conversation: Marlene Creates and Anne Pickard
Works from Blast Hole Pond Road

A conversation with environmental artist, Marlene Creates and art educator, Anne Pickard, followed by an engaging question-and-answer.

Marlene is an accomplished and beloved artist who has helped build the arts community in our province since the 1980s. Among many honours, Marlene was invested into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2021, she was the recipient of a 2019 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts for “Lifetime Artistic Achievement”, and she received an Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) from Memorial University in 2024.

Underlying all Marlene’s work has been an interest in place—not as a geographical location but as a process that involves layers of memory, multiple narratives, ecology, language, politics, emotions, and both scientific and vernacular knowledge. For the past 22 years she has worked with one specific place—the six-acre patch of old-growth boreal forest where she lives in Portugal Cove.

This is a free event but a ticket is required. Please reserve your free ticket online or by calling (709)757-8090. 

 

Today's Events & Programs

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Fall in Love with Creativity!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, join us to turn everyday fabric scraps into beautiful braided fabric wreaths. Inspired by our exhibition, Toby Rabinowitz’s A World Within a World, we’ll celebrate joy and creativity in everyday life while giving old materials a fresh, fabulous twist!

No experience needed - just bring your enthusiasm! Got fabric scraps you’d love to include? Bring them along! If not, we’ve got plenty to share.

Cost: $40 plus HST. 10% discount for Rooms members. Register online or by calling 709-757-8090. This workshop is for ages 16 and up. 

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Join us for an inspiring afternoon highlighting the artists who captured the spirit of the 2025 Canada Summer Games—live and on location. While athletes competed across St. John’s, a volunteer collective of artists worked quickly with pen, paint, and pastels as they documented the energy of competition and community in real time.

This event offers a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process, from the challenges of drawing in motion to the thrill of finding the perfect line amid the action. You’ll hear first-hand stories from the field—weather swings, crowded venues, and the art of working fast—alongside selections from sketchbooks and paintings created during the Games.

Whether you’re an art lover, Games fan, aspiring sketcher or a curious community member, this session promises insight, inspiration, and practical tips for drawing in public spaces.

Tickets: $12 plus HST. Free for Rooms members. Get your tickets online or by calling 709-757-8090.

Image: CBC/Using watercolour, artist Shay Hucklebridge captures the scene at women’s soccer at the King George V Park. (Shay Hucklebridge)